Firm News

Ontario Extends Virtual Meeting Provisions for Co-ops and Non Profits

August 26th, 2022 by Hunter Stone

The Government of Ontario has further amended the Co‑operative Corporations Act, Ontario Not‑for‑Profit Corporations Act and Condominium Act, 1998, by permitting electronic meetings until September 30, 2023. Continue reading “Ontario Extends Virtual Meeting Provisions for Co-ops and Non Profits”

The right to an emotional support animal in housing

August 25th, 2022 by Safia Lakhani

Despite the positive impact emotional support animals have on the lives of their humans, keeping them in certain housing situations, like condominiums and no-pet residences, can be an uphill battle.

Dogs make great emotional support animals. Credit: Richard Brutyo / Unsplash

Continue reading “The right to an emotional support animal in housing”

Tenants now more vulnerable than ever – eviction at the Superior Court of Justice

August 24th, 2022 by Hunter Stone

The Landlord and Tenant Board (the LTB) is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O (the RTA), C.17, and hears matters brought by landlords and tenants regarding the rental property.

In March 2020, the world‑wide COVID‑19 pandemic hit the LTB like a ton of bricks, causing extreme backlog at the tribunal. The LTB responded by adopting an electronic approach to filing materials and hearing matters, eliminating in person hearings entirely. This electronic approach was an attempt to deliver service in a time conscious manner. Despite these efforts, the LTB was and is still experiencing backlog due to the pandemic, leaving many landlords feeling frustrated about the delayed hearing process and issuance of orders. With few avenues to turn to, landlords are utilizing the Superior Court of Justice (the Superior Court) to evict their tenants living in condo units. Continue reading “Tenants now more vulnerable than ever – eviction at the Superior Court of Justice”

Rent Increase Guideline for 2023

July 18th, 2022 by Hunter Stone

Earlier this year we wrote about the rent increase guidelines for 2022, which lists the current allowable amount a landlord can increase their tenants’ rent by 1.2 per cent.

On June 29, 2022, the Government of Ontario stated the rent increase guideline for 2023 will be 2.5 per cent, noting this rate is below that of inflation. The last time a rent increase guideline was 2.5 per cent was in 2013. Continue reading “Rent Increase Guideline for 2023”

Judicial activism gone wrong: Abortion rights in America

July 4th, 2022 by Michael Hackl

After the majority decision in Dobbs, we should not assume that the right to an abortion is permanently entrenched in Canadian law.

Huge crowd at the Supreme Court the night after the release of Alito’s draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade Credit: Victoria Pickering / Flickr

A seismic shift in the law just occurred in the United States, as the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning almost 50 years of precedent set by Roe v. Wade, and setting the table for millions of women to be denied the right to an abortion in the country.

Continue reading “Judicial activism gone wrong: Abortion rights in America”

Staffing announcement at Iler Campbell

June 14th, 2022 by Iler Campbell LLP

We’re pleased to announce that earlier this year, we hired Fatema Jivaji, a lawyer who shares our strong interest in land trust work.  Fatema hit the ground running working on a couple of big land trust acquisitions.  (Stay tuned to the blog to hear more details about that!) With experience gained in big and mid-sized firms and working as a lawyer directly for a private equity firm that capitalizes development projects, we’re confident Fatema will have lots to offer our developer and prospective-developer clients working in the non-profit sector. She looks forward, too, to gaining a broader understanding of the range of work we do for our non-profit, co-op, and charitable clients.   You can read more about Fatema here.

In other news, our 2021-2022 articling student, Maggie Fleming, will be called to the bar this month.  We’re delighted she’s agreed to stay with us for a few months to get us through some big ongoing projects.   Make sure to congratulate Maggie if you’re working with her. Becoming a lawyer is a long haul and one that deserves celebrating!