Three months into the 2018 Toronto City Council election, a newly elected provincial government passed the Better Local Government Act, 2018, SO 2018, c 11 [Act], slashing the number of municipal wards from 47 to 25. “For the remaining campaign period,” writes Justice Abella, dissenting in Toronto (City) v Ontario (Attorney General), 2021 SCC 34 […]
Political protest is undeniably an essential right in a free and democratic society, but constitutional protection of that right is not absolute; acts and threats of violence, which serve to stymie rather than foster political debate, are not protected under s. 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In its August 2017 decision, […]
In November of last year, I wrote an article for The Court on the recent decision in Uber Canada Inc. v City of Toronto, 2015 ONSC 3572 [“Uber”] by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (“ONSC”). In Uber, Justice Sean F. Dunphy ruled that Uber is neither a “taxicab broker” nor a “limousine service” within […]
A defining feature of this decade has been the advent of disruptive technological innovation. Airbnb is now challenging the traditional hotel industry, Rover is providing drivers with alternatives to astronomically high parking rates, and RelayRides is making it increasingly easier for city-dwellers to not own vehicles. These services are creating increased competition among established industries—residential […]
The decision of the Court of Appeal for Ontario (“ONCA”) in Ferri v Ontario (Attorney General), 2015 ONCA 683 [Ferri] is the latest in a string of municipal conflict of interest cases involving prominent municipal politicians. Mario Ferri was a well-known Regional and City Councillor for the City of Vaughan, Ontario. On his own volition, […]
In March 1999, Mr. John Gordon Pate was wrongfully dismissed by the Township of Galway-Cavendish and Harvey, after having worked for the Township as a building inspector for nearly a decade. After a subsequent police investigation, a four-day criminal trial, a civil action by Mr. Pate, a successful appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal […]
These days, the pen (or, perhaps, the keyboard) is truly mightier than the sword. Pens shape public perception, and that power endures beyond borders and beyond lifetimes in our digital age of information. But as the adage goes, with great power comes great responsibility. The international media frenzy surrounding the Rob Ford saga has intensified […]