David Lepofsky, Disability Organizations Call on Federal Government to Improve Bill C-81
- February 26, 2019
- Laura Lepine
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On January 9th, 2019, the Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance (“AODA Alliance”), David Lepofsky, sat down with CTV “Your Morning” host Kelsey McEwen to discuss the federal government’s Bill C-81, the proposed Accessible Canada Act.
Since the bill’s inception, the federal government has stated it is meant to reflect the principle “nothing about us without us!” » Read the rest
Ministry of Education Gaining Power to Establish Service Animal Guidelines
- December 21, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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The Ontario Ministry of Education has recently introduced Bill 48, the “Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2018”, which mandates revocation of a teacher’s teaching certificate if he or she is guilty of professional misconduct involving sexual abuse of a child.
One provision of Bill 48, however, seems unrelated: Schedule 2 of the Bill would amend subsection 8(1) of the Education Act, giving the Minister of Education the power to establish policies and guidelines respecting service animals in schools. » Read the rest
CHRT to Hear Complaint of Women with Service Dogs Forced off Flight
- December 21, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (“CHRT”) will hear the complaint of two visually-impaired Toronto women who were removed from a flight at Pearson Airport because of their service dogs.
Amal Haddad, Nayla Farah, and Farah’s daughter allege that, though they had all the necessary papers and had travelled with service dogs many times before, the flight crew on their Jet Airways flight had them removed for refusing to muzzle their service dogs. » Read the rest
Students and Alumni Rally Against University of Toronto Law Tuition
- December 11, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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Current and former University of Toronto law students are frustrated about rising tuition costs, which are driving students into greater debt and reducing socioeconomic diversity in the profession.
David Baker, who has advocated on behalf of alumni against rising, prohibitive tuition costs, was recently featured in an article by Anita Balakrishnan in the Law Times, entitled “Alumni, students decry U of T’s law school fees”, which can be read here (link). » Read the rest
Devaluing Ontarians with Intellectual Disabilities
- November 28, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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The Ontario government has announced a change to the Employment Standards Act that will have a significant, negative impact on Ontarians with intellectual disabilities: a delay to the end of sheltered workshops.
“Sheltered workshops” are places where people with disabilities are employed for incredibly low wages (under $2.00 per hour). » Read the rest
LSO Calls for Comment on New Access to Justice Initiative
- November 28, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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The Law Society of Ontario (“LSO”) is soliciting comments on a draft regulatory framework that would allow lawyers and paralegals to provide legal services to the clients of registered civil society organization – at no cost to the clients of those organizations. » Read the rest
Another Blow to Access to Justice in Canada
- October 25, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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The Conversation has recently published an article by Doug Ferguson and Jason H. Voss entitled “How a proposed law could cut off legal aid for low-income people”.
The article discusses Bill C-75, a federal bill currently before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. » Read the rest
The Ontario Human Rights Commission is hosting a FREE training on its new policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities
- October 12, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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The policy addresses continued barriers to education that students face at all levels of the education system, including:
- inaccessible build environments
- inadequate resources and supports in the classroom
- long waiting lists for professional assessments
- inappropriate requests by educational institutions for medical information
- denial of disability-related accommodations
- persistent negative attitudes and stereotypes towards people with disabilities
- ineffective dispute resolution processes
Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, students with disabilities have the right to meaningful access to education comparable with their peers, and with accommodations commensurate with their needs. » Read the rest
Update: Charities can sponsor Test Case litigation
- August 21, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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Bakerlaw recently posted about the Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s decision in Canada Without Poverty v AG Canada, 2018 ONSC 4147, in which the Court struck down a prohibition in the Income Tax Act preventing registered charities from devoting more than 10% of their resources to “political activities”. » Read the rest
Charities can sponsor Test Case litigation
- July 31, 2018
- Laura Lepine
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On July 16th, 2018, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice struck down a prohibition in the Income Tax Act preventing registered charities from devoting more than 10% of their resources to “political activities”. This welcome decision paves the way for registered charities to sponsor advocacy that may previously have been limited as “political”, including “test case” litigation. » Read the rest