Fall Events Roundup

September 23rd, 2016 by Iler Campbell

Hoarding: New Approaches to Community Management – Oct 20 ‑ Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto

VHA Home HealthCare is running this conference that we think may be of interest. Celia Chandler will be attending (not presenting). See here for details and to register.

CHFC 2016 London Fall Education Event – October 29 ‑ London

Celia Chandler will be running a workshop of human rights in housing co‑ops. See the event brochure here. Register here.

2016 CWCF-CoopZone Conference – November 2‑5 – Vancouver

Celia Chandler will be co‑presenting a workshop about legal issues in Worker Co‑ops. See the conference website for full details and to register.

ONPHA Conference and Trade Show – November 4‑6 – Sharaton Centre Toronto

We will have a booth at the trade show. If you’re attending please stop by and say ‘hi!’

Lauren Blumas will be co‑presenting a workshop titled “Expect the unexpected: Working with tenants and their families” See the conference website for full details and to register.


CHFT 2016 Fall Education Event – November 19 – Oakham House, Toronto

Michael Hackl will be participating in a panel about legal issues in co‑ops. Here is the event brochure. Register for the event here.

CASL 2 years in. Are you in compliance? Join us for a free checkup on October 11th.

September 22nd, 2016 by Iler Campbell

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When Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) was introduced in 2014 it sparked panic in many people whose jobs involved sending emails. The intricacies of the rules were confusing and the potential fines where huge. Eventually people figured out what they had to do and got on with their jobs.

Since then, we haven’t heard a lot about CASL, but it hasn’t been entirely quiet. Major fines have been levied against offenders and new rules have come into force. Next July, the sections of the law that deal with the private right of action will come into force. Individuals and organizations will be able to sue spammers directly for CASL violations, a development that has some people panicking again.

Join us on October 11 at 4:30 for a CASL refresher with Shelina Ali, an update on what’s happened since it came into force, and a look at where it’s going. Plus, we’ll have Iler Campbell’s IT manager, Fraser Page, on hand to help you through the technical details of CASL compliance.

Want to attend? Email us at [email protected]. Spaces are very limited.

Introducing…. IC Education: an intimate (and free!) workshop series

September 21st, 2016 by Iler Campbell

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For many years we’ve run an annual conference called Tools. Together with Prentice Yates and Clark, who co‑sponsored the event with us, we’ve enjoyed the conferences immensely.  However, this year there will be no Tools conference. We’ve decided to try something a little different…

We’re excited to announce that this fall, in lieu of Tools, we will host a series of intimate — and free! ‑- after-work events.  Some will be skill‑building and others more thought‑provoking, but all will address legal issues relevant to managing in non‑profits, charities, co‑ops and social enterprises.

Stay tuned ‑ we’ll be announcing our fist workshop tomorrow with more to follow soon.  If you have ideas for topics you’d like addressed, please let us know.  (Maybe there was a Tools session that you wished you could have attended, or one you know others in the sector would really benefit from?) We’ll be hosting these IC Education events in our downtown Toronto office but we’d also be happy to take them on the road. If you’d like to co‑host sessions please give us a call!

Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act come into force September 8th

September 2nd, 2016 by Lauren Blumas

Workplace sexual harassment has been in the news, a lot. The legislature responded to calls for increased protections for workers by proposing amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) which expand the scope of harassment to include workplace sexual harassment and increase employer obligations to employees.

Those amendments come into force on September 8th. Employers and employees need familiarize themselves with those amendments if they have not already. We blogged about the amendments back in April, here.

So what are the essentials for September 8th? Continue reading “Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act come into force September 8th”

From Rio to Tokyo, gender discrimination in sport continues

August 25th, 2016 by Katie Douglas

This article was first published on rabble.ca

Caster Semenya, a South-African woman, ran and won the women’s 800-metre race at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Saturday night. Semenya has hyperandrogenism, a condition that causes her body to produce more testosterone than the average woman. Controversy around Semenya dates back to 2009 when she was forced to undergo blood and chromosome tests and a gynecological exam to prove that she is a woman. Many have argued that her high testosterone levels give her an unfair athletic advantage and she should either take medication to bring her testosterone levels in line with those of average women or be barred from competing.

This controversy brings to light one of society’s most persistent and destructive myths — that sex is a binary concept and our deeply entrenched view of the two genders and their respective roles is to be upheld in all areas from domestic tasks to sporting competitions. Athletes like Semenya are important because her participation raises the arbitrary and exclusive nature of this falsehood and the question of what society is going to do about it on an international and high‑profile stage. Continue reading “From Rio to Tokyo, gender discrimination in sport continues”

44% of Ontario’s co-ops could be slated for dissolution. Make sure yours isn’t one of them!

August 24th, 2016 by Celia Chandler

In 2015, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) requested each of Ontario’s co‑operatives incorporated before December 31, 2014 and not dissolved to complete an information return. As reported last week by FSCO, many co‑ops filed their returns. However, about 44% of co‑ops on FSCO’s list did not.

Because of the low response rate, FSCO has advised that it will begin the process of dissolving those co‑ops no longer in operation. It’s not clear exactly what FSCO’s process will be. But we’d hate for your co‑op to be among them.

Did your co‑op respond? Take a look at FSCO’s directory to be sure.