Access to Justice
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November 04, 2024
People sent to prisons as punishment, not for punishment | John L. Hill
Amos Fenderson and Keith Clark have something in common. Fenderson was a man incarcerated at the Peoria County Jail in Illinois who harmed himself three times in less than a month. Instead of sending him to the hospital, jail staff placed him in a restraint chair. Staff did the same thing to Clark when he suffered self-harm-related injuries the next day.
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November 01, 2024
Consolidation of banking complaints system is not enough, says investor advocacy group
An investor advocacy group is calling on the federal government to go beyond simply consolidating Canada’s banking complaints system and give the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) binding authority.
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November 01, 2024
LSO approves bylaw, rule changes to implement family legal services provider initiative
Amidst the backdrop of Access to Justice week in Ontario, the provincial law society has set the wheels in motion for a new initiative meant to address access issues in family law.
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November 01, 2024
2 judicial appointments announced for Ontario
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani announced the appointment of Scott N. Latimer and Amy J. Ohler as judges of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, a Nov. 1 news release announced.
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October 31, 2024
Speakers at Manitoba A2J conference call for more prison libraries
Many of Canada’s provinces should take cues from Ottawa and move to properly recognize the need for libraries in prisons, say speakers at a recent event in Manitoba.
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October 31, 2024
Correction Canada’s positive spin ignores investigator’s criticisms | John L. Hill
On Oct. 29, 2024, Anne Kelly, the commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), responded to the 2023-24 report of Dr. Ivan Zinger, Canada’s Correctional Investigator, often referred to as a prison ombudsman. The Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) reports to the Minister of Public Safety, not Parliament.
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October 30, 2024
The Ontario Land Tribunal: A gradual erosion of access to justice | Brian Cook
Once upon a time in Ontario, there was a robust tribunal system dedicated to environmental and planning issues. While by no means perfect, the system featured adjudicators who had subject matter and dispute resolution expertise. It was possible for citizens and community groups to appeal local land use decisions to what is now the Ontario Land Tribunal and participate in hearings by presenting oral testimony and making submissions.
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October 29, 2024
Unifor calls for intimate partner violence epidemic legislation in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador’s minister of Justice and Public Safety and the minister responsible for Women and Gender Equality met with Unifor representatives who are advocating for the declaration that intimate partner violence (IPV) is an epidemic in the province. Unifor is Canada's largest private sector union.
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October 29, 2024
Saskatchewan Court of Appeal upholds murder trial judge decison on intoxication defence
Sometime late on Aug. 2, 2019, or early on Aug. 3, 68-year-old Richard Fernuk was killed in his Saskatoon apartment. Fernuk had been bound, gagged and struck forcefully in the face. Ligatures around his neck were the prime cause of his death. The apartment had been ransacked, suggesting a robbery, although there was no sign of forced entry.
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October 28, 2024
N.S. Accessibility Advisory Board releases recommendations on workplaces
Nova Scotia disability and accessibility officials have released recommendations they have made to the province’s government around workplace recruitment policies, emergency evacuation practices and job accommodations.