Taxi Taxi rides will take minutes from the airport to downtown. Taxi rides cost $60.

Transcription

1 Introduction Welcome to the 23 rd Annual Black Law Students Association of Canada (BLSAC) conference! My name is Julie Sobowale, Treasurer and Conference Chair of BLSAC. On behalf of the BLSAC Executive, it is our pleasure to have you attend our national conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you have any questions, please feel free to me at See you at the conference! How to get to Halifax All major airlines have flights to the Stanfield International Airport, the major airport in Halifax. The conference will be held at the Marriott Harbourfront hotel, which is located in downtown Halifax on 1919 Upper Water Street. Taxi Taxi rides will take minutes from the airport to downtown. Taxi rides cost $60. Public Transportation There is a public transit bus that travels from the airport to downtown every 15 minutes past the hour. The Metro X bus costs $3.50 and you will need exact change. There are signs in the airport that will lead you to the bus. To get from the bus stop to the hotel, please follow these steps: 1. Get off the bus at the final bus stop. The final bus stop will be on Albemarle Road, after crossing the bridge. 2. Walk towards the Halifax Metro Centre and turn left on Duke Street. The road will have a downward slope. 1

2 3. Turn left at Barrington and Duke (the first stop light). At Barrington and Duke, cross the street towards the Tempo Restaurant and turn left. You should walk by the Delta Barrington hotel. 4. Enter the downtown pedway system on Barrington Street. On your right, there will a set of doors with a Goodlife Fitness on top. 5. Take a left through the sliding doors towards the hotel. The escalators on the right will take you to Scotia Square Mall. 6. Walk through the pedway system. You will go down the escalators. After you pass the restaurants and shops, take a right. There will be signs that lead you the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront. 7. Once you enter the hotel, go down the elevators to the first floor and take a right. The check-in desk is towards the front doors on the right. 2

3 Hotel Information Check-in time is 3 pm and check-out time is 11 am. Please note that you will need a credit card to check-in or a $250 deposit for incidentals. Dietary Restrictions If you have any dietary restrictions, please Julie Sobowale at conference@blsacanada.com by Tuesday, January 28. Thank you. Double and quad occupancy rooms If you registered for double and quad occupancy rooms, please Julie Sobowale at conference@blsacanada.com on who will be staying in your room. If you do not send an , someone will be randomly assigned to your room. Dress Code For Friday and Saturday, the dress code is business casual. For the gala, the dress code is formal attire. Dalhousie Schulich School of Law On Friday, we will have the unveiling of the Rocky Jones portrait at the Dalhousie Schulich School of Law from 7 to 9 pm. Rocky Jones was a pioneer in the Black community as a lawyer and human rights advocate. He was a founding member of the Black United Front of Nova Scotia, the Dalhousie Indigenous Black and Mi kmaq Initiative and the Dalhousie Transition Year Program. He received his law degree from Dalhousie University in 1992 and argued the groundbreaking case R. v. R.D.S. in Where it is The Dalhousie Schulich School of Law is in the Weldon Law Building on University Avenue. How to get here A taxi ride to Dalhousie University costs about $15. Tell the driver to drop you off at the law school. Public transportation is also available. If you take the #1 bus (Spring Garden to Mumford Road), get off at the first bus stop past Robie St. (in front of Coburg Coffee on 3

4 the right side of the road). Turn left on Henry Street. The Weldon law building will be on your left. Halifax Entertainment Thursday Night Maxwell s Plum (Pub) 1600 Grafton St, $20 80 oz MGD Brewtender (Until Midnght) ***No Cover Charge - Pub food and 80 different kinds of beers on tap. The Dome (Dance Club) 1726 Argyle St $3.00 Well Shots ***Cover Charge/ Free with Student ID - This is where most undergrads go. DJ, cheap drinks and open until 3:30am The Seahorse (Mellotones) 1665 Argyle St, ***Cover Charge - Popular Halifax Spot. Every Thursday a Funk Band called The Mellotones play. It gets crowded and hot but the music is good if you like Motown. Open until 2am. Friday Night Pacifico (Dance Club) 1505 Barrington St, $4.50 Drinks ***$5.00 Cover Charge - Popular spot on a Friday Night, most Dal Undergrads go here. Open until 2am. The Dome 1726 Argyle St Ladies Night - Ladies get in free before midnight Taboo Nightclub 1739 Grafton St, ***Cover Charge - Dress Code. It is more of a 25 years and up crowd. 4

5 Halifax Alehouse 1717 Brunswick St, ***$8.00 Cover Charge - Very East Coast, cover band, lots of people. Saturday Night The Dome 1726 Argyle St ***Cover Charge - A bunch of DJ s, can also get access to the bar upstairs (Cheers) Taboo Nightclub 1739 Grafton St, ***Cover Charge ***Dress code Pacifico 1505 Barrington St, ***Cover Charge ***Dress Code - University Crowd, DJ, closes at 2am. Other Bars/Pubs/Lounges/Food Niche Lounge 1505 Barrington St, Halifax, - $4.00 Drinks Every Night - Thursday: $5.00 Martinis - Half Price Apps from 4:30-6:30pm Everyday - No cover The Stubborn Goat Gastropub 1579 Grafton Street - Pretty new to Halifax, but a good place for food and drinks Foggy Google (Pub) 1667 Argyle St - Good food - Happy Hour Prices The Bitter End Martini Bar (Lounge) 1572 Argyle St, Halifax 5

