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City of Toronto's Tribunals Nominating Panel - closes February 10, 2023

Request for recruitment of members of the public to apply for a range of the City of Toronto Tribunals Nominating Panel - a unique opportunity to play a critical part in selecting members of the public to serve on the City of Toronto's quasi-judicial adjudicative boards.

Established at the start of the last Council term, the Tribunals Nominating Panel is a roster of public members appointed by City Council who convene in panels to review applications, conduct interviews, and recommend the appointment of public members to such decision bodies as the Committee of Adjustment, the Toronto Licensing Tribunal, the Sign Variance Committee, and the Toronto Local Appeal Body.

Members of the Tribunals Nominating Panel should have experience in such areas as adjudication, mediation, law, land use planning, and the public sector as well as senior level knowledge and experience in quasi-judicial tribunals and an understanding of the community context within which the tribunals operate. Panel members receive $250 per half-day meeting and $500 per full day meeting to a maximum of $5,000 per calendar year pro-rated on an annual basis from the time of appointment. Members must be residents of the City of Toronto.

If you are ⁴interested in playing a part in this important decision-making process, please apply online at https://secure.toronto.ca/pa/decisionBody/622.do. Applications are due February 10, 2023. Feel free to share this message with anyone who you think may be interested.

If you have any questions about this opportunity or the application process, please feel free to contact Matthew Cowley.

Matthew Cowley
Acting Manager, Public Appointments Secretariat
City Clerk's Office
City of Toronto
416-392-4389, TTY: 416-338-0889
matthew.cowley@toronto.ca

www.toronto.ca/ShapeYourCity

https://ca.linkedin.com/showcase/city-of-toronto-public-appointments

Items of Interest - 12/28/2022

Past President Mary E. Duncan notice of death

Past President of WLAO, 1993-94, MARY E. DUNCAN died peacefully, on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at the Wenleigh Long Term Care in Mississauga. Loving wife of Earl Sheppard. Mary retired from Clerical Life Insurance Company serving as their Legal Council. Private funeral services.

Items of Interest - 11/20/2022

Career Opportunity: Counsel, Claims Litigation

Counsel, Claims Litigation

Category : Strategy and Legal
Brand : Definity
Regular/Temporary : Regular
Fulltime/Parttime : Full Time
Role Location: Hybrid

Economical is part of Definity, which includes some of Canada’s most long-standing and innovative insurance brands, including Economical Insurance, Sonnet Insurance, Family Insurance Solutions, and Petline Insurance. With strong roots that date back to 1871, Definity has grown to become a digital leader in the insurance industry. We’re proud to help our clients and communities adapt and thrive in a world of constant change.

Our promise to you: It’s better here. Why? Because we CARE, and we provide an employee experience that’s collaborative, ambitious, rewarding, and empowering.

Our ambition is to be one of Canada’s leading and most innovative P&C insurers. Come be a part of our journey, and love what you do.

https://careers.definityfinancial.com/jobs/9080309-counsel-claims-litigation

Items of Interest - 03/25/2022

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Do you know a high-calibre Canadian who could serve in the Senate of Canada?

The Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments (Advisory Board) has requested WLAO's assistance in identifying high-calibre Canadians who could serve in the Senate of Canada.

What is the Senate’s role?

The Senate is the Upper House in Canada’s parliamentary democracy. It unites a diverse group of accomplished Canadians in service to their country. Created to counterbalance representation by population in the House of Commons, the Senate has evolved from defending regional interests to also playing an essential role in representing historically excluded groups, official language minority communities and identities that may be underrepresented in the Lower House.

What does a senator’s work involve?

Parliament’s Senators shape Canada’s future. They participate in debates in the Senate Chamber, review legislation or propose their own bills, manage their office and stay in touch with the issues affecting the province or territory they represent. As members of Senate committees, they play an investigative role and undertake studies on challenges facing the country. These are important positions that provide a platform to speak out about the issues affecting everyone in Canada.

New application review cycle

The Advisory Board is launching a call for new applicants to fill current and upcoming Senate vacancies through 2022 for the following provinces: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Applications will also be accepted from residents of other provinces and territories, which will be retained for future consideration once the Government of Canada establishes Advisory Boards for those jurisdictions.

The Advisory Board encourages Canadians to apply by April 20, 2022 to ensure the Advisory Board considers their documentation for this cycle. Please note that applications are accepted at any time and are retained for two years.

Nominate, support and inform a potential candidate

Share this information with your networks and with any high-quality individuals you consider to be potential candidates for appointment to the Senate and who you feel meet the assessment criteria. You may also wish to nominate or support them by writing a reference letter. Note that reference letters must be submitted by the candidate. Finally, you can share information about the Senate appointments process with potential applicants quickly and easily by email or through social media by using the “Share this page” button at the bottom of each page of the Advisory Board website.

