Law Times

Page 16 November 14, 2016 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com FACL HONOURS BENCHER NISHIKAWA The fight to bring more equity and inclusion to the legal profes- sion has been a personal one for Sandra Nishikawa. The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers honoured the LSUC bencher and counsel in the Crown Law Office Civil with its 2016 Lawyer of Distinction Award at FACL's 10th annual conference in late October. Called to the bar in 1999, Nishikawa has been actively in- volved throughout her career in working to make the path smoother for racialized lawyers who follow in her path. "If racialized lawyers aren't on an equal footing, then our ability to work and represent our communities and to advocate is also nega- tively impacted," says Nishikawa, who is a past chairwoman of the law society's Equity Advisory Group. She says being a lawyer might not be an obvious choice for many young, racialized people. As there have been low numbers of racialized people in the profes- sion in the past, few young, racialized people had parents who were lawyers or judges, she says. "There are still barriers and some proactive measures need to be taken to overcome them," she says. She has experienced first-hand the barriers racialized lawyers can face when she was first entering the profession. As a law student and later as a young lawyer, Nishikawa says she was passed over for opportunities because of her race and gender. "I just thought that if I was the qualified candidate, I would get the job, and we kind of know that's not how it works," she says. STRATTON CO-CHAIR OF IPT SERVICE GROUP A founding partner of Dim- ock Stratton LLP has been named co-chair of DLA Piper (Canada) LLP's IPT Service Group. Bruce Stratton and lawyers from his firm joined DLA Piper (Canada) LLP at the beginning of November. Dimock Stratton specialized in intellectual property litiga- tion, as well as the acquisition, licensing and portfolio manage- ment of patents, trademarks and copyrights. Chris Bennett will serve as the group's other co- chair. LAO OFFERING $200,000 IN GRANTS TO HELP BLACK YOUTH Legal Aid Ontario is look- ing to give a one-time grant of $200,000 to two organizations that help black students facing suspension or expulsion. LAO is asking for organ- izations that help black youth deal with problems they are ex- periencing with the education system to apply for the grant by Nov. 14. Each chosen organization will receive $100,000. For more information and application forms, visit legalaid. on.ca. 89 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE YES, I AGREE 11 % LAW TIMES POLL Law Times reported that law- yers want to learn more about an online child support calculation service the province launched earlier this year. Readers were asked if they had heard of this service. More than 11 per cent said yes, they had heard about this service and think it's a great tool for clients. Almost 89 per cent said no, they had not heard about the service and think the province should communicate more about this tool. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "No kidding. My Air Miles points just expired, too!" Sandra Nishikawa has received the 2016 Lawyer of Distinction Award from the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers. JUDGE RULES CHIMP HAS 'NON-HUMAN RIGHTS' MENDOZA PROVINCE, Argentina — A judge has ruled that a zoo chimpanzee is a "be- ing" with "non-human rights" in a landmark animal welfare case, according to The Mirror. Cecilia, in her 30s, has been kept alone in a concrete enclosure for years at the shabby Men- doza Zoo in Argentina after the death of two of her mates. But after complaints from a Spanish visitor sparked a two-year legal battle, Judge María Alejandra Mauricio ruled that Cecilia be freed and transferred to a sanctuary in Brazil. According to The Mirror, Judge Mauricio said non-human creatures possessed rights re- lated to their "animal essence." She said: "We're not talking about the civil rights enshrined in the Civil Code, but instead the species' own rights to development, to life in their natural habitat." Cecilia will be moved to the Great Ape Proj- ect's sanctuary in Brazil, where the chimp will be able to socialize with other chimpanzees and live in humane conditions, The Mirror reports. The court case came after Pedro Pozas Ter- rados, who runs a sanctuary for former cir- cus and zoo chimps, visited Mendoza Zoo in September 2014, according to The Mirror. He launched a bid to free Cecilia and worked with the Great Ape Project and the Association of Officials and Lawyers for Animal Rights to get the chimp to a sanctuary. "This landmark judgment supports our struggle to consider animals' rights and change their futures," Pozas Terrados said following the verdict, according to The Mirror. ANXIETY DRUG FOR DOGS PHOENIX, Ariz. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Sileo, the first drug used specifically to treat noise anxiety in dogs, reports Fox6 News. Research shows up to 50 per cent of dog own- ers say their pet is afraid of some sort of noise. For example, Therese Kopiwoda's nine-year- old Border Collie Jed is terrified of thunder. "If I put my hand on him, I can feel his heart beat- ing really quickly . . . he's having a panic attack," Kopiwoda told the TV station. Jed suffers from "noise aversion" — an anxi- ety brought on by loud sounds. At least one vet- erinarian said she sees it all too often. "Some of the dogs you might see who are exhibiting anxiety, could be ears back, panting, hyper-vigilant, excessive lip licking, hiding," said Dr. Heidi Meier. "The really nice thing with this particular medication is that it takes away the anxiety without causing sedation or drowsiness." Sileo comes in gel form and is applied near a dog's gums. The FDA said the drug can be used up to five times during an event when used as directed, according to Fox6 News. Each syringe costs about $25 and, depending on the size of the dog, can last several doses. BELL TOLLS FOR THIEVES ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — An Atlantic City man and woman were charged with tampering with and stealing toll money, state police said last week, according to the Press of Atlantic City. Over the summer, the South Jersey Trans- portation Authority, which oversees the Atlan- tic City Expressway, alerted detectives about a series of toll basket malfunctions and toll short- ages at the Exit 5 entrance and exit ramps. Angela Freeman-Poles, 54, and Aljah Reaves, 57, allegedly modified the toll basket by stuffing it with material to prevent coins from going in, and they later returned to remove the accumu- lated coins. The suspects also stole coins from the ground at the toll plaza, state police said, ac- cording to the Press of Atlantic City. The pair's actions were captured on surveil- lance footage. LT One-Year Subscription Includes: • 11 issues of both print and digital editions • FREE exclusive access to the Canadian Lawyer digital edition archives • FREE weekly e-newsletter: Canadian Legal Newswire Access a free preview at: bitly.com/CanLawyer-FreePreview @canlawmag 7KHXOWLPDWHVRXUFHIRUWRGD\·VOHJDOSURIHVVLRQ Canlawyer.lawtimes@thomsonreuters.com 416.609.3800 I 1.800.387.5164 To place an order please call 416.609.3800 or order online at: bitly.com/CanLawyer-Subscription *Plus applicable taxes Subscribe to Canadian LawyerWRGD\IRURQO\ Untitled-3 1 2016-11-09 11:23 AM

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