Year: 2017

Ottawa Blog Roll: March 2017

Posted on by Brenda Lauritzen

Please find below links to blog posts or articles authored by the Ottawa legal community in March.

Civil Litigation

The Defence of “Fair Comment”
– Owen Bourns, Ottawa Litigation

Corporate Damages for Defamation
– Owen Bourns, Ottawa Litigation

A Deadly Season for Ontario Snowmobilers
– Frank Van Dyke, Van Dyke Injury Law Blog

Did a “Secret Policy” Deprive Hundreds of Workers of Their Full WSIB Injury Awards?
– Frank Van Dyke, Van Dyke Injury Law Blog

The Streamlining of International Rules: Changes aimed at improving efficiency, transparency
– R. Aaron Rubinoff & John Siwiec, Perley-Robertson, Hill & McGougall LLP

Condominium Law

Condo Managers Will Not Be Able to Solicit Proxies Under the New Condo Management Services Act
– Rod Escayola, Condo Adviser

A Requisition for a Special Owners Meeting can Lead to a Defamation Case
– Rod Escayola, Condo Adviser

What can Condo Corporations do When Owners Display Signs of Mental Incapacity?
– Rod Escayola, Condo Adviser

Corporate Commercial Law

Securities Alert – Disclosure of Cyber Security Risks
– Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP

Criminal Law

Restoring Public Faith In The Courts Around Sexual Assault: Judicial Education Is Not Enough
– Anne Marie McElroy, McElroy Law

Women In Criminal Law
– Anne Marie McElroy, McElroy Law

ASAP: Constitutional Or Evidentiary Requirement, It Depends
– Dallas Mack, Mack’s Criminal Law

Institutional Bias Favouring Crown Attorneys Preventing Level Playing Field
– Michael Spratt, Abergel Goldstein & Partners LLP

Jim Watson and the Sound of Cowardice
– Michael Spratt, Abergel Goldstein & Partners LLP

Continue reading →

Recently Published Ottawa Decisions

Posted on by Jennifer Walker

Find below recently published Ottawa decisions, available for free through CanLII.org.

Family Matters

Campbell v Lapierre (2017 ONSC 1645)
father — children s best interests — parents — joint custody — school
Justice A. Doyle

Fortier c. Lauzon (2017 CanLII 13618)
transfert du foyer conjugal — question des dépens — gain — représente lui-même — outrage
Juge M. Labrosse

Stacey v Stacey (2017 ONSC 1226)
father — children — costs — legal fees — flight
Justice M. Shelston

Astley v Labelle (2017 ONSC 1378)
costs — offer to settle — motion — bad faith — spent
Justice L. Sheard

Bédard v Crawford (2017 ONSC 1679)
disclosure — motion — ending — cross-motion requesting — statements
Justice T. Engelking

Continue reading →

#ThrowbackThursday: Minister of Finance’s New Budget Shoes

Posted on by Brenda Lauritzen

It’s everybody’s favourite time in Ottawa: BUDGET WEEK! Yay!

Ok, so maybe it’s not that exciting. For our throwback this week I went digging for interesting tidbits in really old budgets, but those also turned out to be not so exciting! Who knew.

What I did come across though, was a strange tradition that the Minister of Finance would wear new shoes when presenting the new budget to the House. A little further searching as to the origins of this revealed that the Library of Parliament did their own thorough investigation into this tradition, and summarized it into a beautiful chart that I could not possibly hope to outdo. As it turns out, Donald Fleming was the first confirmed minister to wear new shoes, for the budget day in 1960, and it’s unknown where or how this custom came about.

Nevertheless Bill Morneau has again followed suit this year, sporting a $250 pair from the Edmonton company Poppy Barley.

Research and Writing Tools on WestlawNext

Posted on by Brenda Lauritzen

Apparently it’s research week on the blog, with a great resource highlighted yesterday by Jen. Another resource on this topic oft overlooked is the research and writing section in WestlawNext, which you can find by scrolling down to the bottom section of the homescreen and clicking on “Research and Writing Tools”. This section is excellent for use by students and other legal professionals looking for the basics on how to get started on a topic.

This will bring you to the screen below, where you can find a template for a memo, an excellent research checklist that will guide you through the research process, and guides to the Canadian Abridgment (the Abridgment is still, by the way, on our list of most useful underused tools).

Check it out!

We also have a free WestlawNext training session upcoming on April 6, 2017, so RSVP to that if you would like to learn more about how to most efficiently use the platform, or if you just need a refresher!

Resource Spotlight: The Comprehensive Guide to Legal Research, Writing & Analysis

Posted on by Jennifer Walker

Our newest “Oh my god, I love that book” title in the library is the excellent The Comprehensive Guide to Legal Research, Writing & Analysis. The second edition of this book came out last year, and it has won the praise of our library staff, both experienced and novice. Brenda and Emily enjoy the clear instructions for performing specific legal research tasks, particularly the wonderful use of full-colour screen grabs. Brenda (our more experienced law librarian) has found the book quite useful for researching jurisdictions outside of Ontario, for which this book has a chapter dedicated to each province and territory. Emily, who is a newer librarian, has enjoyed referring to the book for a wide variety of tasks, especially for those tricky numbers like finding Hansard debates. She’s even photocopied excerpts from the book to keep close at hand in case she needs them in the future.

