THUNDER BAY -- Lakehead University’s law school has a new name – the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.
Named after the Thunder Bay native and 14th Chief Justice of Canada, founding dean of law Lee Stuesser said the name change was a natural fit.
“I think we well recognize this is a special building. We’re doing some special things here and Bora Laskin was a revolutionary in terms of legal education and we’re doing some interesting things here at Lakehead so frankly it was a natural fit,” he said.
The announcement was made late Tuesday afternoon at the Faculty of Law’s donor reception in the law school, located in the former Port Arthur Collegiate Institute.
Bora Laskin spent 14 years on the Supreme Court of Canada, 10 of which were as the Chief Justice. He died in 1984.
His daughter Barbara Laskin and nephew John Laskin attended the reception Tuesday and Barbara Laskin said naming the law school after her father was an incredible honour.
“I and the family find it a very moving gesture on the part of this faculty,” she said. “I think my dad would have loved to know that this was here. The fact that it’s his birthplace and it’s going to bear his name and the Laskin name which has been so long associated with Thunder Bay is very, very meaningful to us.”
When Lakehead was still working on establishing the faculty of law, which this fall saw its second class of freshman attend, Barbara Laskin said she heard throughout the law society that people thought the school could be named after her father.
“I never dared to think that would happen,” she said.
“It’s wonderful and heartwarming.”
Lakehead also has one of its buildings on its main campus named after Bora Laskin.
