Nouvelles

Local lawyer, Ed Upenieks, is the new president of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA). As a civil litigator and managing partner at Lawrences Lawyers in Brampton for more than 19 years, Upenieks will bring great experience and a valuable regional perspective to the more than 16,000-member association.

In accordance with the OBA By-law, all members are hereby advised that the OBA annual meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 7:00 pm at the Residence Inn by Marriott, Kingston, Ontario

OBA member Douglas Judson has received the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) 2015 Edward K. Rowan-Legg Award at the CBA Legal Conference in Calgary. The award recognizes a student member's outstanding contribution to the CBA.

As the OBA’s new Child and Youth Law Section (CYL) closes out its inaugural year, there is opportunity to reflect on the Section’s impressive achievements. The following provides a brief summary of accomplishments as well as the Section’s ambitions for the time head.

The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) is currently seeking feedback on priorities and recommendations for reform of Ontario's corporate and commercial legislation.

The OBA welcomes the 2015-2016 Child and Youth Law Section Executive. The new executives assume their roles on August 15th, 2015. The Child and Youth Law executive is responsible for facilitating learning, advocacy and networking on behalf of the Child and Youth Law section.

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today welcomed the Royal Assent of the Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act – comprehensive legislation that better protects children from sexual predators at home and abroad.

Shaping and influencing policy development and legislation is an important role of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA). It is just one of the ways that the OBA serves its members and ensures they are well supported in their everyday work.

The Ontario Bar Association commends the Ontario Legislature for giving all-party support to the passing of Bill 77, Affirming Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Act, 2015, which supports human rights for Ontarians, and in particular, for young people. The bill bans medical conversion practices that seek to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of youth under 18 and delists OHIP funding of such practices for everyone.