The Rules We Live By: Making sense of the rule of law in today's world
- Date
- November 19, 2026
- Time
- 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location
- Toronto Reference Library, Bram & Bluma Appel Salon - 789 Yonge Street Toronto, ON M4W 2M9
Who gets to make the rules we live by – and who gets to decide whether they are fair? Who does the law protect – and at whose expense? What happens when our ideas of fairness, accountability, and justice collide? These are the questions that strike at the heart of the rule of law - a principle fundamental to democracy in Canada, yet is often difficult to define and even harder to understand.
At a time of profound uncertainty, rising oppressive forces, and complex global challenges, making sense of the rule of law and its role in our collective lives is essential. What might we discover by thinking about law as a technology – a human-made system designed to organize society, negotiate competing interests, and shape how power is exercised? Making space for complexity, difference, and respectful disagreement is critical as we grapple with what the rule of law means today.
Join Dr. Alexandra Mogyoros, Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, and Samantha Peters, human rights lawyer, legal educator and scholar, for an evening of exploration through art, lecture, and community conversation. With Jake Hirsch-Allen, Director of Partnerships at The Dais, as emcee and CBC's Falen Johnson, host of the See You In Court (external link) podcast, moderating the Q&A discussion, we'll examine what the rule of law means in everyday life, how power operates through our legal systems, and how we can engage more meaningfully with one another.
Guests will also have the opportunity to explore a special art exhibition featuring works from Toronto Metropolitan University's Image Centre, including its New York Times and Black Star collections, alongside the Wildseeds Art for Justice Project, a creative collaboration between the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN) and Law in Action Within Schools (LAWS).
This is a free community event. All are welcome. Light refreshments will be provided. Bring your questions. Challenge your assumptions. Add your voice to the conversation.