We’re currently hoarding this book behind the main counter, but you will be able to find it soon at KF 240 M33 2016 in the “Reference” stacks (near the work tables).

New Titles – March 2017

Posted on by Emily Shearer

We’ve recently acquired several new titles from Emond Publishing, including new editions of Small Claims Court: Procedure and Practice, and Advocacy for Paralegals, offering practical tips and instructions. See below for the full list of titles, which can now be found in the New Books section at the front desk.

Accident Benefits: A Practical Desk Reference (Emond Publishing)

Advocacy for Paralegals, 2nd ed. (Emond Publishing)

Criminal Appeals: A Practitioner’s Handbook (Emond Publishing)

Legal Office Procedures, 7th ed. (Owl Publishing)

Small Claims Court: Procedure and Practice, 4th ed. (Emond Publishing)

Working with the Residential Tenancies Act, 4th ed. (Emond Publishing)

Newly Received Materials from LSUC CPD

Posted on by Emily Shearer

Below are some of the most recent CPD materials added to the library collection. Each title links to the book record where you can view more details and the full table of contents. All materials are available in print at the library, or if you’re interested in only a couple of articles, feel free to email us a request for a scanned copy.

Real Estate Practice Basics 2016 (December 9, 2016)

  • The agreement of purchase and sale / Lorne Shuman
  • Title searching: a checklist / Joel Kadish
  • Introduction to title insurance / Lori M. Swartz
  • Residential mortgage financing / Karen Yolevski

Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Law: Practice Basics 2016 (September 19, 2016)

  • Assessing the case : the importance of file selection / Salvatore Shaw
  • Developing and funding a plaintiffs personal injury practice / Michelle Jorge
  • The ABCs of Motor Vehicle Law and the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule / Tripta Sood

17th Annual Employment Law Summit (October 18, 2016)

  • Mental Health First Aid: the everyday kind of first aid / Christina Fuda
  • Legalizing marijuana: impact on the workplace? / Shelley Brown
  • Deconstructing constructive dismissal / Mary Lou Brady
  • Summaries of recent key cases / A. Jane Milburn & Devin M. Jarcaig

21st Annual Intellectual Property Law: The Year in Review (January 19 & 20, 2017)

  • Trademarks update / Georgina Starkman Danzing
  • Copyright developments – 2016 / Kevin Sartorio & Margot Patterson
  • Litigation funding roundtable: the Canadian perspective / Naomi Leowith
  • Intellectual property case update / Michael Manson

Recently Published Ottawa Decisions

Posted on by Jennifer Walker

Find below recently published Ottawa decisions, available for free through CanLII.org.

Family Matters

Bloom v Bloom (2017 ONSC 1568)
children — father — status quo — will — matrimonial home
Justice A. Doyle

Aden v Mohamud (2017 ONSC 1629)
spousal support — agencies — marriage — income — trips
Justice T. Engelking

Dieng c Seck (2017 ONCS 1479)
séparation — aliments — divorce — contrat familial — entente
Juge P. Roger

Gill v Dhillon (2017 ONSC 1565)
child support — income — spousal support — daycare — pay
Justice T. Engelking

Dallaire c Brunet (2017 ONSC 1564)
motion — aliments — dépens intégrals à compter — offre — reflète
Juge P. Roger

Mccafferty v St.Jean (2017 ONSC 1431)
litigation — offers to settle — financial disclosure — costs — speedy
Justice M. Linhares de Sousa

Continue reading →

CCH Content Now on Lexis Advance Quicklaw

Posted on by Brenda Lauritzen

We’re happy to report that former CCH looseleafs have been added to our Quicklaw Subscription. You can now access the following resources in electronic format on our library computers:

  • Canadian Insurance Law Reporter
  • Ontario Real Estate Law Guide
  • Ontario Corporations Law Guide
  • Canadian Commercial Law Guide
  • Canada Corporations Law Reports
  • Canadian Estate Administration Guide
  • Canadian Family Law Guide
  • Canadian Employment Benefits & Pension Guide
  • Canadian Labour Law Reporter

The easiest way to get to these is to click on “Browse” in the top toolbar, and then click on Sources. From there you can browse or search for whatever you would like! There are now also a wealth of newsletters available that you can subscribe to, including Ontario Real Estate Developments, Canadian Family Law Matters, Accident Benefits Cases Summaries, Labour Notes, and many more.

Still feeling a little iffy about the new Quicklaw Advance inferface? Come join us for a free training session on March 22! All are welcome; please RSVP here.