Access to Justice
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March 05, 2024
How claims of innocence affect parole | Michael Crowley
Recently, I received an email from Mary Campbell, who had retired as director general of corrections and criminal justice directorate for the Department of Public Safety of Canada a few years ago. In it she wondered how the Parole Board of Canada handled claims of innocence by inmates who were seeking some form of conditional release.
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March 01, 2024
Define ‘tough judge’ | Norman Douglas
There are many countries in the world with tough judges. Perhaps these countries have a lower crime rate — we don’t know, because what goes on in their criminal courts is kept secret.
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February 29, 2024
Canada implements new visa requirements on travellers from Mexico
Citing a recent “spike” in unsuccessful asylum claims made in Canada by Mexican citizens and the need to preserve “the integrity of our immigration system,” the federal government is starting to require visitor visas for Mexicans who do not hold valid U.S. non-immigrant visas or who have not held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years and are travelling by air on a Mexican passport.
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February 27, 2024
Preparing now for AI in your sphere | Connie L. Braun and Juliana Saxberg
There is a growing corpus of commentary and advice to Canadian entities recommending how to responsibly manage the risk presented by artificial intelligence (AI). For smaller entities that do not have the resources or operational capacity to institute an AI governance committee, the prospect of following this advice can seem daunting. Existing tech governance frameworks and guidelines have already proven inadequate to corral the risk pervasive in AI applications. For those not already aware, these risks contain bias and security vulnerabilities, along with seemingly no means to prevent human misuse of AI tools or poisoning of data.
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February 27, 2024
Are lease transfers in Quebec dead, and if they are, so what? | Shayna Wise-Till
Quebec’s new housing bill became law in late February 2024 — but what does that mean for tenants? Are lease transfers dead, and if they are, so what?
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February 27, 2024
Isolation | David Dorson
I have very vivid memories of the day I was sentenced, though it’s now quite a few years ago. I was not in custody at that point but knew I would be after the sentencing, and that it would be for a significant period of time. I had to say goodbye to those who were precious to me, not knowing when I might be able to talk to them again, let alone hold them and be with them. No hugs, no last kiss, just glances full of regret and fear for the future. That’s a tough thing to do. Lots of tears.
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February 26, 2024
Ford slammed by bar for politicizing judge appointments; JPs threaten suit over pay review delays
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government is garnering sharp criticism from the legal community for further politicizing an appointment process that four years ago was lauded as the “the gold standard for the appointment of an independent and qualified judiciary,” free from partisan considerations.
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February 23, 2024
Federal Court rejects class action funding deal over late disclosure, unacceptable rate of return
The Federal Court has approved a $5.25 million settlement in a class action concerning allegations of price-fixing in the market for farmed Atlantic salmon but denied judicial approval for a $750,000 commission to be paid to a litigation funder out of the settlement fund.
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February 23, 2024
Imperative B.C. government commit to investments which improve access to justice: CBABC president
The Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch (CBABC) is expressing its “deep disappointment” with the recent provincial budget, saying it does not include appropriate provisions for legal aid to help the most vulnerable in the province.
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February 22, 2024
How to fix crisis at Landlord and Tenant Board | Kathy Laird and Voy Stelmaszynski
In part one of this series, we presented the latest data from Tribunals Ontario’s website about the lengthy delays facing landlords and tenants at Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) and the backlog of over 53,000 applications. We also put the situation at the LTB in the context of other tribunals that are failing at Tribunals Ontario, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, where the backlog has more than doubled.