Legal issues to keep in mind as we navigate uncharted waters

March 24th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

We are living in very unusual times. While we have adopted a physical distancing policy with many of us working from our home offices, we are very much up and running, ready to serve client needs.

In the last few days, we have been asked a variety of questions that, frankly, are new to us. We know that you are struggling with them too. This article attempts to highlight some of the issues that you may already have faced or may be facing tomorrow. Remember, if or when these issues arise, we are here for you.

We’ve tried to group them according to legal topic. Some of these will relate to you and some not. There is no legal advice in this blog. Just information that might help you know when it’s time to call for assistance. Continue reading “Legal issues to keep in mind as we navigate uncharted waters”

Clearer rules needed for facial recognition technology

February 28th, 2020 by Michael Hackl

A version of this article was first published on rabble.ca

In a previous column, I wrote about the dangers that some police technology poses for civil liberties. In that column, I addressed police use of a computer program that claims to identify geographic areas that are more likely to experience crimes in order to direct police resources to those areas. Now, with Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders’ recent admission that some officers in the Toronto Police Service have been using a piece of facial recognition software called Clearview AI (named for the company that developed the software) since at least October 2019, we have another example of how law enforcement can use technology in a way that seriously threatens our civil liberties.

Clearview AI has apparently mined the internet for billions of photos of people, largely from social media sites and the open web, whereas other companies providing facial recognition technology to police rely upon government sources such as mugshots and driver’s license photos. Continue reading “Clearer rules needed for facial recognition technology”

Brian Iler profiled in Corporate Knights magazine

February 27th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

Corporate Knights magazine, which bills itself as “the voice for clean capitalism,” has a profile of Brian in their current issue. Among other things, Brian talks of his love for sailing, his work on social finance and a proposal to convert the closing Oshawa GM plant to build electric vehicles. Did you know that the wind turbine at Toronto’s Exhibition Place got built by classifying it as an amusement device?

Check out the profile here.

Celia Chandler wins Canadian Online Publishing Award

February 26th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

Celia accepting the award.

Readers of our year in review may recall that Celia’s reflections on medically assisted death in Canada was nominated for a 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Award in the Media, Best Blog Column category. It gives us great pleasure to let you know that she won!

Did you miss the article the first time around? Check it out here.

Video: Human Rights & Housing in – An Overview

February 24th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

Video of Celia Chandler’s workshop, Human Rights & Housing in – An Overview, is now online!

If you like, you can also download a copy of the slides here.

At Iler Campbell LLP, we are regularly asked to provide advice on a wide range of human rights and housing issues including: dogs in pet‑free co‑ops; whether a medical note provides enough detail; and if behaviour can justify eviction if it relates to a mental health disability.

In this webinar, Celia Chandler gives an overview of how the Ontario Human Rights Code applies in housing. The goal for the session – to give you better tools to know whether you’ve got an issue that’s worth a call to your lawyer.

Canada’s social economy about to get a boost, but problems remain

February 7th, 2020 by Brian Iler

This article was first published on rabble.ca

Canada’s social economy — those social enterprises (nonprofits, charities and co-operatives) that generate income in pursuit of social goals instead of profit — is about to get quite a boost.

Quietly, but thoughtfully and effectively, the federal government has initiated and funded, with serious money, a brand-new program creating the Social Finance Fund, to drastically expand the social economy.

This year, $50 million is flowing, and is set to quickly increase to $75 million per year for the next 10 years.

The fund is intended to address a major impediment to growth of the social economy — the shortage of investment capital.

While the private sector readily raises millions through Bay Street’s financial institutions, social enterprises don’t attract their interest. Instead, to be successful, social enterprises rely heavily on the communities they serve for financial support. And that often isn’t enough.

Hence the fund.

The creation of the fund was one of 12 recommendations in support of social innovation and social finance made to the federal government made in August 2018 by a steering group broadly representative of social economy organizations. Continue reading “Canada’s social economy about to get a boost, but problems remain”