Saturday, April 10, 2021
Dr. Briant was like a second father to me, as I spent many enjoyable weekends at the family cottage on Lake of Bays as a friend of Dr. Briant's son Tom. As he worked on his academic articles he encouraged me to finish my thesis for a masters of laws degree which I worked on at the cottage. I was inspired by Dr. Briant's position as a Professor at the University of Toronto and I later joined that University as an adjunct Professor in law. Dr. Briant was truly a Renaissance man. He could fly planes, sail, cook, build docks, scuba dive, and drive up to the cottage after completing a complex surgery. He had an acute political interest and great sense of humour.
But one memory stands out. I somehow got a chicken bone stuck in my throat. I went over to Dr. Briant's house and he said that it needed to be removed but his medical bag was at the hospital. So as his wife held a flashlight he removed the bone with a pair of pliers he had in the basement. I did not feel a thing.
I will greatly miss Dr. Briant's guidance and inspiration.
Kenneth Jull
