Law Times

Page 16 September 19, 2016 • Law timeS www.lawtimesnews.com MERALI APPOINTED TRUSTEE As the daughter of Tanzanian immigrants who were not able to practise their chosen profession in Canada, Isfahan Merali always knew she wanted to practise in an area that would let her help communities that face barriers. The human rights lawyer was recently appointed to serve on the Law Foundation of Ontario Board of Trustees, a post where Merali says she hopes to help the organization reach out to vulnerable communities. Merali, who is tribunal counsel to the Consent and Capacity Board, says she also hopes to help share knowledge about access to justice and human rights. Merali was elected as a bencher at the Law Society of Upper Can- ada in 2015. $80,000 DONATION BY THOMSON ROGERS Thomson Rogers is set to do- nate $80,000 to five different or- ganizations that have helped its clients get back on their feet. "You see these groups that do this work somewhat anony- mously for the most part," says Alan Farrer, the firm's manag- ing partner. "Some of this work is unno- ticed by a lot of people except those who are injured and need the help. So we thought we'd shine a bit of a light on it and give back a little, too." The firm is inviting the pub- lic to go on its web site, www. thomsonrogers.com, to watch videos of the stories from the five different nominees and vote. The amount of money each organiza- tion will receive will depend on where it places in the voting. TORONTO LAWYER LOOKS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING Bonnie Fish wants to put the issue of affordable housing on more people's radar. Over the last six years, the To- ronto lawyer has been involved in the Kehilla Residential Programme — a rental assis- tance fund that helps those in need meet their housing costs. "You get up in the morning, you go to work and then you go back home at night and feel se- cure in your dwelling. If you're not aware of those around that don't have that same ability, you're closing your eyes to the world around you," says Fish, who is a partner at Fogler Rubinoff LLP. Fish organizes an annual Ke- hilla event called Sukkahville, which is a design competition that challenges participants to build a sukkah — a temporary hut structure built during the Jewish festival of Sukkot. There will also be a panel dis- cussion about affordable hous- ing at the event, which takes place Sept. 22 at the Design Ex- change in downtown Toronto. YES, I AGREE 69 % 31 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL The Law Times recently re- ported that a bill to stop genetic discrimination will be debated in the House of Commons. Readers were asked if they think legislation to prevent ge- netic discrimination is needed. Around 69 per cent said yes, legislation to prevent genetic discrimination is needed, as this is a serious and emerging problem. The remaining 31 per cent said no, legislation is not needed, as the actual threat of genetic discrimination is negligible, and the solutions being proposed won't be an efficient way to ad- dress the issue. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story Isfahan Merali has been appointed to serve on the Law Foundation of Ontario Board of Trustees. "You think YOU'RE going extinct?! What about the Ontario Registered Pension Plan?" NEVER TOO YOUNG Newser and The Associated Press report that a two-year-old boy is safe after he was found driv- ing down the street in a toy car in the wee hours of the morning. The incident took place in South Carolina, with the Sumter County Sheriff 's department saying that a woman luckily found the boy on the battery-powered car and took him inside, where authorities were alerted. The report said police then followed the tracks of the vehicle back to the place where the boy lived, where they chatted with the boy's sur- prised parents. "We're fortunate that this thing didn't end badly," a police spokesman told media. "He could have been struck by a vehicle." Police told media they're working with the Department of Social Services on the matter, though there was no indication of neglect. NEVER TOO OLD PennLive reports a 94-year-old senior who hit his neighbour's home with his car earlier this year has now been charged with drunk driv- ing and recklessly endangering another person. The man lives in Montoursville, which is in Lycoming County, Penn. PennLive reports police have contacted John T. Flannery about the charges, for an incident that happened in May, where Flannery allegedly had a blood alcohol level of .141 per cent. The legal limit in the state is .08, said Penn- Live. Flannery allegedly hit the living room of the home with his vehicle, and injured a man inside, who PennLive said had an injured leg, shoulder and ribs as a result. PennLive said a woman who lives in the home escaped injury because she heard a noise before the crash, which caused her to get out of her chair. "There is nothing I could do about my hus- band. I didn't have time to warn him. It was just too quick," the woman is quoted as saying in the PennLive report. The couple has filed a civil suit for $25,000 against Flannery, said the report. GOD SAID IT WAS OK The Town Talk reports that a Louisiana man told police that God had said it was OK to lead officers on a chase. The chase apparently reached up to 160 kilometres an hour, said the report. According to the report, Dylan Christopher Thompson, 20, said God had instructed him to speed in his 1999 pickup truck. Police were patrolling in Natchitoches, La., according to the report, when they saw the truck and tried to get it to stop. In the chase, the truck allegedly damaged gates and fencing, according to a police media release cited in the report. Police were going to use spike strips to stop the truck, but the report said Thompson al- legedly lost control of the vehicle and it went off the road. Police arrested Thompson and the passen- ger after they allegedly ran into some nearby woods, said the report. No one was injured, according to the re- port. Thompson was charged with speeding- maximum limit over 100 miles per hour, aggravated f light from an officer and simple criminal damage to property and simple kid- napping. He was released on a bond, said the report. It's not the first time someone has cited a higher power as a source of behaviour that got them into trouble with the law. In 2014, the Huffington Post reported that a California teacher had been charged, for al- legedly pushing a boy off a skateboard. The teacher said he was "compelled by a higher power," and was trying to prevent danger. 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