6 - Small venue - DJ on the weekends - Lots of specialty drinks The Carlton (Pub/Bar) 1685 Argyle St - Good food - Sometimes has live local folk/indie music Obladee Wine Bar 1600 Barrington St, - Cute, quiet little place - Great place to go for wine and cheese Durty Nelly Irish Pub 1660 Argyle St - Pub food and beer - Older crowd - Happy Hour Restaurants (Pricey but good) The Bicycle Thief $$$$ 1475 Lower Water Street Five Fishermen (Great for Seafood) $$$ 1740 Argyle Street Chives $$$ 1537 Barrington St, Hamachi House (Great Sushi) $$$ 5190 Morris St Talay Thai $$$ 1261 Barrington St Ryan Duffy s Steak House $$$$ 1650 Bedford Row Restaurante amano $$$ 1477 Lower Water Street 6

7 Looking Back, Moving Forward Black Law Students Association of Canada (BLSAC) 23nd National Conference January 30 February 2, 2014 Thursday (Day 1): January 30, 2014 TIME 3:00 6:00 pm ACTIVITY Registration/Hotel Check In (Acadia Foyer) Friday (Day 2): January 31, 2014 TIME ACTIVITY 8:30 9:30 am 9:30 12 pm 12:00 1:00 pm 1:00 2:30 pm 2:30 2:45 pm Registration/Breakfast Blakes Opening Ceremonies (Acadia ABC): Greetings from BLSA Canada President Elder from Mik maq community Greetings from Dean Kim Brooks Remarks from IB&M Director Michelle Williams Keynote Speaker Candace Thomas Lunch (Acadia ABC) Town Hall Panel: Access to Justice for Black Nova Scotians (in partnership with the Nova Scotia Barristers Society) (Acadia ABC) RCMP Sgt. Craig Smith author of You Had Better Be White By Six A.M. The African Canadian Experience in the RCMP Lauren Grant Project Coordinator of Access Legal Help NS at Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia Wanda Thomas Bernard Professor at the School of Social Work Refreshment Break (sponsored by Norton Rose) Moot Preliminary Rounds (Sable AB) 7

8 2:45 4:00 pm Session 1 Class Actions and Race (Acadia ABC) Discuss dispute resolution strategies for diverse communities Robert Wright, (Cultural Competency Expert) Naiomi Metallic (Associate at Burchells LLP specializing in Aboriginal law) Session 2 Mediation/Arbitra tion in Corporate Law (Annapolis) How mediation works in corporate/commer cial law Suhuyini Abudulai (Associate at Cassels Brock specializing commercial law) Jonathan Elston (Director at McGill) in HS/Undergrad: Navigating the law school admissions process (Sable CD) Find out how to prepare for legal education by learning about the law school admissions process Michelle Williams (Director of IB&M Initiative) Moot Preliminary Rounds (Sable AB) 4:00 5:15 pm Session 3 Advocacy in the criminal justice system (Acadia ABC) Lawyers share their insight on how marginalized groups can navigate the system and what we can do to reform the criminal justice system. Shawna Hoyte, Q.C. (Lawyer at Dal Legal Aid) Kai Glasglow (Associate at Nova Scotia Legal Aid) Archie Kaiser (Criminal Law professor at Dalhousie University) Session 4 Careers in Entertainment law (Annapolis) Discuss having a career in entertainment law and changes in the entertainment industry Darryl Kyte (Entertainment Lawyer at Sponsored Arts), Floyd Kane (Owner, Producer, Writer at Freddie Films Inc.), Christene Hirschfeld Q.C. (Partner at Boyne Clarke specializing in entertainment law) HS/Undergrad: The law school experience (Sable CD) Moot Preliminary Rounds (Sable AB) 8

9 7:00 9:00 pm Unveiling of Rocky Jones Portrait (Dalhousie Schulich School of Law) Saturday (Day 3): February 1, 2014 TIME 8:30 9:30 am ACTIVITY Breakfast (sponsored by Stewart McKelvey) 9:30 10:30 am Session 5 Corporate Social Responsibility in law firms (Acadia ABC) Find out how law firms are embracing community development Kori Williams (Associate at Dentons in Financial Services Group) Raphael Eghan (Associate at Osler specializing in litigation) Leslie Hickman (Associate at McInnes Cooper and member of CSR committee) Session 6 Working together for Justice: Different Cultural Perspectives in the Law (Annapolis) Lawyers and activists with varying views discuss how marginalized groups can work together to create change in society Catherine Meade (Director, 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games) Andrew Kirk (Staff Lawyer at Nova Scotia Legal Aid) Fo Niemi, Q.C. (Executive Director of Centre for Research- Action on Race Relations) BREAKOUT SESSION (Sable AB): The future of NS Black lawyers and ideas to organize Black lawyers in the province 10:30 10:35 am Refreshment Break 10:35 12:00 pm Session 7 Career Options in the Law (Annapolis) Interested in working in-house, government or private practice? Find out about different career opportunities Michael Holder (Senior in-house counsel at Bank of Montreal) Catherine Meade (Director, 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games) Konata Lake (Associate in Torys in Corporate and Capital Markets Practice) Daniel Jutras (Dean of Law at McGill University) 9

10 12:00 1:00 pm Lunch Break 1:00 2:00 pm 2:00 2:15 pm 2:15 4:00 pm 6:30 1:00 am BLSA Canada General Meeting (Acadia ABC) Refreshment Break Koskie Minsky Diversity Moot Finals (Acadia ABC) Gala (Halifax Ballroom) Cocktails (6:30 7:00 pm) Dinner Moot Awards Judge Sparks Award Lifetime Achievement Award Entertainment (DJ) Sunday (Day 4): February 2, 2014 TIME ACTIVITY 11:00 am Check-out from hotel Strategic Planning Meeting for BLSAC Executive (Halifax A) 10