Law Times

Law Times • march 12, 2018 Page 3 www.lawtimesnews.com LTB failed to control process Paralegal looks to stop unlicensed agents at LTB BY ALEX ROBINSON Law Times A Cornwall, Ont. parale- gal has brought a court application to try to stop property manag- ers who are not licensed to prac- tise law from providing legal services at the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board. Paralegal James Moak brought a notice of application in the Ontario Superior Court after years of trying to get the tri- bunal to deal with the problem. Moak and others who prac- tise in the area say they have seen many third-party manag- ers draft documents and appear before the board. This is highly problematic, he says, as it means members of the public would have no recourse if these repre- sentatives were negligent in their case. "The problem is that you can- not practise law unless you have a licence, whether as a paralegal or as a lawyer, and that's not be- ing addressed," Moak says. In his application, Moak asked for the court to make de- terminations and declarations about third-party managers, as he says the LTB has failed to con- trol its own process. Moak has written to both the Law Society of Ontario and the tribunal to try to push either to look into the issue, but he says he has not seen any resulting ac- tion. In a 2014 decision in The Law Society of Upper Canada v. Chiarelli, the Court of Appeal upheld an injunction barring a property manager from ap- pearing before the LTB on be- half of clients because he was not a landlord, lawyer or paralegal. Despite this decision, para- legals and lawyers say the prob- lem is still pervasive across the province. And since Chiarelli, Moak has been pushing for action on the issue. "Something has to hap- pen here because non-licensed people are thumbing their nose at the rules about who may pro- vide legal services and it has to stop," he says. Under the Law Society Act, only lawyers and paralegals who have been licensed by the LSO are allowed to provide legal ser- vices to the public, except for some who fall under specific exemptions. Moak says that if the law so- ciety is supposed to protect the public, there are thousands of tenants and landlords who are not being protected, and that the law society needs to deal with the issue. LSO spokeswoman Sue Ton- kin would not confirm whether the law society is investigating the issue, as complaints and in- vestigations are kept confiden- tial until they result in a regula- tory proceeding. "When the Law Society be- comes aware of an individual who may be practising illegally, we may send the person a 'cease and desist' letter, which is often successful. "If this doesn't work, we con- duct a thorough investigation, which could potentially lead to a court injunction, fine or other more serious consequences," she says. Ottawa lawyer Michael Thiele, who practises in the LTB, says that having to deal with unquali- fied representatives makes cases at the board longer for lawyers. It also means that cases that should settle are drawn out, he says. Thiele says the LTB has done little to stop real estate agents and property managers from representing third parties for money. This undercuts para- legals, he says. "If you sit at the Landlord and Tenant Board on any given day, you can find people who are sneaking through the system, often with a nudge-nudge, wink- wink," Thiele says. He says the board will only make the enquiry into an in- dividual's qualifications when the opposing party objects and brings a motion to disqualify them. But other than in those instances, they allow anyone to represent parties, he says. Thiele adds that the effect of having non-licensed individuals appearing at the board — often on behalf of landlords against tenants — is that the Residential Tenancies Act is being used in ways in which it is not intended to be used. Donna Mrvaljevic, a spokes- woman for the LTB, says the board asks representatives to in- clude their law society number if they are filing an application on behalf of someone but that the absence of that number does not necessarily mean they do not have standing before the board. She pointed to an exemption for in-house legal services pro- viders, which, she says, property managers often claim when ap- pearing before the LTB. Mrvaljevic adds that the def- inition of a landlord in the Resi- dential Tenancies Act is also very broad and includes the owner of a rental unit or anyone who per- mits occupancy of a rental unit. "Thus, unlicensed individu- als who satisfy this definition or employees of corporations that satisfy this definition may be permitted to appear at the LTB," she says. The LTB receives 80,000 ap- plications each year. Given this high volume of cases, Mrvalj- evic says, it is not practical for the board to conduct an inquiry into every unlicensed represent- ative's claimed exemption. "However, although not tracked, there have been in- stances when unlicensed rep- resentatives have been refused permission to appear before the LTB," she says. LT NEWS Michael Thiele says having unlicensed indi- viduals appear at the Landlord and Tenant Board makes