Guarding the angels—and more—with a vibration monitor

Friday, January 17, 2014
frescoe of angel as seen in Flavelle House

The antique finishes, the crown moulding, the hand-painted frescoes, the ornate wood carvings, these are some of the iconic finishes that we—faculty, students, staff and alumni—love so much in Flavelle House.

And these are the very things that the soon-to-be-installed vibration monitor will help protect, says Eastern’s project manager Dean Walker.

“We’ll have a computerized monitoring system set up in the basement of Flavelle, to measure the impact of vibrations, and any particle movement. The assessment will determine the zone of influence, and there will be monitoring within that zone.”

How it works: the system will send an email to the crew any time the vibrations fall in that zone range. The crew will then assess and determine an appropriate course of action to reduce the impact.

“We would investigate what’s going on specifically to cause that alert. It could be a beam coming down, a one-time occurrence, and set off the monitor. The threshold is set below the allowable limit,” says Walker. “We do not want to negatively affect the building’s history, crack any structural supports, or architectural finishes, mouldings or plaster.”

In Flavelle House, the largest vibration-creating activity will be the structural demolition of the building.

Supports up for last phase of demolition

Friday, January 10, 2014
new structural column to support demolition in Flavelle House

Interior demolition is almost completed in the former Bora Laskin Library and Flavelle House. These new structural supports are being installed to support additional cut lines in the existing building to assist in demolishing the final areas that are left. Project manager Dean Walker says supports include new footings, piers and columns.

 

closeup of footing in demolition site

 

Also this month, Walker says the rooftop heating unit will be relocated. This unit serves the attic area of Flavelle House. The roof section for its current location will soon be demolished.

New LLM in Health Law, Ethics and Policy launched

Friday, January 10, 2014

The Faculty of Law has launched the LLM in Health Law, Ethics and Policy. This new concentration reflects some of the urgent challenges in the fast-paced and evolving health care world. Issues such as human experimentation, end-of-life decisions, the pharmaceutical industry, mental health, medical patents, and right-to-health services have far-reaching consequences for individuals and social institutions. 

Prof. Brenda Cossman - "What if Ottawa now criminalizes prostitution?"

Monday, January 6, 2014

In a commentary in The Globe and Mail, Prof. Brenda Cossman looks at the potential consequences of the Supreme Court of Canada's decision striking down three laws relating to sex work ("What if Ottawa now criminalizes prostitution?", December 20, 2013).

Read the full commentary on The Globe and Mail website, or below.

Public Forum - After Bedford v. Canada: What next for regulating sex work in Canada?

PUBLIC FORUM

After Bedford v. Canada: What next for regulating sex work in Canada?

Friday, January 24, 2014, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

University College, Room 179
15 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto (map)

Looking forward and looking back: 72 years of the Law Review

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

From left: Prof. Simon Stern, Ljiljana Stanic, the Honourable Justice Kathryn N. Feldman, Adrienne Ho
From left: Prof. Simon Stern, Ljiljana Stanic, the Honourable Justice Kathryn N. Feldman, Adrienne Ho

By Adrienne Ho & Ljiljana Stanić

SJD student Kyle Kirkup - "With sex-work ruling, Supreme Court can be on the right side of history"

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

In a commentary in The Globe and Mail, SJD student Kyle Kirkup looks at the upcoming the Supreme Court of Canada decision on Canada's prostitution laws, arguing that the court should strike down the three provisions currently restricting sex work ("With sex-work ruling, Supreme Court can be on the right side of history," December 17, 2013).

Top 10 Faculty of Law news stories for 2013

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

We're thrilled to see you clicking and reading a variety of our web stories. Thanks to Google analytics, we were able to compile our own Top 10 list.

Here are the Faculty of Law's most read news stories for 2013:

 

10. A Convocation to remember

More than 200 graduates of the Faculty of Law were lucky enough to have an honorary degree recipient and commencement address like no other at their June 7 convocation ceremony.

 

SJD student Y.Y. Chen - "Ontario right to fix Ottawa's mistake on refugee health care"

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

In a commentary in the Toronto Star, SJD student Y.Y. Brandon Chen says that the Ontario government's decision to provide health care to refugee claimants, after funding for it was withdrawn by the federal government, is an important human rights success that could also benefit the province in the long run ("Ontario right to fix Ottawa's mistake on refugee health care," December 12, 2013).

Faculty's Renewal Project recognized with Canadian Architect Award

Thursday, December 12, 2013
Rendering of the Jackman Law Building and new library, view from Hoskin Street.

We're so thrilled to hear that the Faculty of Law's Renewal Project, which includes the stunning new Jackman Law Building, has been recognized with a prominent national design award: a 2013 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.

Read our full story here.

 

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