Caryma Sa'd

Caryma Sa'd is a Canadian lawyer. She is known for documenting events at anti-COVID-19-lockdown protests in Canada, and also as a landlord-tenant lawyer.[1] She is a former executive director of Canada's branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).

Caryma Sa'd
Born
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
EducationUniversity of Ottawa
Occupation(s)Lawyer and citizen journalist
Known forLandlord and tenant legal work, Cannabis law, documenting protests
Websitecarymasad.com

Early life and education

Sa'd was born to an Indian mother and a Palestinian father, and grew up in Mississauga, Ontario.[1] She studied law at the University of Ottawa.[2]

After articling in a Bay Street law firm, and working for Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP, Sa'd launched her own practice that specializes in criminal, housing, and cannabis law in 2017.[1][3][4][5] She serves on the board of directors of Legal Line,[1] and in 2019 ran unsuccessfully to be a bencher at the Law Society of Ontario, finishing in 28th place with 15.8% of the vote.[6][7][8][9] She ran again in 2023 and came in 38th place with 8.6% of the vote.[10]

In 2019, Sa'd represented tenants displaced by a fatal fire from 235 Gosford Boulevard apartment block in Toronto. She organized an open letter to Toronto Mayor John Tory, requesting him to block reoccupation of the building until air quality issues were addressed.[11][12]

Also in 2019, Sa'd described Ontario's lottery system of providing retail cannabis licences as "unfair" because it excluded potential licensees based on luck, not experience or relevant skills.[13] In 2021, she campaigned for the rights of small cannabis businesses, and criticized Facebook and Instagram for blocking their posts despite the legality of selling cannabis in Canada.[14]

In 2021, Sa'd represented tenants who rented illegal apartments from Toronto landlord Brad J. Lamb, pushing for financial compensation for those evicted,[15][16] and persuaded a judge to give more time to two tenants whose rent was delayed due to hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

Art and activism

Sa'd has commissioned cartoons that are critical of corporations, public figures, and politicians.[1] Sa'd co-founded 420 Cannabis Court, an outdoor comedy venue.[1] As of 2021, she was the executive director for Canada's branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).[1][18]

Throughout 2021, Sa'd documented and published footage of anti-vaccination and COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in Toronto.[19] In July 2021, she invited anti-lockdown activist Chris Sky to appear in front of an audience at her venue in Toronto's Chinatown for a live interview.[20] A community group, Friends of Chinatown, and other tenants in the mall that the interview was to be held in urged her to cancel the event due to concerns for community safety.[21] Sa'd refused the request but the event was cancelled nevertheless after proper precautions were not taken and community groups, residents and concerned parties showed up to protestSky and police had to be called to break up a number of scuffles.[22][23]

In 2022, she spent weeks in Ottawa working as a documenter, documenting the Canada convoy protest before live tweeting the bail hearings of Pat King and Tamara Lich.[24]

Sa'd was arrested for trespassing by Ontario Provincial Police on May 26, 2022, as she tried to enter political rally for Doug Ford at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.[25][26] Charges were dropped on November 8, 2022.[27]

Family life

Sa'd's father died of COVID-19 in March 2021.[24]

References
  1. Leck, Sebastian (March 30, 2021). "How this young lawyer works to tackle Toronto's eviction crisis". Canada's National Observer. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  2. Gibson, Victoria (July 25, 2017). "Lawyer seeks out accused in hostage-taking". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  3. Macnab, Aiden (November 19, 2020). "Legal clinics across Ontario decry access-to-justice barriers at Landlord and Tenant Board Hearings". Law Times News. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  4. Cain, Patrick (March 10, 2021). "Fewer than 400 people pardoned under new system for erasing old weed convictions". CTV News. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  5. Laidlaw, Katherine (September 4, 2019). "These lawyers fight for the disenfranchised and still manage to pay the rent". Precedent. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  6. Carruthers, Dale (April 16, 2019). "Law society bencher candidates include cannabis specialist". London Free Press. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  7. Amanda, Joerome (February 25, 2019). "Diversity needed some bencher candidates say, as debate over statement of principles continues". The Lawyers Daily. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  8. "Canadian Hispanic Bar Association | The CHBA endorses Caryma Sa'd for Bencher!". Canadian Hispanic Bar Association. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. https://lawsocietyontario.azureedge.net/media/lso/media/about/governance/2019-lawyer-tabulation.pdf
  10. https://lawsocietyontario.azureedge.net/media/lso/media/about/2023%20bencher%20election/2023-elected-benchers-lawyers.pdf
  11. Sasitharan, Kirthana (December 28, 2019). "These Gosford fire residents aren't satisfied with air quality, safety measures of building". CBC.
  12. "Tenants demand answers from landlord in wake of fatal North York fire". CBC. December 7, 2019.
  13. Somos, Christy (July 29, 2019). "Illegal dispensaries stay open because Ontario's lottery system 'unfair': cannabis lawyer". CTVNews. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  14. Evans, Pete (February 3, 2021). "Canadian cannabis stocks pop on U.S. legalization push and GameStop-style short squeeze". CBC.
  15. McKeen, Alex (March 15, 2021). "'I never want to displace anyone.' Landlord offers reimbursement for tenants evacuated from illegal apartments". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  16. Salem, Zena (March 29, 2021). "Landlord, former tenants reach agreement to cover costs after sudden evacuation of illegal Bloor West". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  17. Gibson, Victoria (April 7, 2021). "Landlord should have negotiated with tenants' union in rent repayment deal, says Ontario Landlord and Tenant". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  18. Gamage, Michelle (March 31, 2020). "NORML Canada's new executive director Caryma Sa'd explains how legalization went wrong: Q&A". Mugglehead Magazine. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  19. Jane Gerster and Greg Ross (August 31, 2021). "Ontario NDP pushes for safety zones as anti-vaccine protests continue to plague restaurants". CBC.
  20. "Toronto lawyer Caryma Sa'd to take on anti-lockdown celeb Chris Sky in online interview". NOW Magazine. July 7, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  21. "Neighbours urge lawyer Caryma Sa'd to cancel anti-masker debate". NOW Magazine. July 9, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  22. DiMatteo, Enzo (July 21, 2021). "Caryma Sa'd makes no apologies". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  23. Miller, Mira (February 25, 2021). "Toronto lawyer creates humorous comics to highlight issues of the day". www.blogto.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  24. Olinjyk, Zena (February 22, 2022). "How Caryma Sa'd has been a 'fly on the wall' at the Ottawa blockade". www.canadianlawyermag.com. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  25. Hristova, Bobby (November 8, 2022). "Trespassing charge against Toronto lawyer arrested at Ford rally withdrawn in Hamilton". CBC.
  26. Oromoni, Annabel (May 29, 2022). "Lawyer Caryma Sa'd arrested and charged for allegedly trespassing at Premier Doug Ford's rally". www.lawtimesnews.com. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  27. O'Reilly, Nicole (November 10, 2022). "Trespass charge dropped against lawyer arrested at Ford campaign stop in Hamilton". The Hamilton Spectator. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
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