Landlords and tenants to fight out right to grow medical marijuana under new regulations

October 27th, 2016 by Lauren Blumas and Claudia Pedrero

This article was first published on rabble.ca

The new Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulation (ACMPR), which came into force on August 24, 2016, has changed how patients with prescriptions for medical marijuana can get their medicine. The ACMPR came to be, in part, as a response to a Federal Court ruling that the former Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) violated the Charter because it prohibited personal production of medical cannabis. For many medicinal cannabis users, the cost of accessing through the channels allowed under the MMPR were simply unaffordable.

Continue reading “Landlords and tenants to fight out right to grow medical marijuana under new regulations”

Angie Joyce retires after 40 years at Iler Campbell. Wishing her all the best

October 25th, 2016 by Brian Iler
Angie, right, signs up her last client, Janis Daly, centre with Lauren Blumas.

Angie, right, signs up her last client, Janis, centre, with Lauren Blumas.

For forty years, there’s been one constant in my life as a lawyer – Angie Joyce has been by my side. That’s now changed ‑ she has retired, after all those years. 

She was in her early twenties when she started working with me, and, when the firm I was in dissolved, she stayed with me through some very lean years – sometimes offering to put off payment of her wages because there was no money to be had – she knew because she did the books.

Her keen attention to detail and her ability to work a file – and with the opposite side on a deal ‑ coupled with her ability to read my mind and my handwriting all contributed immensely to building Iler Campbell into what it is today.

She loved working with our clients, and worked directly with them, most recently on numerous real estate deals as our senior real estate clerk.

She’s been my mentor, cheerleader, and my friend. I will miss her deeply.

I wish her well.    

-Brian

Construction project? Make sure you know the risks involved. Join us for a free workshop November 2.

October 24th, 2016 by Iler Campbell

construction

Join us at at our offices 9 am on Wednesday November 2 for this free workshop led by Safia Lakhani. Spaces are very limited! Email [email protected] to save your spot.

Getting it Done: How to Reduce Risk with your Construction Project
Whether you are completing building maintenance and upgrades or conducting larger-scale renovations, there are multiple risks associated with construction jobs. This session will explore ways for co-ops, condominium corporations, non-profit housing organizations, and others embarking on small or large-scale construction to mitigate risks, including: a. knowing the parties to the contract; b. properly reviewing your contract documents; and, for larger scale jobs, c. ensuring there is a bond in place from your general contractor.  We will also review  owners’ obligations under the Construction Lien Act, the provincial statute that outlines the rights and obligations of owners, landlords, contractors, and sub-contractors with respect to construction. There will be time set aside for questions.

This session is also a great opportunity for participants/attendees to get to know one another! We look forward to seeing you.

Dispatches from “Hoarding: New Approaches to Community Management,” October 20, 2016

October 21st, 2016 by Celia Chandler

I attended a day-long seminar on a topic of significance to our housing clients called “Hoarding: New Approaches to Community Management” on October 20, 2016. The session, hosted by VHA Home HealthCare (VHA), was well attended by mental health agency staff, housing providers, and assorted others – like me – serving housing providers who encounter the problems resulting from tenants’ and members’ excessive clutter. The fifth of such events in Toronto, there is heightened awareness of problematic hoarding since the fire at 200 Wellesley Street, just over six years.

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With judges like Robin Camp, how impartial is Canada’s justice system?

September 29th, 2016 by Shelina Ali

This article was first published on rabble.ca

I was recently listening to a radio program featuring racialized lawyers in Ontario discussing the challenges they faced in the legal profession and was struck by my reaction. I thought: how unfortunate that this was all being shared publically. Unfortunate, not because I did not believe the experiences of these individuals or sympathize with the challenges they were describing, but because I didn’t want people to know about the challenges. Why would anyone hire a racialized lawyer if they knew that the lawyer felt that there was a higher standard placed on them in court, by judges, as compared with their non‑racialized colleagues?

I wish my reaction was that this was the unusual experience of one lawyer and not a reflection of the justice system’s treatment of marginalized groups generally. Instead, it was one which exposed my own distrust in the Canadian judicial system and its impartiality. And my belief that the justice system as a whole does not provide the same opportunities and access to justice for individuals of colour, women, and other marginalized groups.

Continue reading “With judges like Robin Camp, how impartial is Canada’s justice system?”

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.