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.

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

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.

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”