Law Times

Page 16 February 6, 2017 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com U OF T LAW OPENS SPOTS The University of Toronto Fac- ulty of Law will consider late applications for prospective stu- dents affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban. In a statement, Edward Iacobucci, the university's dean of the Faculty of Law, said the law faculty has reached out to Can- adian JD students in the U.S. who may want to transfer to U of T in the face of Trump's executive or- der, which imposes a temporary halt on citizens from seven major- ity-Muslim countries travelling to the U.S. "At the Faculty of Law, we have a special responsibility to champion the rule of law," he said in the statement. "This week's seemingly cavalier dismissals of international norms and shared legal understandings by the U.S. President are especially troubling for our community." The school will consider all applicants who may have been affect- ed, directly or indirectly, by the ban. Iacobucci said the school is also looking to set up a workshop on campus for a conference in March at Columbia Law School, which Yemeni colleagues will not be able to attend because of the ban. LSUC FACES RACISM ALLEGATIONS FROM FORMER EMPLOYEE The Law Society of Upper Canada is facing allegations of racism from a former employ- ee. Arlene Spence, who was a senior manager of Information Technology at the law society, has filed a complaint at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, "alleging discrimination with respect to employment because of race and colour and reprisal," according to interim decisions.' In a December decision in Spence v. Law Society of Upper Canada, an adjudicator said the tribunal's records indicated the matter had been settled, but a re- consideration decision released in January said that Spence in- tended to proceed with her appli- cation. Susan Tonkin, a spokes- woman for the LSUC, said the law society has reviewed Spence's allegations. "The Law Society takes alle- gations of racism and discrimi- nation extremely seriously and we have reviewed Ms. Spence's concerns in detail," she said in an emailed statement. "Now that the matter is before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, we are confident that there will be a positive resolution." Davis Baker, the lawyer representing Spence, declined to comment. CAMPION TO POLLEY FAITH LLP Toronto lawyer Nadia Cam- pion has joined Polley Faith LLP. Campion left Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP after 10 years at the firm and less than a year after being named partner. She joined Pol- ley Faith as one of three partners. 79 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE YES, I AGREE 21 % LAW TIMES POLL An Ontario Superior Court Justice recently ruled a union of- ficial should not be found liable for defamation for replying to an email. Readers were asked if replying to an allegedly defama- tory email constitutes publish- ing or republishing the material. Roughly 21 per cent said yes, replying to an email could be considered to be defamatory in certain contexts. The remain- ing 79 per cent said no, reply- ing to an email should not be considered to be defamatory, because email is not the same as other platforms. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "We e-filed for divorce but it looks like he's just e-sold the e-house and e-taken the e-kids off to e-Brazil." MONGOLIANS OFFER HORSES TO PAY GOVERNMENT DEBT ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — Private citi- zens in Mongolia are donating cash, jewelry and even horses to help the government make a payment of US$580 million to bondholders in March, according to Reuters. The cash-strapped nation has been em- broiled in an economic crisis brought about by a collapse in foreign investment, slowing growth in China and weak commodity prices, says Reuters. Though the Mongolian public has been hit by welfare cuts, rising food and fuel costs and a tough winter that is threatening to kill large numbers of livestock, donation pledges began to f lood in during the first week of February after a campaign was launched by members of parliament, reports Reuters. Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat said that while the government would accept the do- nations, it had already "found a solution" for the bond payment and would spend the cash else- where, according to Reuters. "The cabinet has decided to spend voluntary donations on health, education and reducing smog as well as public infrastructure," he said in a statement released Feb. 1. WOMAN JAILED OVER BALLOON-POPPING GUNS FREED TIANJIN, China — A Chinese court set free a woman who had been jailed for three-and-a- half years for illegal ownership of guns used in a balloon-shooting game, reports Reuters. Zhao Chunhua was sentenced after police determined six of the guns used in her street- side balloon game were air guns capable of fir- ing small metal bullets, rather than the plastic ones that should be used, according to Reuters. China strictly controls gun ownership and gun crime is rare. The case was widely debated in media and on social media, with many people saying Zhao was obviously no criminal and the law should not have come down so hard on her for buying guns she thought were legal, says Reuters. Following an appeal, a court in the city of Tianjin, where Zhao lived and ran her small balloon-shooting operation on the back of a tri- cycle, determined that while the guns she had were technically illegal, she had no real criminal intent, says Reuters. The court changed her sentence to a sus- pended three-and-a-half-year term and ordered her release, so she was able to go home for the Lunar New Year holiday, which started Jan. 27, reports Reuters. IS RENT-A-DATE APP LEGAL? BEIJING — Although popular rent-a-date apps in China don't offer sex as part of the service, there are still questions about their legality in a country where prostitution is illegal. Subscribers to the apps pay from as little as 1 yuan ($0.15) to 1,999 yuan an hour for a dinner date, a chat, a game of mah-jong or even a foot massage, according to Reuters. Prices surge around the time of Lunar New Year, with thousands of young "dates" com- manding fees of 3,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan a day. There are six major date-hiring apps in China, which make their money by taking a cut from hires, and also from subscription fees, according to Reuters. Date rental is expected to become a multi-billion-dollar market in China. But the date rentals have drawn criticism, with some netizens on social media and legal experts questioning the morality and legality of the business. "There are no clear prohibitions in Chi- nese laws regarding date rentals. But risks exist among such deals, which may also violate the law to some extent," state-run China News Ser- vices last month cited Li Hongzhao, an official of the Beijing Lawyers Association Criminal Law Committee, as saying, according to Re- uters. LT Edward Iacobucci says the University of Toronto law faculty will reach out to Canadian JD students in the U.S. who may want to transfer after an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump. © 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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