THE ADVOCATE V O L . 7 9 P A R T 5 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 651
bench) in which participants treat one another civilly. Barristers know they
must come to court prepared, having fully canvassed the cases for and
against the positions advanced on behalf of clients. Solicitors need to be up
to date on the latest developments in the law when advising clients or drafting
materials. That typically means poring over reams and reams of material.
In publishing, the word “ream” means 500 sheets of paper. Over time,
the word has evolved to mean “a lot”.
But let us go back to the other type of reams for a moment. The Advocate is
a printed journal, though it is also available digitally at <www.the-advocate.
ca>. We hear from time to time from some people who believe that print is
an outdated medium, either because digital publishing is available or
because print is harmful to the environment. There is a lot to unpack in
these rather simplistic notions. It is important to note, for example, that the
paper used in the production of the Advocate is certified by the Forest Stewardship
Council (“FSC”), which is a global not-for-profit organization that
sets the standard for responsibly managed forests worldwide, both environmentally
and socially. Our printer, Hemlock Printers, became the first FSCcertified
printer in the Pacific Northwest (or, as we sometimes think it
should be called, the Pacific Southwest). So, to be clear, the Advocate is not
clearcutting Clayoquot Sound to produce the magazine. The paper comes
from planted and harvested forests—a natural resource that is renewable,
recyclable and (in the case of Advocate paper) managed sustainably.
When tapping about on a tablet or scrolling through a handheld device,
thought needs to be given to the energy used to create such technology, the
CO2 generated by its constant use (one estimate says worldwide e-mails
alone create as much CO2 per year as 23 million cars) and the environmental
impact once the device no longer works and is dumped into a landfill.
The Advocate, on the other hand, is 100% recyclable and, as mentioned, is
printed using a sustainable resource. Nevertheless, we continue to offer a
digital version of the magazine to those who prefer not to receive the
printed version. But at what cost do we as a society simply “go digital”?
One of the points made by Jackson revolves around the idea that digital
connection is not true connection at all; it is merely a means of creating a virtual
reality where we do not properly interact with the subject matter, let
alone one another. Indeed, one of our readers, Greg Pun, Q.C., recently wrote
to the Law Society expressing his support for the Advocate and specifically
addressed his desire to continue receiving a print version of the magazine:
I oppose strongly any move to make the Advocate online-only. I much
prefer the paper version and enjoy receiving it in my mailbox (real mailbox,
not virtual mailbox). On this point I must mention that I was also a
member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and as such for many years
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