Law Times

Page 16 January 15, 2018 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com NEW LEGAL CLINIC A new legal clinic has been estab- lished to serve the legal needs of low-income black Ontarians. The Black Legal Action Centre will be based in Toron- to and will look to fill the void left when Legal Aid Ontario stopped funding the African Canadian Legal Clinic. LAO announced it was with- drawing funding from ACLC this summer, alleging financial mismanagement. An advisory committee made up of prominent black leaders was later convened to establish a new clinic for the community. The new clinic will provide a number of services aiming to combat anti-black racism. LAO has set aside $850,000 for the clinic for 2018- 2019. "Legal Aid Ontario is proud to be supporting the formation of the Black Legal Action Centre," said LAO president David Field. "This work is directly in line with our mandate to ensure access to justice for members of disadvantaged communities. LAO looks for- ward to supporting BLAC in achieving this important goal." The clinic's scope of operations and mandate will be developed in the months ahead through a community consultation. The African Canadian Legal Clinic had served the Toronto black community for more than 20 years before LAO defunded the clinic. The decision to withdraw funding was taken by a clinic committee of LAO's board of directors and came after a 2013 audit. The audit found a number of alleged improper uses of clinic funds. ANTI-MONEY- LAUNDERING RULES The Law Society of Ontario has asked for feedback from lawyers and paralegals on pro- posed amendments to the the Model Rules of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. The amendments relate to "the 'no cash' model rule, client identification and verification requirements, and trust ac- counting provisions," according to the Law Society of Ontario's website. Comments must be shared by Feb. 15, and they can be submitted online or by regular mail. Submissions will go to the law society's Professional Regula- tion Committee. More information is avail- able at lsuc.on.ca/money-laun- dering-rule-consultation/. BRYANT JOINS CCLA Michael Bryant, the prov- ince of Ontario's former at- torney general from 2003 to 2007, has joined the Canadian Civil Liberties Association as executive director and gener- al counsel. Bryant said on social media that he was "grateful to be work- ing with an extraordinary team" at the organization. YES, I AGREE 50 % 50 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL The Court of Appeal for On- tario has determined that the limitation period for an exces- sive force claim against the po- lice started running at the end of the underlying criminal pro- ceeding. Readers were asked if they agreed with this move. About 50 per cent said yes, the decision is favourable for those who wish to pursue claims against the police. But another 50 per cent said no, the decision is problematic because it moves away from es- tablished case law. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story David Field says Legal Aid Ontario is proud to support the establishment of a new legal clinic. PROTECT LOBSTERS NOW! ZURICH — Switzerland has banned the com- mon culinary practice of throwing fresh lob- sters into boiling water as part of an overhaul of its animal protection rules, reports Reuters. "Live crustaceans, including the lobster, may no longer be transported on ice or in ice water. Aquatic species must always be kept in their natural environment. Crustaceans must now be stunned before killing them," say the rules adopted by the government, which will take effect in March. The regulations also aim to crack down on illegal puppy farms and outlaw automatic de- vices that punish dogs for barking. They also spell out conditions for putting down sick or injured animals and make orga- nizers responsible for animal welfare at public events. The Swiss are not alone in trying to protect lobsters from what activists call cruel treatment in the kitchen. Neighbouring Italy's highest court ruled in June that lobsters must not be kept on ice in restaurants because it causes them unjustifi- able suffering before they head for death by fine dining. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE! MOSCOW — A man rammed an armoured personnel carrier into a shop window before climbing through the rubble to steal a bottle of wine in a town in northern Russia, accord- ing to local media and video posted on social media. The man had stolen the vehicle from a pri- vately run motorsport training ground nearby, driven it through a forest and into Apatity, a small town just south of the Arctic circle, local news agency Hibinform said. Struggling to turn around in a narrow street, the man — whom witnesses described as being drunk — proceeded to slam the tank into the window of the "Family" convenience store, the news agency said. He also crushed a Daewoo car parked near- by, images showed. Footage shared on social media showed the man subsequently exiting the vehicle through its hatch, brief ly inspecting the damage and entering the shop through the broken win- dow. He was later arrested in possession of a sto- len bottle of wine, Hibinform said. The shop was not licensed to sell alcohol that early in the morning, the agency added. Witnesses visible in the footage did not seem particularly disturbed by the incident. "Basically some guy stole an armored vehicle . . . and went into a shop to top up his stocks in the morning," one social media user described while filming the snow-covered scene out of his window. The man, in his late twenties, did not resist arrest, RIA news agency reported. FAKE NEWS IN SPACE! TOKYO — Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai, on a mission to the International Space Station, apologized for saying he had grown nine centimetres while in space and expressing concern about whether he'd be safe on his re- turn to Earth, reports Reuters. Most astronauts "grow" during protracted space missions because their spines extend in the absence of gravity. However, the gains are usually limited to a couple of centimetres maximum. The gains disappear once they are back on the ground. The 41-year-old Kanai, who went to space last month for a nearly six-month mission, posted on Twitter that he had "a big announce- ment." But just over a day later — and in the wake of a f lurry of news stories — he apologized. He said that he'd measured himself after his captain raised questions about the apparent growth. He said that he had stretched only two cm from his Earth-bound height. "This mis-measurement appears to have become a big deal, so I must apologize for this terrible fake news," he tweeted. He did not explain how the original miscal- culation had occurred. "It appears I can fit on the Soyuz, so I'm re- lieved," he said. LT 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/CL-FreePreview Subscribe today! ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDES: • 10 issues print and digital editions • FREE exclusive access to Canadian Lawyer digital edition archives • FREE weekly e-newsletter: Canadian Legal Newswire CHANGEMAKERS HUMAN RIGHTS, ADVOCACY AND CRIMINAL IN-HOUSE COUNSEL GOVERNMENT/NON-PROFITS/ASSOCIATIONS CORPORATE-COMMERCIAL PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT # 40766500 SPECIAL SECTION: CANADIAN LAWYER 4STUDENTS P.49 $ 1 0 A u g u s t 2 0 1 7 making an impact meet the canadian lawyers and who are judges Untitled-1 1 2018-01-11 1:11 PM

• Cover