December2017

Ontario has established a new Business Law Advisory Council that will make recommendations to reform laws that are responsive to changing business priorities and supportive of a prosperous economy. Appointed to the Council are OBA members Carol Hansell (Chair), E. Patrick Shea (Vice-Chair), Jennifer Babe, Andy Chan, Doug Downey, John Ground QC, Sheila Murray, Arlene O’Neill, Rob Scavone and Peter Viitre.

At the Ontario Bar Association’s Institute 2016 Sean Zeitz, litigator for Lipman, Zener Waxman LLP discussed the financial obligations for married spouses under bankruptcy law.

An individual’s right of refusal of a capacity assessment was the subject of a robust discussion led by Lonny Rosen of Rosen Sunshine LLP.

New developments in pension plan governance was the focus of a panel session led by OBA members Mitch Frazer, Torys LLP and Tejash Modi, Morneau Shepell at Ontario Bar Association’s Institute 2016.

Panel members Terry Moore, senior counsel at CIBC; Arthur Fish, Borden Ladner Gervais and Sarah Shody, senior counsel and vice-president of Wealth Management Litigation at BMO Financial Group highlighted the challenges for estate planners with an ageing population.

Blogger Miriam Yosowich learns about what limitations exist for accessing an employee’s private information from a session led by OBA executive member Fazila Nurani.

OBA member David Muha’s remarks from Institute 2016 on managing tax disputes with the CRA have been featured on Advisor.ca.

Each year, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) recognizes lawyers who demonstrate both a commitment to our member-based organization that advances the interests of the justice system and who make valuable contributions to specific practice areas. The OBA has two new awards for outstanding contributions in the practice of health and taxation law.

Please note that the OBA office will be closed on Monday, February 15th in recognition of Family Day in Ontario. We look forward to serving our members throughout the rest of the month.

The Ontario Bar Association (OBA) hosts Canada’s largest annual legal gathering from February 2-6, 2016. Now in its 41st year, OBA’s Institute 2016 is the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) event for Ontario lawyers in every practice area with more than 30 programs and networking events.