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Archive for September, 2021

What Does a User Centred Design Court Form Look Like?

In the article “What does a user-centered eviction court summons look like?”, Margaret Hagan answers this question. Her analysis can be applied to most court forms. The key design principles outlined are as follows:

  1. Have a clear visual hierarchy. Put the first and second most important information in large boxes, with icons, indented lists, and images.
  2. Make it easily readable. Use small blocks of text and short sentences. Follow plain language. Use lists where possible. Bold each paragraph’s take away.
  3. Use symbols and images when possible. Be sure to have a court logo or seal to impart that
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Posted in: Legal Information

Wednesday: What’s Hot on CanLII

Each Wednesday we tell you which three English-language cases and which French-language case have been the most viewed* on CanLII and we give you a small sense of what the cases are about.

For this last week:

1. MDS Inc. v. Factory Mutual Insurance Company, 2021 ONCA 594

[96] The trial judge relied on the American decision in MRI Healthcare to conclude that the resulting loss of use constituted resulting physical damage. That case, however, does not support the proposition that economic loss should be covered under an exception to an exclusion for resulting physical damage. On the contrary, . . . [more]

Posted in: Wednesday: What's Hot on CanLII

Protect Afghanistan’s Truth-Tellers: Human Rights Defenders in a World of Diplomatic Doublespeak

In 2021 the world has witnessed the abject failure of international organizations to curtail even the most grave human rights violations, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide (“atrocity crimes”). The situation in Afghanistan is one case in point.

In countries around the globe, international human rights law is routinely violated with impunity. Many are wondering what “human rights” mean when politicians and diplomats toss out the term with ease while remaining reckless or complicit in the face of human rights violations and atrocities.

Canada must act urgently to match words with actions

There increasingly grave concerns . . . [more]

Posted in: Justice Issues

A New Wrinkle on Judicial Conduct Allegations

It seems the Tax Court of Canada added its own wrinkle to the complaints last year to the Canadian Judicial Council about Justice David Spiro’s intervention in the hiring of a new Director of the University of Toronto’s International Human Rights Program (“the Program”). (See the The Globe and Mail (“The Globe”) stories about the Tax Court here and about Justice Spiro’s intervention here).

A Faculty of Law hiring committee at the University of Toronto recommended the appointment of Dr. Valentina Azarova as the new Director of the Program. Dr. Azarova’s scholarship concerned Palestine-Israel relations. Justice Spiro raised the . . . [more]

Posted in: Justice Issues

Preliminary Issues on Motions for Summary Adjudication in Federal Court

The Federal Court of Appeal recently took the opportunity to clarify the procedure and criteria for determining whether a summary judgment motion is “appropriate”. Even 10 years after the Federal Courts Rules were amended to include summary judgment and trials, the Federal Court of Appeal noted that procedure “is rather unclear”.

In 2009, the Federal Courts Rules were amended to include motions for summary judgment and summary trials. For summary judgment, the rules (see Rule 215) provide that the Court shall grant judgment where the Court is satisfied that there is no genuine issue for trial with respect to . . . [more]

Posted in: Intellectual Property

Monday’s Mix

Each Monday we present brief excerpts of recent posts from five of Canada’s award­-winning legal blogs chosen at random* from more than 80 recent Clawbie winners. In this way we hope to promote their work, with their permission, to as wide an audience as possible.

This week the randomly selected blogs are 1. Susan On The Soapbox 2. Attorney with a Life 3. The Trauma-Informed Lawyer 4. RT Blog 5. Legal Feeds

Susan On The Soapbox
Kenney’s $100 Solution

At the end of May Jason Kenney unveiled an aggressive reopening plan that would lead to the best Alberta summer ever

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Posted in: Monday’s Mix

Judges Need Better Computers

For all of the emphasis on technology during the pandemic, there are still some basic fundamentals that need to be addressed to bring the justice system in Canada into the 21st century.

In Ontario, the provincial government has commenced a process last year to “modernize” the justice system, introducing electronic filing for over 400 court documents, a cloud-based e-hearing platform, and greater use of virtual hearings. Earlier this year, they passed new legislation for further changes, with the Attorney General stating,

Justice accelerated is justice delivered. No matter where you live in our province, the growth and well-being of

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Posted in: Substantive Law: Judicial Decisions

Summaries Sunday: SOQUIJ

Every week we present the summary of a decision handed down by a Québec court provided to us by SOQUIJ and considered to be of interest to our readers throughout Canada. SOQUIJ is attached to the Québec Department of Justice and collects, analyzes, enriches, and disseminates legal information in Québec.

PÉNAL (DROIT) : Des circonstances particulières justifient la déclaration d’inopérabilité constitutionnelle de la peine minimale prévue à l’article 172.1 (2) a) C.Cr. à l’égard d’un accusé qui a eu des contacts sexuels avec la plaignante avant la période couverte par le chef d’accusation de leurre.

Intitulé : R. c. Bertrand . . . [more]

Posted in: Summaries Sunday

Friday Jobs Roundup

Each Friday, we share the latest job listings from Slaw Jobs, which features employment opportunities from across the country. Find out more about these positions by following the links below, or learn how you can use Slaw Jobs to gain valuable exposure for your job ads, while supporting the great Canadian legal commentary at Slaw.ca.

Current postings on Slaw Jobs:

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Posted in: Friday Jobs Roundup

Civil Procedure and Practice in Ontario: A New, Comprehensive and Free Guide

Noel Semple, General Editor

The free access to law movement has made impressive strides in 30 years. It is now taken for granted that all primary law and most reasons for decision are freely available online. In Canada, CanLII has been at the forefront of this movement. Funded by Canadian lawyers, CanLII first developed a thorough and free database of statutes, regulations, and decisions. More recently it has expanded into the realm of legal commentary.

Plenty of lawyers are willing to write first-rate content for free — as Slaw has proved. Assuming that the resources necessary for editing and . . . [more]

Posted in: Announcements, Practice of Law: Practice Management

Do Law Students Understand Jurisdiction, or Do We Just Assume They Do?

One of the biggest gaps in the first year law student’s ability to find a legal answer is the professor’s assumption that the average citizen (or beginning law student) understands the court system and the hierarchy of jurisdiction. Perhaps I am particularly ignorant, or perhaps the paucity of lawyers in my family left me prone to mistakes on this topic. Now that I teach research, I think about the mistakes I made in my first and second year and wonder how many of my students are suffering under similar misapprehensions.

This is a common danger for a teacher; as you . . . [more]

Posted in: Legal Information

Wednesday: What’s Hot on CanLII

Each Wednesday we tell you which three English-language cases and which French-language case have been the most viewed* on CanLII and we give you a small sense of what the cases are about.

For this last week:

1. R. v. Frampton, 2021 ONSC 5733

[14] Finally, I am aware that in many contexts, accommodations are made for unvaccinated persons. For instance, a student may nonetheless attend school even though they are unvaccinated as a result of medical or conscience-based reasons. This approach is the result of a cost-benefit analysis. It is thought that keeping every kid in school, even with

. . . [more]
Posted in: Wednesday: What's Hot on CanLII