International Law

Parental Access Visits by Skype?

Posted on November 16, 2009
Access visitation with far-away children via Skpe - is it good enough, or not? National Post reports on conflicting decisions in child mobility applications by Canada's family courts on yet another, new issue of the digital age:Daily contact by video conference over the Internet is not sufficient access between a father and his children, a judge in British Columbia has ruled in turning down a mother's request to move to Australia...

The Future of Wallace Damages in Ontario Employment Law

Posted on November 16, 2009
Law Times has a good analysis today on the future of Wallace damages in Ontario wrongful dismissal proceedings. These damages have typically been granted where an employer has acted in bad faith in the termination of employment.With the Ontario Court of Appeal's June 25, 2009 ruling in Slepenkova v...

The Trial of KSM

Posted on November 13, 2009
With the Obama administration's decision today to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other "enemy combatants" in public trials to be held at New York City, the torture debate is about to find its way into open court in America.If I was Dick Cheney, I'd be very, very worried...

Digital Alibi

Posted on November 12, 2009
Introducing the Facebook defence:Bradford and witnesses insisted he was innocent. They said he was at his father's Harlem apartment when the crime occurred...Prosecutors dropped the charges after Facebook verified the words had been typed from a computer at his father's building...

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"'How Can You Represent a Mass Murderer?"

Posted on November 12, 2009
Colonel John Gallagher (Ret.), a civilian lawyer who represents Malik Nidal Hasan, the accused shooter in last week's brazen attack at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas, explains due process to CNN's Wolf Blitzer:- Garry J. Wise, Toronto Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www...

Quotable

Posted on November 11, 2009
Vanity Fair's James Wolcott:"Don't let the soaring market fool you," cautioned [Neil] Cavuto at the start of his 6 pm show.....To address this crisis of rising portfolio value, Cavuto introduced his first guest, that financial oracle, that investment wizard, that translucent orb that burns by night: John Bolton, Sheriff of Nottingham...

Video: The Great American Health Care "Debate"

Posted on November 07, 2009
A taste of the "debate," now before the House:(Via Digby)- Garry J. Wise, Toronto Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net EMPLOYMENT LAW ? CIVIL LITIGATION ? WILLS AND ESTATES ? FAMILY LAW & DIVORCEORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG ? SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG

Celebrity Burglaries

Posted on November 07, 2009
Soon, they will be lining up to secure the movie rights to this tawdry story.And this one, too.- Garry J. Wise, Toronto Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net EMPLOYMENT LAW ? CIVIL LITIGATION ? WILLS AND ESTATES ? FAMILY LAW & DIVORCEORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG ? SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG

The HST Tax on Access to Justice

Posted on November 07, 2009
Legal services currently are exempt from Ontario's 8% provincial sales tax. With the Province now poised to impose a whopping 13% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) that is targeted to apply to legal fees, Slaw's Edward Prutschi considers the negative implications of this tax on access to justice in the Ontario, and eloquently asks why organizations representing the legal profession remain largely silent: Starting in July 2010 when Ontario?s GST and PST are replaced by the new Harmonized Sales Tax, virtually everything, including legal bills, will be subject to the new 13% HST...

McGuinty?s Early Christmas Gift to Auto Insurance Companies

Posted on November 06, 2009
After Finance Minister Dwight Duncan stood up in the Ontario Legislature last Monday and publicly wrung his hands at the mountain of motor vehicle accident claims in the province, he did what any clear thinking and sincere politician in his shoes would do to deal with rising auto insurance premiums ? give more money to the insurance companies...

Legally Tweeting - November 4, 2009 Edition

Posted on November 05, 2009
We've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus over the last week or so (while other duties called), but managed to keep up, nonetheless, with our legal tweets in the interim.Here, then, are highlights of our recently tweeted legal headlines:Tribunal awards $35000 to fired pregnant woman - Canada NewsWire http://bit...

Nothing Is Certain (Except Death and Facebook)

Posted on October 28, 2009
Facebook announces a new approach for handling deceased users' pages:"When someone leaves us, they don't leave our memories or our social network," Facebook director of security Max Kelly said in a blog post Monday."To reflect that reality, we created the idea of 'memorialized' profiles as a place where people can save and share their memories of those who've passed...

The End of the MP3?

Posted on October 28, 2009
I doubt it.- Garry J. Wise, Toronto Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net EMPLOYMENT LAW ? CIVIL LITIGATION ? WILLS AND ESTATES ? FAMILY LAW & DIVORCEORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG ? SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG

Baby You Can Drive My Car...

Posted on October 28, 2009
... But please don't ever try to park it, again:But if you think that was bad, try this: Car lands on couple asleep in bed- Garry J. Wise, Toronto Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net EMPLOYMENT LAW ? CIVIL LITIGATION ? WILLS AND ESTATES ? FAMILY LAW & DIVORCEORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG ? SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG

Balsillie Denied

Posted on October 01, 2009
Sun Media's Steve Simmons reports on an Arizona bankruptcy court's ruling Wednesday, effectively denying Jim Balsillie's bid for the Phoenix Coyotes:Billionaire Jim Balsillie is now 0-for-3 in his attempts to be a National Hockey League owner and Hamilton is oh-for-two decades in its attempts to house an NHL franchise...

Polanski

Posted on October 01, 2009
Defence attorney Jeralyn Merritt of Talk Left takes an in-depth look at the Roman Polanski case today and concludes that a defence strategy focussing on allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct may ultimately succeed in keeping the filmmaker out of U...