Posted upon request from:

Huguette Labelle

Chair, Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments

Items of Interest - 03/25/2022

Snowden Law PC Job Posting

Are you interested in reviewing, opining on and sometimes litigating or arbitrating the scope of commercial contracts? Do you enjoy drilling down on the background details to assist clients in managing their risks? Are you looking for flexible part-time or full-time work hours, whether located in-office, home office or hybrid, and with a chance to contribute to a leading looseleaf publication?

If you have these interests, a demonstrated skill for commercial contract interpretation and related advocacy (insurance law background an asset but not required – see below for who we are, what we do and when we write), maybe we should chat. If you’re interested, we invite you to contact Marcus Snowden at careers@snowdenlaw.ca, including your cover letter, current c.v., at least one privilege-redacted writing sample and anything else you believe would assist in our evaluation. Marcus will review your submission confidentially and contact the candidates most qualified to schedule an interview.

Who are we? Snowden Law Professional Corporation is a boutique firm focusing on providing coverage counsel to the insurance and risk management community. What do we do? Our work includes opining to and assisting clients with disputes over insurance coverage, and when needed, representing those same clients in the dispute resolution process, whether at court or privately. When do we write? Annually, we update a leading insurance law looseleaf service published by Thomson Reuters.

www.snowdenlaw.ca

Items of Interest - 03/24/2022

Pension and Retirement Assets Upon Relationship Breakdown - April 5, 2022

Pension and Retirement Assets Upon Relationship Breakdown (April 5, 2022, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm ET)

WLAO members can use code WLAO-10 to save 10%.

Program Chairs:

Georgina L. Carson, MacDonald & Partners LLP

Anne Slivinskas, Senior Counsel, Legal and Enforcement, Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario

Designed for those who practice in family law or work in pensions, this must-attend program will provide them with the key knowledge and practical strategies needed to tackle the most challenging issues in pension and retirement assets that arise upon separation.

Pension and Retirement Assets Upon Relationship Breakdown

Items of Interest / Uncategorised - 03/22/2022

The Roger Fisher Negotiation Training Scholarship

The Roger Fisher Negotiation Training Scholarship was created as part of the lasting legacy of The Roger Fisher Tribute held in Toronto in 2007. One Scholarship, donated by the Stitt Feld Handy Group, is awarded annually to a qualified Ontario recipient who otherwise would not be able to receive negotiation training.

The Tribute honoured the late Roger Fisher. He was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award to acknowledge his tremendous and far-reaching contributions in the field of dispute resolution. Twenty-six organizations from around the world, under the leadership of the ADR Institute of Canada, The Advocates’ Society, the Ontario Bar Association and The Law Society of Upper Canada, now The Law Society of Ontario (“Lead Organizations”), joined together to pay tribute to Roger Fisher.

Allan J. Stitt, President of the Stitt Feld Handy Group, describes Professor Fisher and the Become a Powerful Negotiator Workshop as follows:

“Roger Fisher was an inspiring man. Not only did he make major contributions over many years to the resolution of some of the most intractable disputes in the world, his teachings and the teachings of those who worked with him have changed the approach to negotiation, and to mediation, of people around the world.

Our Become a Powerful Negotiator Workshop is based on Roger's theories. Course participants are encouraged to read Getting To Yes, the famous book on negotiation outlining the approach to negotiation developed by Roger Fisher and William Ury, before the course starts. The course is Canadianized but is true to Roger’s ideas and concepts about effective negotiating. It includes three days of in-person training and one day of online learning. It's skills-building, practical and hands-on.”

The Scholarship entitles the recipient a place in the Become a Powerful Negotiator Workshop held in Toronto, valued at $1,995.00 + tax. Scholarship recipients are responsible for their own travel, accommodation and other expenses. The course must be taken within 12 months of the award of the Scholarship. For further information about the Workshop and the Stitt Feld Handy Group see:

https://sfhgroup.com/online-course/become-a-powerful-negotiator-workshop/

Eligibility

The Scholarship is available to a resident of Ontario who:

would not otherwise be able to obtain negotiation training;
has demonstrated an interest in negotiation skills and dispute resolution;
would benefit the community at-large, and/or public interest, community, or pro bono organization(s) or company(ies) with which the person is involved, by the person strengthening his or her negotiation and dispute resolution skills, thereby leveraging the value of the training beyond the Scholarship recipient, and
would benefit personally from negotiation training.

Selection of Scholarship Recipient

The Roger Fisher Negotiation Training Scholarship is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We encourage applicants from equity seeking groups including women, Indigenous peoples, francophones, persons with disabilities, racialized peoples and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, irrespective of their age, in Ontario.

The Roger Fisher Negotiation Training Scholarship Committee (“Scholarship Committee”) solicits applications for the Scholarship each year, and selects the recipient, applying the four Eligibility criteria outlined above, in its sole discretion. The Scholarship is administered by the Lead Organizations. The Committee is comprised of representatives of the Lead Organizations, the Ontario Community Mediation Coalition, and other leaders in the ADR field.

