Out of curiosity, we had a look through our old newsletters and found a reference to when the CCLA purchased its first computer. Apparently it was early February 1987 when we picked up a SPERRY HT, and were quite excited about it:
I remember growing up in the 80s with computers the size of desks and printers twice as big; the one the CCLA bought was a little smaller as you can see in the picture below, but it definitely brings back memories!
Way back when I did a post about how to search through the Ontario Hansard Debates online, I made a note to myself to follow up with a companion Federal Debates post. This is me following up, after more than a year. Because, well, insert something about dedication (or stubbornness).
As it seems with all things in Canadian Law, online access to the Federal Debates of Parliament (“Hansard”) are scattered across several different websites, and your mileage may vary with each.
Like the rest of legislative research, trying to find Legislative Intent is unfortunately not an exact science, but hopefully the above should assist in getting you started. Also, I love doing this kind of research, so please don’t hesitate to let us know should you need assistance!
We get quite Olympic-obsessed at the CCLA Library, so there’s no better time to throw it back to the last (and only) time Canada hosted the Summer Olympics, which some of you might remember: Montreal in 1976. Our local connection to the Montreal Olympics of course is the Honourable Justice Fraser, who competed for Canada in Track & Field.
You can see more photos from Montreal 1976 on the Canadian Olympic website here.
Last year I wrote a post on how to find free online access to American Case Law for us here in Canada. Well let’s add Ravel Law to that list!
While Ravel Law does operate as a subscription-based platform, some of its features, including its case law database, are available for viewing for free online (downloading the case is disabled unless you subscribe, however). It also offers additional features you would not get from the other free sources, such as the ability to visually map out references of a certain case:
Hovering over the different case circles will allow you to visualize which cases refer to which others. You can also narrow by date range or by court, and clicking through to the case on the right will open up the full text for you to view.
While some of its free features are limited, Ravel Law still seems to be a great source for those looking for free access to American case law, and its search visualization features are definitely fun to play around with!
Hillary Clinton made history last week by clinching the democratic nomination, but twenty years ago she also came to Ottawa as the First Lady and took in the sights. After the governor general at the time, Romeo LeBlanc, joked with the Clintons that they should have brought their skates, Hillary in fact did just that and took to the canal, telling her security team, “‘I brought my skates. I’m going to skate. My security is your problem.”
Hope everyone is having a good summer! Below are links to blog posts or articles authored by the Ottawa legal community in July.
Lessons From Tragedy: What We Can Learn From Fatal Bike Accidents in Ontario
– Frank Van Dyke, Van Dyke Injury Law Blog
Quebec’s New Code of Civil Procedure
– R. Aaron Rubinoff and John Siwiec, Perley-Robertson Hill & McDougall LLP
What happens when cyclists are involved in motor vehicle accidents?
– Isaac da Silva Aboo, Summer Student, Perley-Robertson Hill & McDougall LLP
The Limits of Personal Liability Coverage
– Brett Hodkins, Perley-Robertson Hill & McDougall LLP
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Aslan et al., 2016 ONSC 2725
– Najma Rashid, OTLA BLog
Ontario is Proposing to Repeal the Bulk Sales Act
– Paul Franco, Mann Lawyers
New – Reporting Requirements For Prospectus Exemptions
– Koby Smutylo, Smutylo Law+
Till Debt Do Us Part: Picking Partners for Business
– Megan Martins, Momentum Law
Black Lives Matter: Police Accountability in Ontario
– Anne-Marie McElroy, McElroy Law
June Criminal Law Round-up
– Anne-Marie McElroy, McElroy Law
The right to a speedy trial overhauled by Supreme Court of Canada
– Brett McGarry, McGarry Law
Expect Delays: Right to a Speedy Trial
– Michael Spratt, Abergel Goldstein & Partners LLP
The Penile Swab: Extraction, Retention and Admissibility in a Court of Law
– Reem Zaia, Codified
Pokémon GO: A contemporary example of how new technology can impact the workplace
– Andrew Vey, Vey Willetts LLP
Q&A: Vacation Entitlements for Ontario Employees and Employers
– Jonathan Ferris, Vey Willetts LLP
Having Faith
– Alayna Miller, Mann Lawyers
Arbitrators and Human Rights Tribunals Taking Their Lead From Courts?
