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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Thomas McMorrow
PhD

Associate Professor

Undergraduate Program Director, Liberal Studies

Legal Studies, Liberal Studies

Dr. Thomas McMorrow is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Undergraduate Program Director of Liberal Studies in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

Contact expert

thomas.mcmorrow@ontariotechu.ca
905.721.8668 ext. 5877

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Areas of expertise


  • DCL McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
  • LLM McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
  • LLB Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

On December 14, Dr. Thomas McMorrow delivered a lecture at the University of Innsbruck Faculty of Law in Austria, entitled “Reasonable Foreseeability and the Legalization of Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada (MAID).”

Dr. McMorrow moderated a panel at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology on the role of universities in reconciliation.

He also wrote about it on Reconciliation Syllabus, a TRC-inspired gathering of materials for teaching law.

He appeared as a witness before the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. The panel on which he appears begins at 12:30:20.

  • Human Rights Mediation (LGLS 3620U)
    Human rights mediation looks at the way that mediation and alternative dispute resolution can be used in the context of human rights complaints. Students will examine human rights mediation initiatives such as the Canadian Human Rights Commission and ways that mediation is used to divert disputes from the tribunal process. Students are also exposed to the ways that mediation is used in human rights disputes to resolve conflict and to educate parties to rights issues. The student in this course is expected to understand the legal framework of human rights and will demonstrate an ability to create win-win solutions to typical conflicts in this area.
  • Family Law (LGLS 3130U)
    This course provides the basis for understanding legal and policy-based regulation of the family and familial relations. It will focus on the regulation of familial relations at three major points: the formation of family, its ongoing functioning and its dissolution. Among the topics examined are common-law unions, marriage, divorce, adoption, custody, spousal support, dispute resolution and others. The impacts of socio-cultural norms about family life on family law, as well as issues of race, gender and sexual orientation will be discussed. This course is essential for students who intend to pursue a minor in mediation.
  • Family Mediation (LGLS 3600U)
    This course examines conflict not only in the traditional two parent family situation but also in emerging single and same sex parented families. While the main focus will be on conflicts created during marriage breakdown, separation and divorce, emphasis will also be given to issues of intergenerational care and abuse both involving children and the elderly. Skills and forms of practice leading to the creation of parenting plans and separation agreements will be examined against the backdrop of the emotional, social and legal forces affecting the participants. Family relations mediation, family financial mediation and family comprehensive mediation with emphasis on the development of parenting plans will be considered.
  • Philosophy of Law (LGLS 3220U)
    This course explores the nature of law by examining fundamental legal concepts such as justice, authority, legal rules, and the obligation to obey. Students will learn to critically analyze patterns of legal reasoning and the goals they serve.
  • Public Law (LGLS 2100U)
    This course is an introduction to the law relating to the state and its relationships, including the constitutional fundamentals of the Canadian legal and political system. It examines the structure of the Canadian constitution, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, federalism and division of powers, judicial review and Aboriginal and treaty rights. The course also includes an analysis of basic principles in administrative law, as well as a consideration of the role of law in public policy. The legislative and common law foundations of public law will also be introduced.