Law Times

Page 16 OctOber 23, 2017 • Law times www.lawtimesnews.com LAO FUNDING COMES THROUGH While the federal government has committed additional fund- ing to keep Legal Aid Ontario's immigrant and refugee services open past November, lawyers say more needs to be done to address the problems that led to a pos- sible shutdown. The federal government has pledged $7.1 million to LAO after the agency requested $11.7 million to help fill a budget gap following a $26-million deficit last December. LAO officials largely blamed the deficit on an increase in de- mand for immigration and refu- gee services and threatened to suspend such services from November until the end of the fiscal year if the federal government did not come through with the funding. Robert Blanshay, chairman of the Ontario Bar Association's citizenship and immigration law executive, applauds the fed- eral government for providing the funding, but he says more needs to be done to make sure LAO is not in the same situation next year. "I don't think there's any cause for jumping for joy here," says Blanshay. "I think we've still got a global issue and problem." He says that while there is no one solution, LAO, governments and stakeholders will need to figure out how to maintain sustain- able and consistent funding for the agency's services over the years to come. Jawad Kassab, the executive lead for LAO's refugee and im- migration program says LAO is looking into a number of internal initiatives to make its services more cost efficient, such as creating standard research packages and centralizing translation services. "As you can imagine, we don't know what is coming across the border next," he says. "We don't know whether we're going have an- other surge given the situation in the United States." NEW MANAGING PARTNER Pallett Valo LLP has a new managing partner, John Russo. Former managing partner Anne Kennedy will be acting as deputy managing partner at the business law firm. Russo, a commercial litigator, was called to the bar in 1999 and joined the firm the same year. "During my years at Pallett Valo I have seen the firm grow and develop into the successful and well respected firm it is to- day through the hard work and commitment of the partners, as- sociates and staff," said Russo in a news release. COACH AND ADVISOR NETWORK An upcoming event will focus on the Law Society of Upper Canada's Coach and Advisor Network. The event will take place Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. at Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen Street West, in the Upper and Lower Barristers' Lounge. Guests are asked to RSVP at lsuc. on.ca/rsvp_canfest/. YES, I AGREE 13 % 87 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL It's unknown how widely police in Ontario utilize controversial surveillance techniques that can capture private data from non-targets in criminal inves- tigations. Readers were asked if they thought there should be formal requirements to release this information. About 13 per cent said yes, this information should be released. About 87 per cent said no, this would put public safety and ongoing police investigations at risk. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story Robert Blanshay approves of funding to keep Legal Aid Ontario's immigrant and refugee services open, but he says more needs to be done to make sure LAO is not in the same situation next year. POLICE WRANGLE BROOKLYN BOVINE NEW YORK (Reuters) — The Yankees weren't the only ones making news on a baseball field in New York Oct. 17 — a cow was in a standoff with police in a Brooklyn ballpark. New York City's finest wrangled the animal wandering around Prospect Park and the arti- ficial turf field normally used for baseball and other sporting events, reports Reuters. Police used soccer goals to fence the bovine in on the baseball diamond, but it barreled through one of the nets, knocking down an of- ficer. The cow was eventually trapped between two vehicles parked on either side of the base- ball field's bench area after an officer appeared to fire a tranquilizer dart at it. Police then seemed content to let the animal roam between cars, waiting for the drug to take effect before they were able to rope the bovine and load it into an NYPD horse trailer. It was not clear where the cow came from or how it got lost. Police said they would turn it over to the animal control department after they caught it. The chase drew torrents of posts on social media, many featuring groan-inducing puns. The New York City Parks Department also got in on the act, tweeting: "Hey, has anyone seen a cow?" When another user responded that the animal was, in fact, a bull, the department replied, "Excuse our calf . . . er, gaffe." EVIL CLOWN BEATEN WITH SELFIE STICK DELTONA, Fla. — Volusia County Sheriff 's deputies say a boy found a good use for a selfie stick during a clown encounter on the way to school Oct. 17, according to Spectrum News. The sheriff 's office posted about the case on Facebook with a warning to "evil clowns and anyone considering creepy clown activity. "We will not be there to save you if your in- tended target defends himself or herself, and you may face other penalties as well." Deputies say the 11-year-old was riding his bicycle near Pine Ridge High School on How- land Boulevard when the boy said the clown jumped out from behind a light pole and bushes. The victim told deputies the clown attempt- ed to grab him, and while no physical contact was actually made, the victim feared the clown was going to hit him. So out of self-defence, the victim said he grabbed his metal selfie stick and hit the clown several times. The sheriff 's office said the boy ran as the clown chased him a short distance. Then the clown tripped and fell and went back into the bushes. The boy notified a school crossing guard and some teachers about the encounter. No deputies saw the clown in the area. The victim said the clown was 5 feet, 9 inch- es tall, weighing about 230 pounds, with blue clown hair, a rainbow painted face, a red foam nose, a green long-sleeved shirt, black pants and black boots. Witnesses are asked to contact the Volusia County Sheriff 's Office. WOMAN ACCUSED OF SLAPPING BOYFRIEND WITH BACON GOLDSBORO, N.C. — A Goldsboro, N.C. man called police Oct. 15 to report that he had been slapped with a package of bacon, according to Eyewitness News. According to a police report, the man said he was arguing with his girlfriend at their apartment on West Lockhaven Drive when she struck him in the face with an uncooked pack- age of bacon. Goldsboro police said charges had not yet been filed. Officers did not mention if they con- fiscated the delicious evidence. Hopefully, the couple can meat in the mid- dle and work out their differences. LT "Relax! He's still a probationary employee." THE ULTIMATE SOURCE For Today's Legal Profession Canlawyer.lawtimes@tr.com | 416.609.3800 | 1.800.387.5164 Online bitly.com/CanLawyer-Subscription Free preview bitly.com/CanLawyer-FreePreview Subscribe today! ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDES: • 11 issues print and digital editions • FREE exclusive access to Canadian Lawyer digital edition archives • FREE weekly e-newsletter: Canadian Legal Newswire Untitled-8 1 2017-10-18 11:44 AM

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