Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Today – Sunny. Wind becoming southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 early this afternoon. High 12. UV index 3 or moderate.

Tonight – A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness after midnight. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Low plus 3.

New special event application fees in Chatham-Kent

Please note that the Municipality of Chatham-Kent will be implementing two new fees related to Special Event Applications.

1. Special Event Application Fee: $100
Active Date: March 1, 2018

2. Special Event Application Late Fee: $150
Active Date: April 26, 2018

The $100 Special Event Application Fee will be charged per event with a valid Special Event Application form submission. This mandatory fee will be charged as of March 1, 2018. A valid Special Event Application form consists of a completed Special Event Application form, subsequent forms pertaining to the event’s activities, and a certificate of insurance.

The Special Events Manual stipulates that event applications are due eight (8) weeks prior to the event date. The $150 Special Event Application Late Fee will be implemented April 26, 2018.

If an application is received with less than eight weeks of notice, both fees will be charged, for a total cost of $250.

Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins resigns

Dr. Eric Hoskins

Premier Kathleen Wynne released the following statement about the news:

“Today I accepted Minister Eric Hoskins’ resignation as Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, as well as MPP for St. Paul’s.

“I am so grateful for the work Eric has done to continue improving Ontario’s world-class health care system to better support patients and their families. Eric has always been one of the most vocal advocates for our universal health care system and has played an active role in lowering surgical wait times across Ontario, increasing access to primary care providers, including family doctors, expanding the availability of services for people with mental illnesses and building new hospitals in communities across the province. He has also been instrumental in making sure Ontario is leading the effort to expand our system with historic initiatives like OHIP+, which has made prescription drugs free for everyone under the age of 25. There is much more work to do, and I know Eric will look forward to telling you about how he will be involved.

In the meantime, I am pleased that Dr. Helena Jaczek has agreed to take over as Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, effective immediately. The experience she brings to this role as a former physician with Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and former Chief Medical Officer of Health for York Region will ensure that our government can seamlessly move forward with the important investments we are making and the work we are doing in health care right across the province. Minister Jaczek will continue in her role as Chair of Cabinet.

Also effective immediately, Michael Coteau will become Minister of Community and Social Services, while maintaining his role as Minister of Children and Youth Services and Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism. I thank both Ministers Jaczek and Coteau for stepping into these new roles, and I am confident they will continue to serve the people of Ontario with care, intelligence and compassion.”

Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins resigns

Brown dropping out of PC leadership race

Patrick Brown drops out of PC leadership race

Government of Canada announces judicial appointments to the Federal Court

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016.

The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Elizabeth Walker, Chairperson of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police External Review Committee, is appointed a judge of the Federal Court. She fills a new position created under An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Federal Courts Act (S.C. 2010, c. 8).

John Norris, a sole practitioner based in Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Federal Court. He fills a new position created under An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Federal Courts Act (S.C. 2010, c. 8).

Biographies

Madam Justice Elizabeth Walker received her LL.B. from the University of Ottawa, where she was the Gold Medalist, and her Masters of Law (BCL) from Oxford University. She articled with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Toronto before joining the firm’s tax group in Ottawa. Justice Walker was briefly counsel for the National Capital Commission before rejoining Osler in 1994. As an associate, and later partner, her practice centered on corporate securities transactions and governance issues for Canadian and international clients. She was the managing partner of the Ottawa office of Osler from 2004 to 2014 and was also a very active member of the business community for 20 years.

In 2014, Justice Walker was appointed Chair of the RCMP External Review Committee. As Chair, her primary focus was on administrative law, employment and labour law, and Charter and human rights issues. She guided the Committee through a significant transition period following the amendment of its mandate in November 2014. She also established new and practical legal norms for the force’s employment regime while safeguarding the legal and procedural rights of RCMP members.

Throughout her career, Justice Walker has championed the advancement of women in the legal profession. She has mentored and counselled women in all facets of the profession, informally and as a member of senior management, encouraging young women to pursue many different career paths. In her work as managing partner of Osler’s Ottawa office, the firm’s community and charitable program was always a mainstay. She focused the office’s charitable endeavours on a small number of Ottawa-based charities, ensuring that she and her colleagues were personally involved with the charities. Justice Walker speaks English and French fluently.

Prior to his appointment, Justice John Norris maintained a trial and appellate practice in criminal, constitutional and national security law in Toronto. Justice Norris was born and raised in Ottawa and received a B.A. (Honours Philosophy) from Carleton University. He holds an M.A. (Philosophy) from the University of Western Ontario and an LL.B. from the University of Toronto. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1993.

In 2008, Justice Norris was appointed to the roster of Special Advocates for security certificate proceedings under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. He acted as Special Advocate in a lengthy and complex security certificate proceeding before the Federal Court. He has also been appointed as amicus curiae on several national security matters before the federal courts. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada more than 25 times, often acting pro bono on behalf of public interest advocacy groups.

Justice Norris is deeply committed to legal education. From 1996, he was an adjunct member of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, teaching courses in criminal law, evidence, constitutional law, national security law, and legal ethics. In 2013, he was Constitutional Litigator in Residence with the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights. He was a senior associate with the Global Counter-terrorism Law and Policy Group at the Munk School of Global Affairs and a member of the faculty of the Philippe Kirsch Institute.

Justice Norris presents regularly at continuing legal education programs offered by such organizations as the National Judicial Institute, the Department of Justice Canada, the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, and the Special Advocate Program. He has authored several scholarly articles and was an assistant editor of the Canadian Rights Reporter for many years.

Justice Norris was also active in the legal community. He was an advocacy advisor for the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, a director of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers, and a member of the Advisory Group for the David Asper Centre. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. In 2011, the Advocates’ Society awarded Justice Norris the Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility.

Justice Norris and his wife have two grown sons. In his spare time, Justice Norris is a competitive trail and road runner. He also has a passion for jazz and period performances of baroque music.

More details:

In 2017, the Minister of Justice made 100 appointments and elevations – the most a Minister of Justice has made in one year in at least two decades.

Of these appointees, half are women, four are Indigenous, and 16 have self-identified as a member of a visible minority population, LGBTQ2, or a person with a disability.

Budget 2017 includes additional funding of $55 million over five years beginning in 2017-2018 and $15.5 million per year thereafter for 28 new federally appointed judges. Of these new positions, 12 have been allotted to Alberta and one to the Yukon, with the remaining 15 being assigned to a pool for needs in other jurisdictions.

To ensure a judiciary that is responsive, ethical and sensitive to the evolving needs of Canadian society, the Canadian Judicial Council will receive $2.7 million over five years and $0.5 million ongoing thereafter. This will support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct, including in relation to gender and cultural sensitivity.

Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice

The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.

Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016. Sixteen Judicial Advisory Committees have been reconstituted to date.

Tribunal Issues Determination of Reasonable Indication of Injury — Dry Wheat Pasta from Turkey

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (the Tribunal) on Monday determined that there is a reasonable indication that the dumping and subsidizing of dry wheat pasta from the Republic of Turkey have caused injury or are threatening to cause injury to the domestic industry.

The Tribunal’s inquiry was conducted pursuant to the Special Import Measures Act as a result of the initiation of dumping and subsidizing investigations by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The CBSA will continue its investigations and, by March 28, 2018, will issue preliminary determinations.

The Tribunal is an independent quasi-judicial body that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Finance. It hears cases on dumped and subsidized imports, safeguard complaints, complaints about federal government procurement and appeals of customs and excise tax rulings. When requested by the federal government, the Tribunal also provides advice on other economic, trade and tariff matters.