Law Times

Page 16 OctOber 31, 2016 • Law times www.lawtimesnews.com LAWYER SPEAKS TO UN COMMITTEE An Aboriginal Legal Services lawyer spoke to a United Nations committee fighting discrimina- tion against women for the first time in the group's history. Emily Hill, an ALS senior staff lawyer, attended a meeting of the Committee for the Elim- ination of the Discrimination Against Women in Geneva, Switzerland on Oct. 25 to share the barriers to equality faced by aboriginal women in Canada. "The questions raised by CEDAW are front and centre in the work we do with victims," Hill said. "We assist women who have experienced violence and face dis- crimination when they seek help from the police and the courts." CEDAW is composed of 23 independent experts who monitor the implementation of the committee's convention, which requires states to take "all appropriate measures, including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms." Christa Big Canoe, ALS' legal director, says the organization also wanted to voice concerns it had with a report submitted by the federal government to CEDAW. Big Canoe says the tone of the report concerning the launch of the inquiry into missing and murdered in- digenous women was not appropriate. SURVEY SAYS UPTICK IN CLASS ACTIONS Canadian companies have not been as proactive as their global counterparts when it comes to adopting measures to mitigate the risk of litigation, accord- ing to a new survey by Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. The survey also found that Canadian companies faced more than double the amount of class action lawsuits in the last 12 months than the previ- ous year. Contract and labour disputes also remain some of the more numerous types of litigation Canadian companies face, the survey said. LSUC SUSPENDS LAWYER The Law Society of Upper Can- ada has suspended a Toronto law- yer after a tribunal found he had a sexual relationship with a client. The tribunal suspended An- tonio Macri for two and a half months after finding he had failed to tell his firm about the relationship, which was with a client he was representing in a family law matter. The tribunal also found Macri sent "a series of uncivil text messages and e-mails" to the client, implying he would use confidential infor- mation against her if she failed to reimburse him funds he lent her. Macri's licence was suspended starting Oct. 28. He was also fined $2,500. 67 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE YES, I AGREE 33 % LAW TIMES POLL Law Times reported that the federal government has intro- duced a bill to modernize the Canada Business Corpor- ations Act, but lawyers say it could sow confusion for com- panies that are listed under the TSX and were incorporated under the act. Readers were asked if they agreed with the steps to mod- ernize the act. More than 33 per cent said yes, modernizing the act is a good idea that will have positive outcomes for companies. Almost 67 per cent said no, the changes the bill proposes will create confusion for com- panies and not achieve their in- tended results. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "Melissa is the firm's expert on bridging the digital divide. I couldn't do without her!" FLORIDA COPS ARE TRIPPIN' TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Sheriffs Association has put out a warning about the po- tential for edible marijuana to be found inside Halloween trick-or-treat candies. The association's president, Jerry Demings, claims candy with similar but unusual names such as "Pot-Tarts" or "Zonka Bars" could end up in kids' Halloween bags, according to ABC Action News. With the legalization of medical marijuana on the ballot on Nov. 8, the association hasn't been shy about its opposition to its passing. But a pro-medical marijuana group, citing The Associated Press, said there's no evidence to Demings' claim. The most recent AP data from 2014 shows no reports of people handing out edible marijuana to children on Halloween. THIS GROOM HAS NO CHILL JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — A marriage broke down in just two hours because a woman start- ed sharing pictures on Snapchat, according to a report in Okaz, a daily Arabic newspaper. The Saudi bride and groom are said to have had a binding agreement not to share pictures over Snapchat of the ceremony. But according to the bride's brother, the agreement was broken. "There was a prenuptial agreement between my sister and her fiancé that she would not use social-media applications such as Snapchat, In- stagram or Twitter to post or send her pictures," he told Okaz. "It was included in the marriage contract and became binding. Regretfully, my sister did not honour the pledge and used Snapchat to share pictures from the wedding ceremony with her female friends, resulting in the shocking deci- sion by the groom to cancel their marriage and call for divorce." The bride's family said the agreement had been unfair, while the groom's relatives said he was within his rights to file for divorce. CHEATING MAN'S PARROT SQUAWKS KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait — A man almost ended up in jail after his pet parrot exposed his affair with the housemaid, reports Al Shahed Daily. The alleged affair came to light after the bird started to repeat f lirty phrases in front of the man's wife, who hadn't heard anything like this for some time. She had wondered for a while about her husband's relationship with their maid at their home in Kuwait, according to Al Shahed Daily. So when the bird started to parrot what it had overheard, she seized on it as evidence and went to police. Adultery is illegal in the Gulf state, carrying a potential prison sentence or even hard labour. If the bird's evidence had been admitted, the man could have faced a severe penalty for his in- discretion. But authorities said the squawkings could not be admitted in court, as it could not be proved that the bird hadn't heard the inti- mate conversation on TV or the radio. The parrot was not deemed a credible wit- ness and the case did not proceed. MAN SPEEDS TO KEEP MEAL HOT BLYTH, Northumberland — Nobody wants to eat a cold McDonald's meal, but few people are prepared to go to these lengths to make sure it stays hot. Police caught Lee Rutherford driving his modified Renault Clio 208 kilometres an hour along the A189 after stopping at a drive- through. When asked what the rush was he said he wanted to get home and eat his burger and fries while they were still warm. He admitted making a false statement to ob- tain insurance and was found guilty of danger- ous driving. LT Christa Big Canoe says Aboriginal Legal Services wanted to voice concerns to barri- ers to equality faced by aboriginal women to the United Nations. © 2015 Stewart. All rights reserved. We put legal professionals front and centre and we put our efforts into keeping real estate transactions where they belong – in your office. Learn more about our level of support, call (888) 667-5151 or visit stewart.ca. Ally Untitled-4 1 2016-03-02 10:19 AM

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