Access to Justice
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February 21, 2025
Under the Ford government: Justice delayed and denied at Tribunals Ontario | Kathy Laird
In December 2024, Tribunals Ontario released its much-delayed Annual Report for 2023/24, and despite some self-congratulatory messaging, the data inside, and on the Tribunals Ontario website, demonstrates that there are serious deficits in the quality, accessibility and timeliness of justice at three of its busiest tribunals — the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) and the Licence Appeal Tribunal — Automobile Accident Benefits Service (LAT-AABS), which hears motor vehicle injury claims against insurance companies.
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February 21, 2025
Nova Scotia set to change laws for powers of attorney, substitute decision-makers
Nova Scotia has introduced a set of legislative amendments to clarify the role of a power of attorney, further safeguard the process of becoming a substitute decision-maker and modernize language on the state of the province’s unified family court.
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February 20, 2025
PBO report finds guaranteed basic income program could reduce poverty by 40 per cent
The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has released a report on a guaranteed basic income (GBI) for Canadians, concluding that the measure could reduce the country's household poverty rate by 40 per cent if implemented.
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February 19, 2025
Class action launched against Audi for ‘lemon’ electric car’s battery issues
A proposed class action has been filed in the Superior Court of Quebec against Audi and parent company Volkswagen relating to alleged battery defects in the Audi Q4 e-tron.
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February 19, 2025
Anti-profit views unhelpful to Charter case against long-term care law | Heather Campbell Pope
When I was a young girl in the early ’90s, I would help my father deliver bottled water throughout southern Ontario. Some days we would go to downtown Toronto, where we brought spring water to the backstages of the city’s storied theatres, hydrating the performers and crews. Other times we delivered to airlines and the homes of famous athletes.
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February 19, 2025
Protecting pets and domestic abuse: The urgent need for Ruby’s Law
Domestic abuse is a prevalent issue that not only affects victims directly but also family members and companion animals. Perpetrators often use the victim-pet relationship as a tool for controlling and intimidating victims. This can often present insurmountable obstacles for victims in fleeing abusive relationships and environments.
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February 18, 2025
Duty to give AI reasons: Explainability at work
Procedural fairness is the cornerstone of any legitimate legal system. It ensures that legal proceedings are conducted with transparency, equity and respect for the rule of law. In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly integrated into judicial and administrative decision-making, two principles are emerging as non-negotiable requirements of procedural fairness: explainability, and the “human-in-the-loop” (HITL) principle.
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February 18, 2025
Never say you are suicidal | David Dorson
On admission to any provincial jail or federal prison one of the first questions you will be asked is whether you have any suicidal feelings. This makes sense; the experience of being arrested can be quite traumatic, and sitting in a jail cell thinking about the consequences can easily bring thoughts of despair. Your life looks ruined and the future can seem bleak indeed.
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February 14, 2025
Yukon releases feedback on potential changes to parentage, child-naming laws
Yukon’s government has released feedback received on potential changes to the territory’s laws on parentage and the naming of children.
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February 14, 2025
Unifor members win ‘historic’ $15 million arbitration award in severance pay dispute
Unifor has announced it has won what it calls a “historic arbitration award” of about $15 million for 200 of its union members who worked at Wingham, Ont.-based automotive exhaust manufacturer Wescast Industries. The union and the company were involved in a nearly two-year dispute regarding severance and termination pay.
Access to justice: The language of the litigant counts | Ruphine Djuissi
Access to justice in French is a critical issue for Francophones across Canada, particularly with respect to the availability of legal services in French, the quality of interpretation and translation, and equal language rights. It also includes access to French-speaking lawyers and court documents written in French. It is important to ensure that Francophones have access to legal services in their mother tongue or first official language.
Ontario committed to expanding Unified Family Courts but Toronto still lacking
Ontario’s government is vowing to continue working towards the expansion of Unified Family Courts across the province. But a local lawyer says that until a UFC is placed in the Toronto area, millions are being left to navigate a confusing, “two-tiered” family court system.