cases longer. JUDICIAL VACANCY ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE LONDON The Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee advises the Attorney General of Ontario on the appointment of Judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, and invites applications for a judicial position in London. This appointment involves presiding over criminal law matters and also involves travel within the regional boundaries as assigned by the Regional Senior Justice and/or the Chief Justice. The minimum requirement to apply to be a Judge in the Ontario Court of Justice is ten years completed membership as a barrister and solicitor at the Bar of one of the Provinces or Territories of Canada. All candidates must apply either by submitting 14 copies of the current (July 2017) completed Judicial Candidate Information Form in the first instance or by a short letter (14 copies) if the form has been submitted within the previous 12 months. Should you wish to change any information in your application, you must send in 14 copies of a fully revised Judicial Candidate Information Form. If you wish to apply and need a current Judicial Candidate Information Form, or if you would like further information, please contact: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee Tel: (416) 326-4060 Fax: (416) 212-7316 Website: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jaac/ All applications, either sent by courier, mail or hand delivery, must be sent to: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee c/o Ministry of Government Services Mail Delivery 77 Wellesley Street West, Room M2B-88 Macdonald Block, Queen's Park Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1N3 Applications must be on the current prescribed form and must be TYPEWRITTEN or COMPUTER GENERATED and RECEIVED BY 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 14 COPIES OF THEIR APPLICATION FORM OR LETTER. A Fax copy will be accepted only if 14 copies of the application or letter are sent concurrently by overnight courier. Applications received after this date WILL NOT be considered. The Judiciary of the Ontario Court of Justice should reasonably reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Applications from members of equality- seeking groups are encouraged. POSTE À POURVOIR AU SEIN DE LA MAGISTRATURE COUR DE JUSTICE DE L'ONTARIO LONDON Le Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature conseille le Procureur général de l'Ontario sur les nominations de juges à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario et invite les personnes intéressées à présenter leur demande au poste de juge à London. Cette nomination consiste à présider des causes criminelles et nécessite également des déplacements à l'intérieur des limites régionales, selon les assignations du juge principal régional ou du juge en chef. Pour pouvoir poser sa candidature à un poste de juge à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario, il faut, comme condition minimale, avoir été inscrit comme avocat-plaidant et procureur au barreau de l'une des provinces ou de l'un des territoires du Canada pendant au moins dix ans. Tous les candidats et candidates doivent poser leur candidature soit, dans le premier cas, en présentant le Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant (juillet 2017), soit en envoyant une courte lettre (en 14 exemplaires) si le formulaire a été présenté au cours des 12 mois précédents. En cas de changements à apporter à un formulaire déjà envoyé, le candidat ou la candidate doit envoyer à nouveau 14 exemplaires du formulaire de renseignements corrigé. Si vous voulez poser votre candidature et que vous avez besoin d'un Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant, ou encore si vous souhaitez obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature Téléphone : (416) 326-4060 Télécopieur : (416) 212-7316 Site Web : www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/fr/jaac/ Toutes les demandes envoyées par service de messagerie, par la poste ou en main propre doivent être soumises à l'adresse suivante : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature a/s Ministère des Services gouvernementaux - Services de distribution du courrier 77, rue Wellesley Ouest, salle M2B-88 Édifice Macdonald, Queen's Park Toronto (Ontario) M7A 1N3 Les demandes de candidature doivent être déposées par l'entremise du formulaire prescrit courant et DACTYLOGRAPHIÉES ou CRÉÉES PAR ORDINATEUR et reçues au plus tard à 16 h 30 le mardi 3 avril 2018. LES CANDIDATS ET CANDIDATES DOIVENT FOURNIR 14 EXEMPLAIRES DE LEUR FORMULAIRE OU DE LEUR LETTRE DE CANDIDATURE. Une télécopie ne sera acceptée que si 14 exemplaires du formulaire ou de la lettre de candidature sont également envoyés par service de messagerie de 24 heures. On n'accordera AUCUNE considération aux candidatures reçues après cette date. La magistrature provinciale doit refléter raisonnablement la diversité de la population qu'elle sert. Nous encourageons les membres de groupes de promotion de l'égalité à présenter une demande. Untitled-3 1 2018-03-06 1:21 PM

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