Law News

Memorial University of Newfoundland to Explore the Feasibility of a New Law School

Submitted by Lucy Liu on Wed, 02/27/2013 - 23:00

On February 25, 2013, the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) established a committee to review the feasibility of a law school. Dr. Lynne Phillips, dean, Faculty of Arts, will chair the review committee. The committee is expected to release a report later this year.

Lawyer wins $100,000 from the Law Society of British Columbia

Submitted by newsreport on Tue, 07/19/2011 - 14:20

Peter Mokua Gichuru, a Vancouver lawyer, was awarded $100,000 dollars by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal for disability discrimination by the Law Society of B.C..

In 2002, Gichuru suffered from depression, and declared that he has a mental illness in his application to join the Law Society as an articling student. He subsequently had to undergo a series of psychiatric assessments, and it took ten months for him to get called to the bar.

Accused Drug Traffickers Acquitted Due to Unreasonable Search

Submitted by newsreport on Mon, 07/18/2011 - 09:12

Meth

Three people accused of running a $18 million dollar drug plant were acquitted of criminal charges before the Ontario Superior Court earlier this month, as the judge ruled their constitutional rights were violated by police misconduct.

BC Court of Appeals Upholds Malpractice Suit, but Shaves Off Damages Citing Gender Income Disparity

Submitted by newsreport on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 14:11

The British Columbia Court of Appeal upheld a malpractice suit against a Surrey doctor and nurse for negligence, but shaved $140,000 off the $1,586,000 in damages citing the income disparity between men and women.

Justice Kenneth MacKenzie found that the previous judge had not sufficiently taken into account the disparity in pay between men and women when he determined the damages for loss of future income.

Mesa Power Group to File NAFTA Complaint for Ontario's Green Energy Plan

Submitted by newsreport on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 13:53

A Texas-based renewable energy company, Mesa Power Group, plans to file a complaint charging that Ontario's green energy plan violates the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Ontario's feed-in tarriff (FIT) scheme pays above-market rates to producers of renewable energy under a 20-year, fixed-price contract. Mesa Power had not been able to win contracts for two wind energy projects in western Ontario in the last round of FIT awards.

Air Canada Sued for Lack of Bilingual Service

Submitted by newsreport on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 13:17

On wednesday, a federal judge ordered Air Canada to pay Michel Thibodeau, a French-language rights activist, $12,000 plus court fees, for failing to provide French service on a series of flights he took in 2009. As former Crown corporations, Air Canada must comply with the Official Languages Act and provide service in both official languages.

"It's a rights issue," Michel Thibodeau said. In one case, he requested a 7Up in French and was served a Sprite. "It is my right that is not being respected."

Supreme Court Rules on Schreyer vs. Schreyer, Urges Government to Amend Legislation

Submitted by newsreport on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 12:34

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled against the appeal of Susan Schreyer today, and urged parliament to amend bankruptcy legistation to protect spousal divorce equalization settlements.

The Court unanimously decided that while items like child support cannot be dismissed during bankruptcy procedures, equalization payments can.

CRA to Force Quebec Municipalities to Reveal All Payments to Contractors and Consultants

Submitted by newsreport on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 12:18

The Canada Revenue Agency will be going to Federal Court on Monday requesting an order to force municipalities in Quebec to reveal all payments they made to contractors and consultants in the past four years.

The CRA will look at contracts awared by cities, towns, and villages including Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil, and Sherbrooke. Last year, the agency did a similar review in Montreal.

Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards Program is Now Accepting Nominations

Submitted by newsreport on Tue, 07/12/2011 - 13:43

In January 2011, the Prime Minister announced the creation of the Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards (PMVA) to recognize the exceptional contribution volunteers make to Canada.

Seventeen Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards will be presented to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding contributions of volunteers, local businesses and innovative not-for-profit organizations that make a difference in their communities.

City of Vancouver Trademarked Hells Angel Sign

Submitted by newsreport on Tue, 07/12/2011 - 11:47

Commercial Drive Businessman Bill Pomeroy started a public controversy over ownership of the iconic East Van cross sign when he started selling pictures of it in his Artrageous framing store. Rocco Dipopolo, a former Hells Angel prospect, claimed to have copyrighted the neon East Van cross, an official trademark of the City.

"I have taken a photograph of a public sign. He has copyrighted the same cross with the text. But I am not duplicating his logo, I am duplicating the sign," Pomeroy said Monday. "It is all quite confusing."

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