Kim and Tim are in love. They decide to move in to a new place together, and they both sign the lease. Kim and Tim fall out of love, and Kim moves out. Tim stays living in the apartment for three years, and then he falls behind on his rent payments. Three years after Kim moved out, she gets sued by … [Read more...]
Equality Case Seems to Have Fractured the Supreme Court of Canada
A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) Quebec (Attorney General) v A, 2013 SCC 5, seems to have divided the Court on the issue of discrimination and equality in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the fractured Court of the mid 1990s (see the “equality trilogy”: Miron v Trudel, [1995] 2 … [Read more...]
Whatever Happened to … Moore and Bertuzzi?
Introduction Steve Moore grew up in Thornhill, Ontario. After graduating high school in 2001, he played hockey with Harvard University for a few years. In the 2003-04 season, he broke through to sign with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL), playing defense on the third and … [Read more...]
Post-Employment Legal Obligations
Introduction As with most relationships, employment relationships end. This may be by mutual parting, the employee quitting, or the employee being dismissed. The end of a relationship can mean that a few legal obligations continue. In this article, we briefly discuss the three principal … [Read more...]
Casey Hill and the Church of Scientology
Freedom of speech, like the other fundamental freedoms, is freedom under the law, and over the years the law has maintained a balance between, on the one hand, the right of the individual … whether he is in public life or not, to his unsullied reputation if he deserves it, and on the other hand … … [Read more...]
Online Resources for Dispute Resolution
Maybe it’s a dispute between neighbours. Or a conflict at work. Or a change to child custody arrangements. Tempers flare, things escalate and the next thing you know you’re headed for court. Regardless of your legal problem, once you’ve entered the court system, things become much more complex and … [Read more...]
Anti-spam Law May Snare Charities
Those of us who work for charities are probably as accustomed as anyone to getting unsolicited emails asking for funding or other support. Even in the occasional cases where these requests are genuine, rather than scams or trickery, the sender often hasn’t taken the time to even check if what’s … [Read more...]
Standing Up for Your Rights
Standing is a legal principle that addresses who is entitled to bring a case before the court for a decision. Although standing (in a legal sense) may sound like a technical legal issue, it is very important to rights litigation in Canada. After the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) … [Read more...]
Protection and Prosecution: Falling at Work
Introduction Just before Christmas 2009, Mr. Murgappa Naiker died instantly after falling 18.5 feet from an open bucket while de-icing an airplane at the Calgary airport. He was not wearing his safety harness. He had 17 years experience as a de-icing ramp agent and had completed updated safety … [Read more...]
The Supreme Court Changes Direction: Disability and Discrimination
The case law on disability and discrimination has had its highs and lows over the past decade and a half. A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, Moore v British Columbia (Education) 2012 SCC 61 (“Moore”), provides hope for those with disabilities, particularly learning disabilities, and … [Read more...]
