If the law school gains the necessary approvals, it is expected to open its doors to a first class of 150 students in September 2020.

When asked whether Ontario needs another law school, LSO Treasurer Paul Schabas said it was not for him to say.

“I think the Ryerson proposal does identify that there are quite a lot of Canadians who are leaving the country to go to law school, which suggests that there is a demand and I think it will be for the government to decide whether that’s an appropriate use of their resources to support another law school,” he says.

Schabas says the question for benchers will be simply whether to endorse the FLSC’s decision, barring any public policy reason, as the approvals process to accredit law schools is largely delegated to the federation.

“Our role is limited to recognizing that the federation has approved their curriculum [and] that it meets the national requirement,” he says.