The covid 19 pandemic has caused delays to non-essential medical procedures increasing risk to Ontario patients

The Collateral Damage of Delays for Medical Treatment Due COVID-19

We have all been dealing with COVID-19 for what feels like forever. Here in Ontario we just entered into our second state of emergency. Our frontline doctors, nurses and support staff have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to not only treat seriously ill coronavirus patients but also to continue providing care for patients affected by non-COVID-19 health conditions. The reality is that as the pandemic continues, the challenges faced by our healthcare professionals are increasing as does the potential harm to non-emergent patients caused by delayed treatment and procedures due to an overburdened healthcare system. 

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Bill 118 changes the way people can claim compensation for slips and falls on icy sidewalks like this one.

Providing Written Notice Now Required In Claims For Injury Due To Slips and Falls: Bill 118

Bill 118 Amends The Occupier's Liability Act In Ontario. 

We are in the midst of a global pandemic that is disrupting everyone’s lives. Quietly and without a lot of public discussion or debate, the Ontario Government recently passed Bill 118. The Bill is an amendment to the Occupier’s Liability Act which now prohibits a person who suffers a personal injury caused by snow or ice from making a claim against an occupier or an independent contractor employed by the occupier unless, within 60 days after the occurrence of the injury, written notice of the claim is served.

Bill 118 received Royal Assent on December 8, 2020. This is the law in Ontario.

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All cars in Ontario must have auto insurance in case of collisions

Auto Insurance in Ontario: A Call For Transparency

Auto insurance in Ontario is big business. The law requires that every vehicle have auto insurance and this creates a readymade market for insurance companies. In 2017 and 2018 auto insurance companies in Ontario made pre-tax profits estimated at $2.3 billion. That is a lot of money. When an industry is making that much money from a government regulated and mandated business, there must be transparency to hold the private, multi-national insurance companies accountable.

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The Brunch Bunch lit a candle in the heart of the legal community in Belleville.

The Brunch Bunch Continues To Serve Up Full Bellies And Full Hearts

“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

 This blog was going to be about a fight for human rights; for the rights of prisoners to be treated humanely; for the rights to access to justice. And next month there will be a blog about precisely those issues. But something happened on Saturday to change my direction, to focus my mind on all the small candles that need to be lit in these times of darkness.

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Legal files such as those pertaining to Bill 218

Why Are We Protecting Negligent Businesses?

Last week the Ontario government introduced legislation that would unfairly protect negligent businesses that fail to take proper measures to protect people from Covid-19. Bill 218, dubiously named, Supporting Ontario’s Recovery Act, will protect long-term care homes where thousands of Ontarians died or became very ill from Covid-19. A copy of the bill can be reviewed here.

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Judges gavel like those used in sentencing people to provincial jails in Ontario

Are We Safer With Fewer People In Jail? COVID19 Highlights Issues With The Incarceration Of Non-Violent, Low Risk Inmates

As the COVID19 pandemic drags on and we approach six months since the last time Ontario courthouses were open to the general public, it is worth reflecting on what the lasting effects of the pandemic will be on the justice system.  In previous posts, the Bonn Law blog has addressed the technological changes that COVID19 has forced upon the justice system. Physical distancing measures have forced lawyers and to embrace video conferencing, digital document exchange and other much needed reforms.

Another lesson that we can learn from the COVID19 pandemic is the necessity of releasing nonviolent offenders prior to trial.

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Infants sleeping in car seats can be forgotten in the car due to Forgotten Baby Syndrome

Don’t Forget About Forgotten Baby Syndrome

Things were a little hectic this morning. You didn’t get much sleep last night because your son was fussy. But you’re in the car now, on your way to drop your son off at daycare – and then off to work. Your son has decided to take a nap in his car seat.

Suddenly, you get a call from your boss – there is a crisis at work! You frantically try to get it sorted out over the phone, and you tell her that you’re on your way in.

As soon as that phone call ends, you get another phone call. Another crisis! As you finish dealing with this you arrive at work. You have a busy day full of work, tasks and errands. While you work you have this nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you forgot something. But you don’t know what it could be.

It isn’t until you get back to your car that you realize what you’ve forgotten – your son, still in the back seat.

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Man looking out a window at cityscape

COVID-19 Has Changed The Framework Through Which We View And Engage With The Criminal Court System

“Lord, Make me an instrument of Your Peace…” Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

Many years ago, when I was learning about the importance of seeing things from other perspectives, I was taught a very useful exercise: Picture yourself at the top of a hill, looking out at the most beautiful view imaginable. Between you and the view is a small wall, set with three windows. One of the windows is circular; one is square and one is diamond-shaped. You look through the circular window and admire the scenery through it. You move to the square window and realize that, even though you are looking at the same scene, it appears different. When you gaze at it through the diamond-shaped window it is even more different – it could be an entirely different landscape. Step away from the wall, and it changes and expands even more dramatically.

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