Submissions 2023

The OBA wrote a letter to the Minister of Long-Term Care and the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility on July 14th, asking for immediate action to address the current crisis faced by people living in long-term care homes and particularly vulnerable older Ontarians. The letter outlines five specific recommendations for measures to be implemented immediately.

The OBA responded to the Attorney General’s letter seeking input on a potential amendment to the Courts of Justice Act regarding the availability of civil juries.

The OBA provided a submission to the Ministry of the Attorney General on the proposed amendments to the Class Proceedings Act under Schedule 4 of Bill 161 which includes several proposals relating to the early resolution of issues, the costs of notice of certification, and mandatory dismissal for delay.

The OBA submission raised three specific issues that it would like to see addressed with respect to the proposed Legal Aid Services Act in Bill 161: (1) Ensuring additional funding for court-ordered services currently covered directly by the Attorney General; (2) Clarifying a fair process regarding information disclosure for lawyers who represent LAO clients; and, (3) Clarifying proportional representation on the LAO Board.

The OBA provided recommendations to the Ontario Government on various issues arising from proposed regulatory changes including with respect to the expansion of NOC codes; the removal of settlement funds; employer job offers; sales threshold for employers; change in employment status after nomination and employment position.

As part of the provincial government’s pre-budget consultations, the OBA asked the government to commit to adequate and predictable funding for the legal aid system and ensure adequate funding of a comprehensive strategy that recognizes the prevalence of mental health issues for society’s most vulnerable who are served by lawyers in all areas of the legal aid system.

The OBA made a submission to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Service in support of five recommendations put forward by the Business Law Modernization and Burden Reduction Council to modernize business law in Ontario. These included proposed legislative amendments to the Personal Property Security Act and the Ontario Business Corporations Act as well as regulatory changes to the Arthur Wishart Act.

The Ontario Bar Association's Family Law Section has prepared an additional submission to the Ministry of the Attorney General regarding the recent passage of federal legislation, Bill C-78, and its intersection with family law in Ontario.

The Ministry of the Attorney General, in partnership with Legal Aid Ontario is currently engaged in the Legal Aid Ontario Modernization Project (“Project”). The mandate of the Project is to develop and implement reform proposals and legislative amendments that will contribute to moving the legal aid system towards sustainability and modernized service delivery to better meet the needs of low-income Ontarians through governance and service delivery improvements.

The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (the “Ministry”) has proposed delegating the administration for 19 forms under the Condominium Act, 1998 (the “Act”) to the Condominium Authority of Ontario (the “CAO”). These 19 forms (collectively, the “Forms”) are some of the most frequently used forms by condominium corporations and owners. It is proposed that 17 of the forms would be delegated to the CAO effective January 1, 2020 and 2 additional forms on July 1, 2020.