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You know that feeling when you stumble into exactly where you're meant to be? That's what happened to me twenty or so years ago when I joined the Ontario Bar Association's Public Sector Lawyers Section. I had no idea then that clicking "submit" on that membership form would lead to some of the most rewarding relationships of my legal career. 

With stories of “roadside” exotic zoos and pet lions cropping up in Ontario, you may be wondering – is that legal? Let’s get to the bottom of this.

On February 27, 2024, the University of Ottawa’s Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory on the Rights of the Child (IRLRC) held an informative and engaging virtual program titled, “Parents, Schools and Children's Rights.”

The article discusses the Supreme Court of Canada's recent decision in Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families.

Dylan Challinor, a third-year Practice Placement student, discusses his week-long experience in the public sector at the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman.

A key principle in administrative law is that justice must not only be done, but also be seen to be done. What does this mean in practice? A panel at this year’s Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR) Conference on November 2, 2023, took up this question in the context of modernization within three different organizations.

On October 30, 2023, the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission joined others to discuss a wide range of topics and best practices related to human rights and equity. The conversation and key takeaways are summarized below.

This article discusses current issues facing Canadian grocery retailers, an upcoming market study and the potential impact of amendments made to the Competition Act.

KPIs are key to managing organizational effectiveness and efficiency. KPIs can sometimes result in undesirable regulatory outcomes when they are conflated with organizational objectives. KPIs are a tool to help make decisions, allocate resources, identify problems and build accountability. By taking a sophisticated and thoughtful approach to KPIs, public sector bodies can achieve these purposes without the KPIs themselves inadvertently steering the organization down the wrong path.

This article provides an overview of the SOAR Conference's Culturally Competent Decision-Writing workshop.

This article provides an overview of the "Trans Inclusion and Access to Justice" Workshop led by Lee Nevens (DOJ) during the Association of Law Officers of the Crown's ("ALOC") 2022 Educational Conference.

The article discusses some key takeaways from the recent report by the French Language Services Commissioner concerning Laurentian University.

The article discusses the May 5th OBA program Electronic Monitoring of Employees: What You Need to Know About Bill 88 and its New Requirements.

The article discusses the case of Chiarelli v. Ottawa.

The article is a summary of an interview with Diana Mojica, a public sector lawyer and member of the Public Sector Lawyers Section Executive.

The article summarizes an interview with Me-Hae Hur, Vice-Chair of the Public Sector Lawyers Section.

The article discusses the Public Sector Lawyers session “Welcome to the Practice of Public Law: Exploring Careers in the Broader Public Sector" held on November 15, 2021.

The article contains a summary of an interview with the current Section Chair, Kate Julien.

The article summarizes the Public Sector Lawyers Section session on Ethical Challenges in Public Law, which took place in June 2021, and featured Professor Elizabeth Sanderson.

The article discusses the presentation of the Tom Marshall award in June 2021 to Paul Dubé, current Ombudsman of Ontario.

The article contains a summary of a May 10, 2021 CBA session entitled Unconscious Bias: Stories from Real Life & Practical Tips to Move Forward.

The article discusses the Public Sector Lawyers April 7, 2021 session on Recent Top Decisions Public Sector Lawyers Need to Know.

This article discusses the case of Hicks v Ontario Ombudsman and orders under s.140 of the Courts of Justice Act determining someone to be a vexatious litigant.

The article discusses a viewing of L’Inspecteur (The Inspector) at CBA at the Movies, which deals with the issue of prohibition of French language instruction in Manitoba public schools from 1916 to the late 1960s.

The article summarizes a Public Sector Lawyers Section program, How to Work with Self-Represented Parties in your Public Law Practice, delivered on November 18, 2020.