In an opinion piece for The Gazette (Montreal) June 9, Janet Bagnall wrote that labelling young, native-born Muslim males as “racially suspect and intrinsically prone to violence” can become a self-fulling prophecy. Does it make any difference, she asked, if, as is the case in Canada and was to some degree in Britain, the young immigrant men in question are not unskilled or unemployed but are middle class? Do middle-class youngsters turn to violence for the same reasons? Professor Paul Anisef, sociology professor in York’s Faculty of Arts, thinks it’s too early to know. “You’re dealing with a very limited number of incidents,” he said. “To what extent can you generalize? I don’t think you can. It seems plausible, if a particular ethnic or minority group feels challenged, it’s the middle class that has the resources to act or react.”
Osgoode grad appointed to Ontario Court of Justice
Members of the Hamilton legal community are of two minds about the appointment of assistant Crown attorney and York alumnus Joe Nadel (LLB ‘75) to the bench of the Ontario Court of Justice, reported the Hamilton Spectator June 9. They’re disappointed the energetic and capable Nadel will no longer be prosecuting criminal cases at the John Sopinka Courthouse. But they’re also delighted to see such a deserving colleague realize a dream. “He has a vast legal knowledge and endless energy and he’ll be a huge loss to the Hamilton Crown Attorney’s Office,” said his now former boss, Crown attorney Tim Power. Brent Bentham, a fellow prosecutor, described Nadel as “one of the most dedicated Crown attorneys in the province.” He said Nadel has “carried a heavy case load, including many high profile and complex cases and is known throughout the Hamilton legal community as a paragon of fairness.”
On air
- Joe Baker