Free webinar: Balancing Rights and Responsibilities for Housing Providers in COVID-19

July 2nd, 2020 by Iler Campbell

Update: a video of this webinar is now online. You can watch it below:

Join us Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 2 PM for a free webinar hosted by Neighbourhood Legal Services and Iler Campbell.

As emergency restrictions lift across Ontario, the medical community is alerting us to a so-called “fourth wave” of the pandemic: mental health and trauma. Supportive housing providers, residential care facilities, transitional or therapeutic homes, and non-profits and co-ops have had to quickly find ways to ensure the physical safety of staff and residents. While these precautions may prevent the spread of the virus, they can also lead to increased isolation and deteriorating mental health for residents. As restrictions begin to lift, organizations will be facing more questions about how to strike a balanced approach which fulfills their legal obligations to provide a safe living environment, with other legal obligations – including the Human Rights Code.

This webinar will talk you through some of these tough questions. Safia Lakhani (lawyer, Iler Campbell LLP) and Linette King (NLS staff housing lawyer) will discuss some of the common legal questions and concerns being raised by both housing providers and residents, and will provide perspectives on how your organization can strike the right balance.

Register to attend on Zoom.

We welcome your questions in advance. You can post them on the event page on Facebook or send them to the hosts privately.

**This event is for legal information only, and will not provide legal advice. No solicitor-client relationship is created with either Iler Campbell LLP or NLS Toronto by participating in this event.**

Federal government should prioritize moving MAID back up its legislative agenda

June 25th, 2020 by Celia Chandler

This article was first published on rabble.ca

Think back.

March 13, 2020.

While many of us moved our offices to our homes, scrambled to figure out how to school our children, fought for scarce toilet paper and Lysol, and started to get used to a completely different way of living, the government released its “What We Heard Report A Public Consultations on Medical Assistance in Dying.” The report resulted from a 14 day window in January when Canadians commented online about the medical assistance in dying law in Canada (called MAID).

Regular rabble.ca readers will know that I wrote a three-part series about the legalization of MAID and its implementation from my first-hand experience: my husband, Jack, died with medical assistance in November 2018.

The federal government legalized MAID in 2016. You’ll know from my account and those of many others, that the MAID law is not without its critics because of those excluded from the legislation: mature minors; those wanting to make “advance requests”; those whose only medical condition is mental illness; and those with physical illness but for whom death is not reasonably foreseeable. The Council of Canadian Academies has studied and reported on the first three of these issues.

Continue reading “Federal government should prioritize moving MAID back up its legislative agenda”

Landlord and Tenant Board Application Fees Increasing July 1

June 25th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application fees were scheduled to increase on April 1, 2020 but were delayed due to COVID‑19.

Effective this July 1, 2020, most application fees for Landlords, Tenants and Non‑Profit Co‑operatives will increase by six per cent. Application fees are increasing for the first time since January 16, 2017. Fees for items such as copies of documents, hearing recordings, orders and Rules and Guidelines are not increasing. Application fees must be paid at the time an application is filed and the method of payment for applications filed with the LTB remains unchanged. Individuals (not corporations) may be eligible for fee waivers.  See Direction on Fee Waiver and the Fee Waiver Request.

The LTB continues to accept and process all applications during COVID‑19. When possible, telephone and written hearings are being scheduled for non‑eviction matters and urgent eviction matters. Orders are being issued for these matters only.

Though news of application fee increases doesn’t ring well with your pocketbook (especially during this current climate), our team is still providing cost‑effective and high quality service to respond to your goals. Please feel free to discuss any of your LTB needs with us.  We would be happy to assist you.

Free event: the Future of Live Music in Toronto – with Brian Iler

June 11th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

UPDATE: video of this event is now online. Watch it below:

https://youtu.be/ZLtSKj5qwIY

 

Brian Iler will be taking part in a virtual panel discussion on Tuesday, June 16 at noon.

Broadcaster Garvia Bailey will host a discussion on the future of live music in Toronto with panelists Molly Johnson providing the artist perspective; Andrew Burashko, Art of Time Artistic Director on producing live music; Aida Aydinyan, GM at Koerner Hall; Mike Tanner Music Sector Development Officer, City of Toronto; and Brian Iler, in his role as Chair of Hugh’s Room Live. The event is hosted by the Empire Club of Canada.

From the event description:

The live music industry in Toronto has been decimated by the forced shutdown of public gatherings in the city. Many venues where musicians perform were already under pressure due to rising real estate costs.  Many were forced to close and some will never re-open.  But even for those that will, who knows when performers will be able to share their work in front of a large audience again?  Live performance has been key in the career development of so many artists. Who knows what the live music scene will look like as we begin to emerge from shutdown.

Our panel will speak to the future of venues that feature our artists and several artists will talk about how important live performance has been in their careers.

The right to know? Balancing health risks and privacy rights for landlords during COVID-19

May 29th, 2020 by Claudia Pedrero

This article was first published on rabble.ca

What is a landlord’s responsibility when a tenant in a multi-residential building tests positive for COVID-19? Is a landlord obligated to share this information with other residents so they can take extra precautions? On the flip side, what expectation of privacy do tenants have if they share this information with their landlord?

Many of our firm’s housing clients have had to grapple with this difficult balance over the past few months as they weather the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Continue reading “The right to know? Balancing health risks and privacy rights for landlords during COVID-19”

Considering declaring your small business bankrupt? How to avoid unexpected personal liabilities

May 27th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

This is the last in a series of webinars we’ve run this month.  You can watch recordings of all of the webinars here.

We’ve just posted a recording of Michael Hackl and Angela K. Pollard’s webinar “Considering declaring your small business bankrupt? How to avoid unexpected personal liabilities.” Check it out below. (Our apologies to Michael – the recording cut off the very beginning of his introduction.)

Continue reading “Considering declaring your small business bankrupt? How to avoid unexpected personal liabilities”