– Sean T. McGee, Labour of Law
Where Can I Find That Case? A Short Guide To Finding Labour Cases
– Christopher Rootham, Labour of Law
We always keep our eyes out for little-known or used sites that might assist in legal research, which we will feature in our new series: “Sites Unseen”. First up to the plate:
Osgoode Law School Digital Commons
Hands-down one of the most time-consuming legal research tasks is legislative research; that is, trying to trace the law to find out what it looked like in a certain year, updating it with amendments, finding copies of older orders-in-council, etc. It is mostly time-consuming because if you are interested in a year prior to the early 2000s, very little is available online and you will mostly be working with the bulky print volumes of statutes or regulations.
Fortunately, the Osgoode Law School at York University has made considerable strides in assisting in this area and now offers pdfs of Ontario Annual Statutes back to 1970, and Ontario Revised Statutes back to 1914. What is even better, as can be seen below (click to enlarge), is they are broken down into separate pdfs and fully browsable by the individual acts (goodbye 400+ page pdfs!):
So if you need a copy of an older Ontario Act, bookmark this site and have a look! I use it constantly in my legislative research here, even just to to get a cleaner-looking scan of a particular Act.
They also have digital copies available of all the old Ontario Law Reform Commission reports, something we get questions about as well.
With the NCC having announced its new fifty year draft plan for Canada’s Capital city, I got curious and went on a wild goose chase to track down anything and everything I could find relating to the city’s developmental history (such it is with librarians).
One of the more interesting things I came across was this bird’s eye view image of Ottawa circa 1895, with drawings of the more prominent buildings around the edge (click to enlarge).
There’s also another great view of the city from a little earlier, around 1876, found here, courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.
Happy Canada Day!
It seemed only fitting that today’s #TBT go back to the beginning of the holiday. In June 1868, Canada’s first Governor General Lord Charles Monck made a proclamation to celebrate the anniversary of confederation on July 1. Other things on Lord Monck’s resumé: law degree from Ireland, marriage to his first cousin, and this rad beard:
In 1879 the proclamation was formalized through legislation: An Act to make the first day of July a Public Holiday, by the name of Dominion Day. (click the image below to enlarge)
Below are links to blog posts or articles authored by the Ottawa legal community in June.
Types of Damages in Defamation Actions
– Owen Bourns, Ottawa Litigation
Libel & Slander Act v The Internet
– Owen Bourns, Ottawa Litigation
Litigating Birth Brachial Plexus Cases in Canada
– Andrea Girones, Girones Lawyers
Advocates Call for Investigation into WSIB
– Frank Van Dyke, Van Dyke Injury Law Blog
Injured Workers Rally at Queen’s Park: “It is Workers’ Compensation, Not Employers’ Compensation”
– Frank Van Dyke, Van Dyke Injury Law Blog
Priority Disputes in the World of Accident Benefits
– Tania Fleming, Diamond & Diamond
When Whiplash Isn’t Just Whiplash
– Steven Wilder, Diamond & Diamond
Ottawa Cycling Accident and the One-Meter Rule
– David Hollingsworth
Verbal Agreements: “This call will be recorded for quality-assurance purposes”
– Megan Martins, Momentum Law
Does Your Company Need a Sedar Profile?
– Paul Franco, Mann Lawyers
B Corporations – The Business World’s Version of ‘Certified Organic’
– Maria-Cristina Harris, Mann Lawyers
The Importance of a Well-Drafted Asset Purchase Agreement
– Marina Abrosimov, Merovitz Potechin LLP
Notice Re RSP – 100 – Certification Of Radio Apparatus
– Koby Smutylo
The Liberal Party’s War on Drugs
– Michael Spratt
Ottawa Crown Bury Head in Sand on Bail Failures
– Michael Spratt
Sketching a Rehabilitative Program in the Institutional Setting for Inmates Convicted of Terrorism-Related Offences
– Reem Zaia, Codified
Looking for Ashley
– Anne-Marie McElroy, McElroy Law
May Criminal Law Round-up
– Anne-Marie McElroy, McElroy Law
Silence Proves Costly: Employment Agreements and Reasonable Notice
– Paul Willets, Vey Willets LLP
Learning from the ‘Special One’: Constructive Dismissal from Employment
– Paul Willets, Vey Willets LLP