Right-Wing Crazy Alert

Posted on September 30, 2009
A military coup in America to deal with "the Obama problem?"There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America?s military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the ?Obama problem.? Don?t dismiss it as unrealistic.America isn?t the Third World...

Brits in Custody Battle Over Lucy the Sheep

Posted on September 30, 2009
We've previously seen a pet pig land its caregivers in court (see: Pig-Sitter Faces Charges for Fattening the Hog),Now, all British eyes are turned to the sad saga of Lucy the Pet Sheep...A family are in a court custody battle over a pet sheep...A judge at the county court in Mold, North Wales, will decide next week on the sheep?s rightful owner...

Starbucks Instant Coffee???

Posted on September 30, 2009
Apparently, it's coming soon:More here from CBC News.- Garry J. Wise, Toronto Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net EMPLOYMENT LAW ? CIVIL LITIGATION ? WILLS AND ESTATES ? FAMILY LAW & DIVORCEORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG ? SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG

"Going Rogue" - A Tribute

Posted on September 30, 2009
In honour of the naming of Sarah Palin's upcoming memoir, "Going Rogue - An American Life" we will rerun a classic blast from the past:Meanwhile, even the hawkish tabloid, the New York Post, acknowledges that Ms. Palin's ambitious plans for the lecture circuit are hitting some speed bumps: Palin's bookers are said to be asking for $100,000 per speech, but an industry expert tells Page Six: "The big lecture buyers in the US are paralyzed with fear about booking her, basically because they think she is a blithering idiot...

Employment Insurance Recipients on the Decline?

Posted on September 30, 2009
CTV News reported Monday that the number of Canadian Employment Insurance recipients has dropped for the first time in a year.The rate of unemployment has been on the decline since July, according to Statistics Canada, which reported that the number of workers on EI benefits decreased by 3...

Ontario Suing Tobacco Companies

Posted on September 30, 2009
The Province of Ontario has filed a $50 billion dollar suit against tobacco companies, reports the Toronto Star.The suit was filed to recover the costs associated with treating smoke-related illnesses going back as far as 1955. If Ontario successfully proves its allegations, tobacco companies will have to pay damages based on their sale of cigarettes in the marketplace...

Recently Tweeted - September 28, 2009 Edition

Posted on September 28, 2009
It's Monday again, and off we must go with this week's Recently Tweeted recap.As always, we invite you to follow Wise Law on Twitter, where we have up-to-the-minute postings of the many stories time doesn't permit us to address here at the Blog.Suspected terrorist in court to seek stay of proceedings http://bit...

Canadian Mandatory Retirement Dealt 'Fatal Blow' by Ruling

Posted on September 28, 2009
If mandatory retirement is not dead, it was certainly dealt a fatal blow by a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling in two cases decided August 28, 2009.George Vilven and Robert Kelly are two Air Canada pilots who were forced to retire at age 60. Both Vilven and Kelly felt that being forced to retire when they were clearly able to perform their jobs was obvious discrimination...

Quote of the Day: Legal Aid a "Triumph of Equality"

Posted on September 28, 2009
Frank Addario, President of the Ontario Criminal Lawyers Association. on the continuing boycott of serious criminal cases by the Province's legal aid lawyers:Elected politicians have to declare themselves on access to justice for the poor. Governments that genuinely support equality must provide stable, long-term funding for legal aid programs...

CLE Programme Note: Security for Lawyers In a Wired World

Posted on September 28, 2009
A short note that I'll be participating in an upcoming Law Society of Upper Canada teleseminar, Security for Lawyers in a Wired World, on October 14.This CLE programme will tackle emerging confidentiality and security issues for the profession, with focus on "the steps you need to take to protect yourself and your clients in this new technology-driven world...

Video: Glen Beck Dodges on "White Culture"

Posted on September 27, 2009
See Glen dodge, weave, shake and squirm, when asked to define the white culture President Obama is alleged to hate:- Garry J. Wise, TorontoVisit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net EMPLOYMENT LAW ? CIVIL LITIGATION ? WILLS AND ESTATES ? FAMILY LAW & DIVORCEORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG ? SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG

Washington Post's New Social Media Guidelines for Journalists

Posted on September 27, 2009
The Washington Post clamps down on perceived journalistic "bias" in social media postings:The new guidelines address the ?perception problem? noted by Narisetti. A key section reads:?When using these networks, nothing we do must call into question the impartiality of our news judgment...

Spam Art and Solicitor-Client Confidentiality

Posted on September 27, 2009
I must confess to at least a grudging admiration for the unyielding, malicious creativity demonstrated by spammers and black-hatters in their efforts to tempt - or frighten - unwitting recipients into opening virus-laden emails.Perhaps it will come to be seen as an underground art form, some day...

Toskala?

Posted on September 27, 2009
His goaltending in tonight's pre-season loss removes all doubt about the Monster's ultimate future in Toronto - Sabres 7, Leafs 6.Also see: Why Toskala Shoukd Stay- Garry J. Wise, Toronto Visit our Toronto Law Firm website: www.wiselaw.net EMPLOYMENT LAW ? CIVIL LITIGATION ? WILLS AND ESTATES ? FAMILY LAW & DIVORCEORIGINALLY POSTED AT WISE LAW BLOG ? SUBSCRIBE TO WISE LAW BLOG

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