Applications

In completing the attached Application Form, applicants should include an outline of their background and experience in Section A and explain the ways in which they satisfy each of the four Eligibility criteria, outlined above, in Section B. Previous applicants, who were not selected, are encouraged to reapply, with updated materials.

Applicants should include one or more supporting letters, if possible, from (a) the organization(s) or company(ies) with which the applicant is involved (as referred to in the third Eligibility criteria) and (b) others who are in a position to support the applicant’s statement about how he or she satisfies each of the four Eligibility criteria. The letters supporting the Application should be listed in Section C of the Application Form.

Applications (together with all supporting letters) must be received by 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on May 31, 2022. They can be e-mailed, faxed, delivered or mailed.

E-mail: sdhanju-dhillon@torkinmanes.com
Please include in the Subject line:
“Application for The Roger Fisher Negotiation Training Scholarship”
(Remember to attach the Application Form and supporting letters, if any.)

Fax: 1-877-689-3896 (Be sure to include a fax cover page.)

Mailing/Delivery Address:
The Roger Fisher Negotiation Training Scholarship
c/o Sumeet (Sonu) Dhanju-Dhillon
Torkin Manes LLP
151 Yonge Street, Suite 1500
Toronto, ON
M5C 2W7

Candidates may be invited, in the discretion of the Committee, for a telephone or an in-person interview.

The person selected to receive the Scholarship will be notified and all applicants will be informed of the outcome.Website Host: The Scholarship Committee expresses its appreciation to Torkin Manes LLP for hosting this Scholarship website. The firm has no other role in relation to the Scholarship.

Download the application form here.

Items of Interest - 02/25/2022

University of Guelph-Humber Talks: Justice and Public Safety webinar on February 27, 2022 at 1PM

The Justice and Public Safety Degree program at the University of Guelph-Humber provides an opportunity for working professionals to earn a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree from the University of Guelph part-time —while continuing to work. The degree is offered 100% online with no in person instruction. Significant credit is given for previous post-secondary education, work experience and professional training which allows you to complete the entire degree in 2 to 2.5 years of part-time study.

We will be hosting GH Talks: Justice and Public Safety webinar that will highlight more information about our program, courses, scholarships, application, and admissions process on February 27, 2022 at 1:00 pm EST. You can register for this event and for more information on our website.

Here are some others ways you can connect with us and learn more:

View our Justice and Public Safety program brochure which has more information about the program.
Check out this article to hear from our alumnus Bryan Larkin, Chief of Police, Waterloo Regional Police Service
Take a look at this video featuring Dr. Glenn Hanna, Assistant Program Head, Justice Studies, and Kimberly Greenwood, Chief of Police, Barrie Police Service

Items of Interest - 02/25/2022

7 OCJ Judicial Vacancies - Deadline to apply March 16, 2022

Seven Judicial Vacancies – Brampton, Newmarket

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 judicial positions in the following locations:

BRAMPTON (4) – criminal
NEWMARKET (3) – criminal

These appointments also involve travel within the regional boundaries and elsewhere in the province of Ontario, 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 by submitting an electronic copy of the current (September 2020) completed Judicial Candidate Information Form. Acknowledgement and other communication will be sent by email. Please ensure that a suitable email address is provided on your application.

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
JAAC@ontario.ca

NEW ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS: All applications must be sent by email, as a PDF attachment, to JAAC.Application@ontario.ca. Please refer to the submission instructions. In the email subject line, please indicate the LOCATION of the judicial vacancy. If applying for more than one vacancy location, please indicate ALL vacancy locations in the subject line.

Applications must be on the current prescribed form and RECEIVED BY 11:59 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022. Applications received after this date WILL NOT be considered.

The Judiciary of the Ontario Court of Justice should reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Applications from members of equality-seeking groups are encouraged.

Items of Interest - 02/16/2022

Court of Appeal for Ontario to Begin Hearing Appeals in Person - November 8

Court of Appeal for Ontario to Begin Hearing Appeals in Person

Beginning November 8, 2021, the Court of Appeal for Ontario will begin hearing appeals in person.

The Court will begin hearing criminal appeals and panel motions in person on November 8 and will begin hearing civil appeals and panel motions in person on November 15.

Inmate appeals, single-judge motions, purge court, and status court will continue to be heard remotely until further notice.

Parties will have the option of attending in-person appeals and panel motions remotely using a Zoom link, which will be provided to them.

In-person attendance will be limited to counsel and self-represented litigants. Observers, including clients and the public, will be able to observe remotely by Zoom.

For health and safety reasons, the Court had been hearing appeals remotely by Zoom throughout most of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on public health advice the Court will resume hearing appeals in-person with appropriate health and safety measures in place. The Court continues to receive regular public health advice and will, if advisable, return to hearing appeals remotely.

For more information, please review the Court’s Protocol for In-Person Hearings During the COVID-10 Pandemic at this link and the Court’s Consolidated Practice Direction Regarding Proceedings During the COVID-19 Pandemic at this link.

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Items of Interest - 10/27/2021