Law Times

PAGE 16 The Inside Story JPS AWARD BURSARY A new donation has allowed Ontario justices of the peace to double their education bursary award, which this year went to high school student Arathi Angel Ajit. "Th e bursary recipients are not the only benefi ciaries of the program," said justice of the peace Lynne Stethem in an an- nouncement of the award by the Association of Justices of the Peace of Ontario (AJPO). "It is, in fact, an activity that is proving to be amongst the most reward- ing for the AJPO members who participate in it." Th e association launched the award four years ago to support post-secondary students interest- ed in studying law. Th e program also complements other activities led by the association, including mock-trial competitions, careers- day seminars, and the court expe- rience program. A donation by a retiring jus- tice of the peace allowed the asso- ciation to double its award at the ceremony last week. ENFORCEMENT CHANGES AT OSC Th e Ontario Securities Com- mission has announced new ef- forts to deal with breaches of On- tario securities laws. "Th ese new tools will have a di- rect impact on our ability to take decisive enforcement action in or- der to protect the public interest," said Tom Atkinson, OSC direc- tor of enforcement. "Th ey will al- low us to eff ectively deliver on our commitments to investors and the marketplace in a timely manner." Th e changes include a new program for no-enforcement ac- tion agreements for parties that self-report breaches of Ontario securities law or matters not con- sidered in the public interest and co-operate in investigations. In addition, under the new no-contest settlement program, the OSC can make a protective order whether or not a person has specifi cally admitted to breaching the Securities Act. HOWARD HAMPTON JOINS FASKENS Former attorney general How- ard Hampton has joined Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP af- ter retiring from the Ontario leg- islature earlier this year. "We are very pleased to have Howard Hampton join our team at Fasken Martineau," said Martin Denyes, Faskens' man- aging partner for Ontario. "He has served the people of north- ern Ontario with distinction. His expertise and commitment to sustainable use of our natural resources along with his under- standing of the North will add signifi cant value to our fi rm and most importantly to our clients." Hampton served in Ontario's cabinet from 1990 to 1995 as at- torney general and later as minis- ter of Natural Resources. He was also leader of the Ontario NDP from 1996 to 2009. Hampton will work with the fi rm's corporate social responsibil- ity and aboriginal aff airs groups. "Fasken Martineau is an outstanding law fi rm and I am delighted that they are giving me the opportunity to return to the law while allowing me to use my experience in northern Ontario to continue the work that I have done over the past 20 years," said Hampton. JUSTICIA EXTENDED Th e Law Society of Upper Canada has extended the Justi- cia project by two years. Th e program, aimed at at- tracting and advancing women in the legal profession, has so far involved more than 55 medium and large fi rms across the prov- ince. Activities include develop- ing resources such as guides for parental leave and policies on fl exible work arrangements. "Th e Justicia project is a catalyst for innovative, systemic change in the legal profession," said LSUC Treasurer Laurie Pawlitza. "We are very pleased with the success of the project over the past three years and now that it is extended, participating law fi rms can complete their important, ongoing work." Law society benchers ap- proved the extension last week. Th ey also voted in favour of continuing the parental leave assistance program to Dec. 31, 2012. It helps sole practitioners and small-fi rm lawyers who be- come new parents with $750 per week for up to 12 weeks. Th e law society said the ex- tension gives it time to deter- mine how to proceed with the program given recent changes to employment insurance. For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. Get more online Canadian Lawyer | Law Times | 4Students | InHouse | Legal Feeds lawtimesnews.com • canadianlawyermag.com www.lawtimesnews.com Visit Us Online 1-8-5X.indd 1 2/28/11 2:37:34 PM Fresh Canadian legal news and analysis every day "Too bad there's no such thing as white energy." MAN ACCUSED OF BURNING 100 CARS BERLIN — Talk about a se- rial arsonist. A man who allegedly set fi re to more than 100 cars in Berlin, a wave of attacks blamed by some on political extremists, was motivated by envy and frustration, police who arrested him said. According to Reuters, the 27-year-old told police that being jobless and in debt led him to set 67 luxury cars alight in one three-month run. Th ose attacks, aimed mostly at luxury cars such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, set alight 35 more cars parked nearby, Reuters reported. Th e attacks, often started by slow- burning barbecue fi re light- ers, had baffl ed police and left them looking inept in the midst of a mayoral election. "Th is is a sensational tri- umph," said Berlin state crime offi ce director Christian Steiof. A second police offi cial told a media conference that the man confessed to setting 67 cars on fi re since June in Germany's poorest big city. "He wasn't motivated by politics but rather social envy," said Oliver Stepien, a senior police offi cial. "He said in essence: 'I've got debts, my life stinks, and others with fancy cars are better off and they deserve this.'" OCTOBER 31, 2011 • LAW TIMES Bizarre Briefs By Viola James Luxury cars have been set on fi re in small numbers in Berlin for many years, espe- cially in districts that once had low rents because of their then-unattractive proximity to the Berlin Wall. THIEVES USE BLEACH TO COVER TRACKS NEW YORK — It ap- pears these accused thieves didn't get the memo that you shouldn't necessarily try to do things you see on TV and in the movies. In New York, accused thieves have been using a Hol- lywood-born strategy to rob dozens of small stores, tell- ing police they were inspired by the 2010 movie Th e Town to splash bleach on the crime scenes, according to police. In what were dubbed the splash-and-dash robberies, the suspects would throw bleach over cash machines and cash drawers in a bid to erase their DNA evidence, the New York Police Department said. Th ey targeted dozens of corner stores, discount stores, and pizzerias, netting $217,000 in the past year, po- lice said. Th e suspects told detectives "that they were inspired by the Ben Affl eck movie Th e Town in which the protagonists used bleach to cover their tracks," police said in a statement. Th ese suspects would also cut electrical power to the robbery locations and use miners' headlamps to work in the dark, police said. According to Reuters, four men have been charged in connection to 62 robberies, and two were scheduled to appear in Brooklyn criminal court. MAN SOLD DRUGS WITH ICE CREAM NEW YORK — An ice cream vendor who peddled prescription painkillers from the same truck he sold fro- zen treats to kids has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison. Th e sentence was part of a deal struck by Louis Scala , the head of a $1-million drug-traf- fi cking ring run out of his Lick- ety Split truck, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy and one count of criminal posses- sion of a controlled substance. Scala, 30, obtained the drugs with a prescription pad stolen by an accomplice from a Manhattan doctor's offi ce. Th rough a network of more than two dozen runners, he was able to get nearly 43,000 oxycodone pills between July 2009 and June 2010 with a street value of $20 apiece, prosecutors said. Scala drove his Lickety Split truck through neigh- bourhoods in Staten Island selling ice cream to children while inviting adults into the back to buy pills. Charges against Scala's al- leged partner in crime, Joseph Zuff alo, are still pending. — Reuters LT

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