Client Profile: Project Bookmark

June 12th, 2013 by Iler Campbell
Michael Ondaatje and Mayor David Miller at the unveiling of the first Bookmark in 2009.

Michael Ondaatje and Mayor David Miller at the unveiling of the first Bookmark in 2009.

Project Bookmark Canada marks the places where the real and imagined landscapes meet by placing text from imagined stories and poems in the exact, physical locations where literary scenes take place. The charity envisions a network of hundreds of Bookmarks around the country so that residents and visitors can read their way right across Canada.

Iler Campbell LLP has been with Project Bookmark Canada from the beginning. Its founder, author Miranda Hill, engaged us in 2006 to help incorporate the organization and achieve charitable status. And in 2009, we proudly attended the unveiling of the first Bookmark at the Bloor Street Viaduct: a passage from Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion.

We continue to provide Project Bookmark Canada with ongoing legal service primarily in the areas of corporate and contractual law. Recently, Project Bookmark Canada created installations in Vancouver, BC and Gros Morne National Park in NL and has just completed an extensive fundraising initiative spearheaded by literary luminaries like Margaret Atwood, Terry Fallis and Shelagh Rogers.

We encourage you to find out more about this dynamic organization at projectbookmarkcanada.ca.

 

Client Profile: Artscape

June 3rd, 2013 by Iler Campbell
The Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre while under construction in 2011

The Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre while under construction in 2011

Artscape is a not-for-profit urban development organization that connects the dynamism and power of creative people with other public, private, philanthropic, community and neighbourhood interests. Over the course of their 26-year history, they’ve become leaders in creative placemaking, and have generated many positive cultural, economic, social and environmental outcomes with their projects. Artscape projects are designed to build and leverage the local community’s cultural assets and creative resources while serving as catalysts for neighborhood growth and transformation. To date their projects have been catalysts for regeneration and have helped stimulate some of Toronto’s most vibrant and creative neighbourhoods including the award-winning Artscape Wychwood Barns and multi-tenant arts facilities in the Queen Street West, Distillery Historic District, Toronto Island and Liberty Village neighbourhoods. Artscape has earned a reputation as an international leader in the fields of culture-led regeneration and city-building through the arts.

Iler Campbell LLP has been a part of Artscape’s team for many years, playing an active role in making many of Artscape’s projects happen on the real estate side. In particular, Iler Campbell is proud to have worked with Artscape to create a model for ownership that allows artists to purchase affordable live-work spaces and to share with Artscape in the increase in the property value. The model also ensures that the spaces are available for resale to other artists on an ongoing affordable basis. So far this model has been used at the Artscape Triangle Lofts where artists have been owners since late 2010 and this will also be used at Artscape Youngplace, a non-residential artists project planned at the Shaw Street School site in Toronto’s west end. And there are more projects in the works.

If you’d like to read more about what Artscape is doing, please take a look their website at artscape.ca.

Understanding foreign worker issues: Intra-company transfers vs. temporary foreign worker programs

May 31st, 2013 by Laura Bowman

A large number of migrant worker issues have been discussed in the media lately.  However, there are different migrant worker programs in Canada, and these give rise to different legal and policy issues. Unfortunately, the press has referred to all programs as the “temporary foreign worker” program and has failed to explain the different categories and processes involved. Calling these programs a “temporary foreign worker program” is vague; it is like saying there is an “environmental program” rather than a collection of laws that govern the use and treatment of the natural environment in its various forms.

The entry of temporary foreign workers is guided by Immigration and Refugee Protection Act regulations and the general provisions of the Temporary Foreign Workers Guidelines, and is supplemented by provisions contained in international trade agreements for citizens of signatory countries.

Many of the recent controversial transfers rely on the “intra-company transfer” program. The intra‑company transfer program originated under NAFTA and it has become even more explicit recently. This program is very popular with employers who exist as a “multi‑national” corporate entity.

Read more on rabble.ca

Presentation on “Code of Ethics and the Discipline Process” for Early Childhood Educators Ontario

May 27th, 2013 by Iler Campbell

On Saturday, May 25, 2103, Paula Boutis gave a presentation at the 2013 conference for the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario on the “Code of Ethics and the Discipline Process” (pdf).

In 2007, Early Childhood Educators were recognized as members of a profession. With that, came the obligation to self‑regulate the membership. In 2011, the profession established a Code of Ethics. Paula’s presentation gave an overview of how the standards of the profession are enforced and what members can expect during a complaint investigation and discipline process.

Co-op housing eviction reform bill passes 2nd reading

May 22nd, 2013 by Celia Chandler

As PC MPP Peter Shurman noted at Queen’s Park on May 14, 2013, Bill 14, which will reform the evictions process for co-operative housing, took a whopping 15 hours and 36 minutes of debate time in the Ontario Legislative Assembly, but the bill has finally moved to the Legislative Assembly committee for fine‑tuning.   CHF representatives were there and I’m sure will continue to be there throughout to make sure that the sector’s goals are met.

We’re watching this Bill’s progress carefully so that we’re prepared to help our co‑op clients make the transition from one eviction system to another.

In the meantime, we’re working hard with our co‑op clients when they make difficult decisions to evict members who are not meeting the community standard of behaviour.  Our experience at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) tells us that the same issues will apply when co‑ops are under their umbrella:  LTB decision‑makers must weigh issues of fairness and human rights in the same way that Superior Court justices do.   Removing someone’s housing is a decision no‑one ‑‑ from Co‑op Board members to landlords and to decision‑makers ‑‑ wants to make.  We applaud the careful attention that all of these groups must and do give.

Progress in the fight against jets on Toronto’s waterfront

May 9th, 2013 by Iler Campbell

Tuesday was a good day for NoJetsTo, a grassroots organization fighting against Porter Airline’s plan to fly jets our to Toronto’s island airport. Although city council voted in favour of proceeding with a study of the proposed expansion, it also approved four motions which together severely constrain the scope of this study. Together, these motions, which aim to hold Porter to its word and to protect the right of private pilots to use the airport, make the success of the expansion much less likely. Read more on NoJetsTo’s blog.

Brian Iler is Chair of CommunityAIR, a supporting organization of NoJetsTO.