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December 14, 2009

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PAGE 16 WillBuilder Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 doprocess com ntitled-7 1 The LAO OFFICES MAY CLOSE Legal Aid Ontario is raising the possibility of offi ce closures due to a budget defi cit and economic conditions. In a press release, LAO an- nounced it would begin mov- ing to a mix of phone, Internet, and courthouse services for its Parry Sound and Bracebridge/ Muskoka offi ces. It has not yet said whether closures or layoff s are pending. Th e two offi ces will now be grouped with a site in Barrie as part of the central offi ce, a regional hub out of which staff will manage legal aid services throughout the region. LAO said the move will save infrastructure and over- head costs, will improve access to services in a region where public transportation can be a challenge, and will help to re- duce court delays. "Clients will continue to receive direct legal advice and assistance through the duty counsel program, which is available in every courthouse in the province. LAO will also be expanding its presence in the courthouse and enhancing duty counsel services," the re- lease said. LAO pointed to a budget defi cit due to dropping rev- enues from the Law Founda- tion of Ontario as a reason for the change in service. In addition, the $150-mil- lion funding injection an- nounced by the provincial government is earmarked for service enhancements and can- not be applied to the defi cit, the release said. FORMER SNC EXEC JOINS HEENAN Th e new year will mark the addition of Jacques Lamarre, former president and CEO of SNC-Lavalin, to Heenan Blaikie LLP. As former head of a global powerhouse in engineering Reinventing the Will www 1/26/09 3:38:37 PM Inside Story and construction, Lamarre will bring expertise to the fi rm's construction, energy, and in- frastructure practice and will advise clients on public-private partnerships, the fi rm said. GOWLINGS LANDS D'AQUINO Th omas d'Aquino will be join- ing Gowling Lafl eur Hender- son LLP as senior counsel and chair of its business-strategy and public-policy group. Since 1981, d'Aquino has headed the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, a lobby group for about 150 major Ca- nadian corporations. Gowlings said d'Aquino will bring insight on national and international issues, add expertise in public policy, and serve as an adviser on business strategy. REMAND NUMBERS BOOST INCARCERATION RATE Canada's rate of incarceration continued to rise in 2008-09, driven largely by the increas- ing number of adults held in custody while awaiting trial or sentencing. Th e number of adults and youth held in jails and prisons rose by one per cent, the fourth consecutive increase after a de- cade of declines. According to a Statistics Canada report, on any given day, an average of 37,425 adults and 1,898 youth aged 12 to 17 were in custody, for a total of 39,323 inmates. Th at amounts to an incar- ceration rate of 118 people in custody for every 100,000 people in the country. Th e report noted a four- per-cent increase in adults be- ing held in remand, at 13,500 people on any given day. Th is fi gure has doubled over the past decade. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. Looking for an easier way to attract attention? it's easy. www.lawtimesnews.com Untitled-1 1 10/20/09 2:26:18 PM WHERE ARE YOU BOYS HEADED? WELLINGTON, New Zea- land — A New Zealand police offi cer, who perhaps has seen the movie Super Troopers once too often, gave some rather strange advice to a teenager suspected of stealing a car. Instead of telling the lad to drive safely, he advised him to "always blow on the pie." It's not unlike offi cer Th orny in the movie, who asked with a dead- pan expression if the teenagers he pulled over for clearly driv- ing under the speed limit knew how fast they were going. However, in this instance, Sgt. Guy Baldwin's comments went viral after a video of the encounter went on YouTube. According to the Sun, more than 175,000 people have viewed the offi cer questioning the teen. At fi rst, the police offi cer asks where he was going, to which the teen replied, "Up the road to get a pie." Th en came the ques- tion, "It's three o'clock in the morning, and you're buying a pie from the BP station, what must you always do?" Th e suspected car thief, stymied by this line of ques- tioning, responded, "I don't know." HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS FORFAR, Scotland — In- mates at the Noranside prison will be getting their Christmas wish as the jail has decided to send them home for the holi- days. A Scottish Prison Service spokesman told the Herald newspaper that this is the sec- ond year they have sent pris- oners home at Christmas. Of course, not all of those in the jail will be let out. ™ December 14, 2009 • Law Times "Th e numbers in the open Bizarre Briefs By Viola James Sgt. Baldwin then delivers a line that has made it into rap songs and onto T-shirts: "At three o'clock in the morn- ing, that pie has been in the warming drawer for probably about 12 hours, it'll be ther- monuclear. "You must always blow on the pie. . . . Always blow on the pie, safer communities to- gether, OK." Th e police offi cer later told a New Zealand news channel: "As a policeman, if we can make people laugh, then great because in reality what we do isn't funny. "I was speaking to a chap we had been looking for. I was making up conversation, us- ing a bit of humour. Unfortu- nately, he didn't get it." estate are quite low, but if you have prisoners in the open es- tate and they've been risk-as- sessed, it makes sense that gets tested," said the spokesman. "Th at's part of the parole process. If the prisoners mis- behave or breach their condi- tions, they're back in closed conditions." According to the paper, some of the serious off end- ers, including killers, could be among those released. WHEN IN DOUBT, BLAME THE POLICE METHUEN, Mass. — A teenager suff ering from in- juries sustained when a truck driver sought by police slammed into her car is suing the cops. According to the Eagle Tribune, Amanda Tejada, 19, says a Methuen police offi cer violated the city's high-speed pursuit policy in chasing after a vehicle that sped away fol- lowing a routine traffi c stop. Th e truck later slammed into Tejada's car and then sped away while eluding po- lice. Th e teen spent 11 days in hospital with injuries, includ- ing several broken bones. According to court docu- ments, she is suing the city for $628,211. Th e teen's law- yer told the newspaper police stopped the truck for screech- ing its tires. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail. com.

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