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$1M gift from RioCan Founder Edward Sonshine to establish Chair in Race and the Law

New first-of-its-kind chair position to examine role of the law in current and historic discrimination
January 21, 2022
Edward Sonshine

January 21, 2022 - TORONTO - Today, at a 100th birthday celebration of its namesake, the Lincoln Alexander School of Law announced that Ed and Fran Sonshine have made a $1 million gift to establish The Edward Sonshine Chair in Race and the Law as part of the law school’s Racial Justice Initiative.

The Sonshines’ gift will enable the law school to recruit a leading scholar whose work will inform the direction of its Racial Justice Initiative, strengthening it through research and talent development, and convening a diverse range of voices to engage the public in conversations about anti-racism in all its forms. The Edward Sonshine Chair in Race and the Law will ensure that a critical understanding of the role of the law in both promoting and perpetuating antisemitism and other forms of discrimination is built into the legal education of our students so they are equipped to shape a more equitable justice system.

Ed Sonshine, Founder and Non Executive Chair, RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, said (external link) , “It is up to lawyers who understand and shape the law to make sure that everybody gets the same opportunities and treatment under the law.”

Mr. Sonshine was born in the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp in Germany, and emigrated to Canada with his family when he was three years old. Both he and his wife Fran are children of Holocaust survivors.

“I graduated fifth in my class from Osgoode Hall Law School, yet there were 10 firms where I couldn’t even get an appointment to apply for an articling position because they just didn’t hire Jews. Period. End of story,” Mr. Sonshine added.

“It is a privilege to be in a position to make a donation to a new law school named after one of the finest gentlemen I had the pleasure of meeting, Mr. Lincoln Alexander.”

"This generous donation from Ed and Fran Sonshine will establish the Edward Sonshine Chair in Race and the Law - the first chair appointment at the law school. Thank you to Ed and Fran for this gift - it will ensure that the study of the role of law in antisemitism and other injustices in Canada continues to be an essential component in the legal education of our students,” said Ryerson University President and Vice-Chancellor, Mohamed Lachemi.

“As we approach International Holocaust Remembrance Day (external link)  on January 27th, it is important that we never forget the lessons and legacy of Holocaust history,” said Lincoln Alexander School of Law Founding Dean, Donna E. Young. “It is also important that we educate our students to understand and appreciate the various ways laws and the courts have been used to exclude, disenfranchise and drive out historically disadvantaged people. Despite scores of examples of discriminatory legal initiatives, many people living in Canada are unaware of the incremental, all too recent, and ongoing uses and abuses of the law to this effect. I extend my deepest thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Sonshine for their tremendous support.”

 

About Lincoln Alexander School of Law

The Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Ryerson University is reimagining legal education in pursuit of a more just society. Our mission is to equip the lawyers of tomorrow with the contemporary skills and experience required to expand the reach of justice and respond to the evolving challenges that face Canadian society. To learn more, visit ryerson.ca/law.

About Ryerson University*

Ryerson University is Canada’s leader in innovative, career-oriented education. Urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the University is home to more than 46,000 students, including 2,900 Master’s and PhD students, 4,000 faculty and staff, and over 200,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit ryerson.ca.

*In August 2021, the university announced that it would begin a renaming process to address the legacy of Egerton Ryerson for a more inclusive future. Let's write the next chapter together.