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”

A New Consideration When Evicting for Illegal Activity

May 21st, 2020 by Karly Wilson

Due to the pandemic and the resulting lockdown, many individuals are spending more time at home. It’s unclear whether this has led to an increase in illegal activity or just an increase in witnesses, but either way our office is receiving more calls about how to handle illegal activity in a unit. As part of its response to the COVID‑19 pandemic, the LTB narrowed its scope for eviction orders and is hearing only those eviction applications that address urgent matters of health and safety or serious illegal activity. Housing providers looking to evict tenants or members who are causing serious problems may now be looking towards evicting on the grounds of illegal activity; but take heed, these are complicated and are always an uphill battle. Housing providers have to consider many factors before choosing this route, and often struggle to gather enough evidence.

New consequences of evictions for illegal activity

New changes to the Housing Services Act, which governs social housing in Ontario, came into effect in January of 2020 and further complicate evictions for illegal activity by raising the stakes even higher for tenants. A news release from the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing boasted improvements to safety in community housing thanks to a new regulation. The brief states that the government is “sending a clear message that dangerous criminal activity is not welcome in community housing.” The changes allow community housing providers to turn away prospective tenants who have been previously evicted from community housing for illegal activities in the past five years. Continue reading “A New Consideration When Evicting for Illegal Activity”