Art and the Courts: Osgoode Hall and the McMurtry Gardens of Justice
Virtual tours available now
Osgoode Hall, a National Historic Site of Canada, has been delighting visitors since the mid-19th century. The home of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Superior Court of Justice, nd the Law Society of Ontario, it is the hub of legal activity in downtown Toronto.
And beside it, the McMurtry Gardens of Justice is a series of sculptures and fountains. Each item is designed to represent a fundamental legal right that belongs to all Canadians. This gallery of public art invites us to pause and reflect on our freedoms, whether we are on our way to court, visiting on a class trip, or just passing by.
With support from the Law Society of Ontario and funding from the Law Foundation of Ontario, OJEN now offers two ways to experience Osgoode Hall and the McMurtry Gardens of Justice via virtual tours in both French and English.
(1) Artandthecourts.ca for desktop and mobile
Visit http://artandthecourts.ca for virtual tours of Osgoode Hall and the McMurtry Gardens of Justice.
The Osgoode Hall tour features an in-depth exploration of Courtrooms 1 and 4, which introduce students to the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the process of appellate hearings.
The McMurtry Gardens of Justice tour introduces the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with accessible short explanations of section 1 (the reasonable limits clause), section 2 (fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion and expression), and section 15 (equality before the law).
(2) Download the Osgoode Hall mobile app, for iOS and Android
Just search for “Osgoode Hall” in the Apple Store or on Google Play. Using the app, you can download tour content to eliminate the need for an internet connection while experiencing the tour content. Apps include all of the content available in the tours at artandthecourts.ca, plus some supplemental archival materials from Osgoode Hall.
Using the virtual tours with your class
For suggestions about how to integrate the virtual tours into your classroom activities, OJEN has prepared a Teachers Guide which is available below. It includes curriculum links for Grade 5 classes, Grade 10 Civics, and Grade 11 Law and connections to both the Poster Challenge and the Charter Challenge programs.
These tours and the associated materials were made possible by a generous grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario. The Law Foundation has been a steadfast ally in the work of public legal education for youth and a vital supporter of the Ontario Justice Education Network.
