Law Times

PAGE 16 u BIZARRE BRIEFS By Viola James SAUSAGE BECOMES LATEST ASSAULT WEAPON BROCKTON, Mass. — Last week, we reported on the use of wasabi as an assault weapon. This week, it' charges after a cyclist found himself attacked by a sausage-wielding assailant. "He said he was trying to hit him with that," said Lt. David Dickinson. But the attack got worse. According to the According to the Enterprise, a man is facing s sausages. said DuPhily. "It only affects you if you are verbally abusing "It does not affect you if you are sitting at a café," someone across the street." Legal analysts said the law could raise issues June 25, 2012 • Law Times u The INSIDE STORY Enterprise, the assailant then threw stolen meat, bread, and cheese he was carrying into a nearby barrel and started attacking the cyclist with a wrench. Police have since arrested Michael A. Baker, of break and entry at a sausage stand. "They saw the same cuts of meat and cheese and bread in the fairgrounds sausage stand, " said Dickinson. 'GRANNY-NANNY' DEFENDS SWEARING BAN MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. — U.S. courts can now expect to hear arguments on the right to swear after the residents of Middleborough elected to make lobbing F-bombs and other curses across their leafy streets an offence pun- ishable by a $20 ticket. According to Reuters, the ordinance outlaw- ing public swearing, approved by town residents, was the brainchild of Mimi DuPhily, a member of the town' over loud swearing by teenagers hanging around the small town south of Boston. "We're not talking about just conversation but She pushed for the law after becoming upset s beautification committee. screaming it across the street," DuPhily, 63. "Dropping F-bombs and so on. It was the same specify which curses the town is banning, and police can decide whether to ticket offenders. According to Reuters, the ordinance doesn't " group of kids. It was very irresponsible behaviour and it was getting out of hand. for the town under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Part of the Bill of Rights, the amendment prohibits the making of any law that abridges freedom of speech, among other things. DuPhily said her support for the law, which passed 183-50 at the meeting, has made her an object of ridicule in the media. "The talk radio is making hysterical fun of me. They're calling me the granny-nanny," she said. 22, of Holbrook, Mass., and charged him with a number of offences. The Enterprise reported there was also a report UKRAINE PM IN TROUBLE FOR SOCCER BET KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine' found himself in trouble over a friendly sports bet during the Euro 2012 soccer tournament. According to Reuters, a drinks bet Ukrainian s prime minister has Prime Minister Mykola Azarov had with a Swedish fan at Euro 2012 has brought the wrath of the opposition down on him. Azarov bet Swedish fan Ola Sjostedt a beer FORMER GG HONOURED The Law Society of Upper Canada has awarded former gover- nor general Michaëlle Jean an honorary doc- tor of laws degree. The LSUC hon- oured Jean for her work as a journalist, broad- caster, lecturer, social activist, and governor general from 2005 to 2010 during its call to the bar ceremony in Ottawa on June 19. "Throughout her remarkable career, she has been very active in Michaëlle Jean and Laurie Pawlitza her support for abused women and children at risk," said law society Treasurer Laurie Pawlitza. "Her work with disadvantaged and underprivileged youth carries on through the Michaëlle Jean Foundation." that Ukraine would beat Sweden in their open- ing Group D match in the tournament, Reuters reported. When the home team beat the Swedes 2-1, Azarov duly invited Sjostedt for a beer with him at government offices in Kiev. A widely distributed photograph showed the prime minister smiling broadly, a Ukrainian foot- ball scarf round his neck, as he raised a pint of beer with his Swedish guest. Leading opposition deputy Mykola Tomenko, in a statement on an opposition party web site, reminded the 64-year-old Azarov that drinking alcohol — even weak alcohol — was strictly pro- hibited on official premises. "It is shameful and inadmissible when the JUSTICE MINISTER HOSTS GLOBAL TALKS Justice Minister Rob Nichol- son met with several attorneys general from across the globe in Ottawa on June 15 to discuss a variety of legal topics. The discussions centered on matters but would require them to have experience as a lawyer before entering the position. topics including cybercrime, le- gal co-operation, and national security. New Zealand Attorney Gen- eral Chris Finlayson, British At- torney General Dominic Grieve, U.S. Attorney General Eric Hold- er, and Jason Clare, Australia' minister for home affairs and jus- tice, attended the meeting. "The global nature of crimes s leaders of the country contradict the law and the principles of defending morality by begin- ning to publicize consumption of strong drink during working hours and on state premises," said Tomenko. LT such as terrorism, cybercrime, and organized crime make co- operation with key allies a criti- cal component in Canada' sponse to these evolving issues," said Nicholson. "Today' s re- unique opportunity for our gov- ernment to share knowledge and information with these key coun- tries to ensure co-ordinated efforts in the fight against terrorism and other transnational crime. s meeting provides a " POLL RESULTS The results of last week' online poll are in. Almost 82 per cent of respon- member's bill to require presiding s private s Law Times dents indicated they support MPP David Orazietti' justices of the peace to have five years' experience as a lawyer. Orazietti, an MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., introduced the bill on May 31. If passed, the bill would create "Looks like a rough portage." a two-tier system that would allow presiding justices of the peace to oversee complex legal GREENSPAN HONOURED Edward Greenspan received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Brock University on June 7. A native of Niagara Falls, Ont., Greenspan, in his address to graduates, noted he could have easily been an alumnus as well. "Had I finished high school two years later on or if Brock had opened one year earlier, I would have had my degree from Brock in 1967," said the criminal lawyer, who noted he instead had to wait 45 years to get one. NATIONAL ABORIGINAL HISTORY MONTH National aboriginal history month kicked off last week with a legal education program and reception at the Law Society of Upper Canada. The event on June 20 featured a number of panellists who dis- cussed how to build successful business relationships with mem- bers of the aboriginal community. Clint Davis of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Busi- ness led the first panel during which lawyers Maxime Faille, Tiffany Murray, and Kelly LaRocca discussed how to create an aboriginal corporation. A second panel featured law- yer Cynthia Westaway as well as Erin Strachan in a discussion on aboriginal co-operatives and con- sortiums. Lastly, Dean Jacobs, former chief of the Munsee-Delaware Nation, and Mike Rosen of Tree Canada discussed joint ventures with aboriginal communities. LT The title insurer that puts you front row, centre Putting the legal community front and centre has made us the #1 choice with Canadian lawyers for over a decade. 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