Law Times

PAGE 16 The Inside Story LEGAL PROFESSION HONOURED The legal profession was well represented when the province unveiled the latest batch of ap- pointees to the Order of On- tario last week. Clare Lewis, a former Crown attorney and judge who led a task force recom- mending the formation of the Special Investigations Unit, was honoured for his contribu- tions to the justice system. He also served as police complaints commissioner and was the first chairman of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. Former Ontario associate chief justice Coulter Osborne was recognized for his efforts to make the province's civil justice system more accessible and af- fordable. Civil litigator Chris Paliare was appointed for his influence on administrative and public law in Ontario and his career-long commitment to human rights and pro bono representation. Dave Shannon, a paraple- gic lawyer from Thunder Bay, Ont., received the honour for his commitment to the pro- tection of human rights and inclusion for people with dis- abilities. Finally, Martin Teplitsky, who founded the Lawyers Feed the Hungry program as well as several law scholarships, was also recognized. CROWN APPOINTED TO BENCH The province has appointed Lisa Marion Cameron as a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in the central east region. Cameron will take up her post on Feb. 2. Since 1999, she has been a Crown attorney in Kawartha Lakes and Halibur- ton, Ont., leading a 10-person office. Before that, she practised criminal law at Duncan Fava & Grant in Toronto follow- ing her call to the bar in 1988. In 1991, she became an assis- tant Crown attorney in Dur- ham Region. She also acted as a Crown prosecutor for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Nunavut in August 2008 and June 2009. NEW PARTNERS AT OGILVYS Ogilvy Renault LLP has added four new partners to its Toronto office. Andrew Grossman be- comes a partner in the firm's business law group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He has acted as strategic counsel to corporations, financial institu- tions, investment dealers, and private equity firms in Canada and abroad. Jeremy Grushcow, who also joins the business law group, has a practice dealing with life science, clean-tech, and tech- nology-intensive transactions. Matthew Marquardt be- comes a partner in Ogilvys' intellectual property group. He has 15 years of experience in legal practice, including 10 years in the United States. He has represented major finan- cial, telecommunications, data processing, and transportation companies on both sides of the border. Jordan Winch has joined the firm's employment and la- bour group as a partner. He has dealt with labour and employ- ment issues at both the federal and provincial levels. PROVINCE APPOINTS NEW OLRB HEAD Labour lawyer Bernard Fish- bein is set to take over as chair- man of the Ontario Labour Relations Board after the province nominated him for the post. Fishbein brings with him more than 30 years of experi- ence as a labour lawyer in On- tario. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a law degree, where he would later teach employment and labour and arbitration law. He also holds a master's degree from Harvard University. It's a return to his roots for Fishbein, who articled with the board before joining Koskie Minsky LLP. Fishbein is also a former member of the Ontario Griev- ance Settlement Board and once chaired the labour law section of the Canadian Bar Association. Diane Gee will continue as interim chairwom- an, with Brian McLean as the interim alternate chairman, until the standing committee on government agencies con- firms Fishbein's nomination. He is expected to begin his new post in February. For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. A NEIGHBOUR'S NAKED SURPRISE VICTORIA, B.C. — A lot of men would be less prone to calling the cops and would instead ask the intruder to do something else. QMI Agency reported that early one Saturday morning, a man woke up to a rather odd surprise. A woman had wandered into his bedroom, disrobed, and crawled into his bed. The single man, who lives alone, called police at 3:30 a.m. as the woman slept. The woman, who was re- portedly very intoxicated, lives in the same apartment build- ing, exactly one floor up. Police took her into custody until they deemed her sober enough to go to her correct home. What a way to meet your neighbours. BURGLARS SNORT STOLEN ASHES MIAMI, Fla. — This is why teens should stay in school. According to Reuters, bur- glars allegedly snorted the ashes of a dead man and two dead dogs after mistaking the cre- mated remains for drugs. Besides the pricey electronics and expensive jewelry the young thieves allegedly stole, they also took with them two urns, one holding the victim's deceased fa- ther and the other holding the ashes of her two Great Danes. The thieves reportedly be- lieved the ashes were illegal drugs such as cocaine or heroin. Eventually, they realized that what they had snorted wasn't drugs in fancy jars but human remains. After considering re- turning the urns, they allegedly threw them into a nearby lake for fear that their fingerprints would give them away. Reuters reported that after police arrested five teens in con- nection with another burglary attempt nearby, investigators learned what happened to the ashes. Police divers are now working to retrieve the urns. POT SOFT DRINKS COMING SOON SOQUEL, Calif. — Potheads — I mean, medical marijuana users — will soon be able to drink their way to a good time. According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, California en- trepreneur Clay Butler has de- veloped a line of soda drinks that contains marijuana's principle chemical, THC. Butler plans to supply med- ical marijuana dispensaries with his drinks. He claims his experience in marketing and branding will make his prod- uct a hit over similar products that already exist. The Sentinel reported that Butler plans to produce five different flavours of his special soda: his flagship drink Canna Cola, Doc Weed, Sour Diesel, Grape Ape, and Orange Kush. A bottle will sell for between $10 and $15. January 31, 2011 • Law Times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James COURT SINKS TEETH INTO CRIMINAL GANG ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Now that's a lot of tusks. Russian authorities have confiscated more than three tonnes of mammoth tusks, ac- cording to Reuters. A criminal gang was attempting to smug- gle approximately 64 full and 14 reconstructed tusks out of the country, the court office said. The mammoth species they came from is extinct, but the tusks can survive for thou- sands of years because of the permafrost that has covered the Siberian region the ani- mals once inhabited. The court reported the small criminal group had been involved in illegal exports of bones and tusks from rare and extinct beasts since 2004. STUDENT DINES AS FIRE ALARM BLARES MACOMB, Ill. — A student at Western Illinois University has been ticketed after refusing to leave his fraternity house as the fire alarm sounded. According to WLS 890 AM, police and fire crews were called to the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity house by the fire alarm. Fire crews did a sweep of the building to ensure it was vacant when they found the 22-year-old student in his room. He was eating lasagna. Nevertheless, he was unco- operative and told police the alarm had been sounding for 20 minutes before the fire de- partment arrived. He claimed that since the fire department had taken so long, he decided to eat his delicious lasagna in- stead of fleeing the building. Officials believe alcohol was involved. LT LT "They're all claiming refugee status. They've just learned there are 530 attorneys in the States who specialize in video-game law." FEEDS LEGAL LegalFeeds_Cl_Jan_11.indd 1 A daily blog of visit www.lawtimesnews.com Canadian Legal News 1/6/11 11:44:49 AM canadianlaw yermag.com/ legalfeeds

• Cover
• Stepping Up
• Parental Hostility
• Focus On IP/Trademark Law