Human Rights

Canadian Complicity in Israel’s Siege on Gaza

November 6th, 2024 by Safia Lakhani

Despite voting for a ceasefire, Canada continues to supply arms to Israel, violating its commitment to protecting human rights.

Free palestine Credit: Ash Hayes / Unsplash

A year has elapsed since Israel began its relentless bombardment of Gaza. As of August 2024, 40,000 people were confirmed to be dead, though the actual death toll was estimated to be as high as 186,000. Approximately 1.7 million people have been displaced. Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure has been all but destroyed and Gaza now has the highest rate of child amputees in the world. The destruction of Gaza’s wastewater management systems and blockade on humanitarian aid has contributed to rising rates of famine and disease.

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Your safety or your home: Domestic violence in residential tenancies

February 29th, 2024 by Michael Hackl

What implications does intimate partner violence have on a shared rental lease.

I recently had two different clients approach me with very similar issues – both were non-profit housing providers that wanted advice on how to deal with a situation where there had been incidents of domestic violence in their residential complexes. In such situations, the alleged assailant is typically prohibited from returning to their home, at least temporarily until the charges have been dealt with and they are either found guilty or acquitted. However, the question before me was what could be done for a victim of domestic violence who wanted to remain in their home and wanted the assailant to be removed from the rental unit permanently. In short, I was asked what the housing provider could do to evict the assailant, but only the assailant.

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CHFT Honours Brian Iler as Honorary Lifetime Member

January 5th, 2024 by Iler Campbell LLP

Last month, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto honoured Brian Iler of Iler Campbell LLP as an Honorary Lifetime Member in recognition of his years of service providing legal advice to co-ops and non-profits in Ontario. You can watch his acceptance speech here. Celia Chandler, of CHFT, also wrote this piece in recognition of Brian’s achievement. We are so proud of all of Brian’s work in the sector, and extend our congratulations to him!

Hoarding – a human rights obstacle in housing

October 31st, 2023 by Hunter Stone

Hoarding is more complex than a simple housing issue. It is a recognized psychological disorder and therefore has human rights implications where it comes to accommodation and housing.

An example of hoarding. Credit: Donald Trung Quoc Don / Wikimedia Commons

Items piled as high as your eyes and the decay of takeout containers scattered throughout the unit; it’s a view we tune into for entertainment purposes on shows like “Hoarders: Buried Alive”. However, this type of unit condition is all too familiar for many housing providers across Ontario and the challenges which come from navigating it.

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ONPHA Convention

October 26th, 2023 by Hunter Stone

Iler Campbell is excited to be participating in ONPHA this year. Safia Lakhani will be presenting on key employment issues on Thursday, October 26^th, and we’ll have our booth up at the tradeshow on Friday. Come say hi!