1. FLA AGM!
The Family Lawyers Association will hold its annual general meeting on November 17, 2016 at the Arts and Letters Club starting at 6:00 PM. The Arts and Letters Club is at 14 Elm Street, Toronto, M5G 1G7. This is the time and place where we tell you what we have been up to all year, answer your questions, hear your concerns, and you get to elect the new Board. Voting for the Board is in person only! Please come out to meet with us or…
Better yet consider running for the Board. Click here to download a self-nomination form for election to the Board. Click here for a self-nomination form to become an Officer of the Board. If you want to know what it is like to be on the Board, please contact Katharina Janczaruk, Chair of the Board () who will be happy to provide additional information. We will be sending out more details about the AGM closer to the date.
Look out for our Annual Report, also to be released around the time of the AGM.
2. We were pleased to see so many friends and supporters of the FLA at the FLA Annual Social held on September 22, 2016. We have got some fabulous feedback from attendees on what was great and what was maybe not so great. We would love to hear from you on what sort of things you would like the FLA to do for our social get-togethers including the time of year for this sort of event. 2017 will be even better!
3. Bar and Bench – Our board members attend the bar and bench meetings regularly at 311 Jarvis, 47 Sheppard and 393 University. Attached are Julia Vera’s reports on the last meetings for the 311 Jarvis and 393 University Bar and Bench; and Anne Calpin’s report on the last meeting for 47 Sheppard Avenue. Any issues or concerns can be sent to Katharina Janczaruk, Chair of the Board () and will be forwarded to the appropriate FLA Board member.
4. FLA v. LAO – Our sub-committee continues to work on a number of issues on your behalf, from pushing to increase the tariff or coverage for the work we do to ending the frustrations of dealing with the administration of LAO. Please see attached the last report of our sub-committee, chaired by Jean Hyndman.
5. In the last newsletter, we reported on the move to Unified Courts. In the Ontario Attorney General’s letter dated October 12, 2016 to the Attorney General of Canada and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Minister writes on the issue of Unified Courts the following:
“In seventeen communities across Ontario, the Unified Family Court model is working to provide a “single window” for family cases, where families can go to one court to fully resolve their issues. Unified Family Courts offer a more specialized bench with judges and support staff possessing strong expertise in family law matters. The result is a more efficient and responsive court process that puts the needs of children and families first.
Our governments have both expressed a renewed commitment to build on the success of this model by considering the expansion of Unified Family Courts to additional Ontario communities. I am pleased to inform you that officials at the Ministry are currently working with the leadership of both the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice to develop a consensus-driven proposal for Unified Family Court expansion in Ontario. In the coming months, I will be formally submitting this proposal for our consideration.”
The FLA welcomes your comments about the Unified Courts.
At the Opening of the Courts held on September 13, 2016, the Chief Justices all remarked on the importance of support from the Bar.
6. The next 311 Jarvis Open Bar will be on November 7, 2016 starting at 4:45 pm on the second floor of 311 Jarvis. Justice Sherr will chair “Determining Income for Guideline Purposes”. The cost is $25 which includes snacks. FLA members get $5 off the price of admission. We get a lot of calls about registering – you DO NOT need to register in advance but you should get there early. These programs are very popular and seats fill up quickly! Click here to download the flyer.
7. The next 47 Sheppard Education Committee session will be on November 15, 2016 at North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge Street, starting at 4:30 pm. Justice Anthony (Bill) Sullivan will chair “Top 10 Ethical Issues for Family Law Lawyers”. The cost of the program is $20 including snacks. This program may be claimed for 1.5 Professionalism hours. The program flyer is attached.
8. On November 7, 2016, Osgoode Hall is presenting “Negotiating, Challenging and Drafting Domestic Contracts”. On November 18, 2016 there will be a video replay of an earlier session: “Recent Developments & Complex Issues in Child and Spousal Support.” FLA members get a 10 per cent discount! Please see attached program.
9. Another reminder for the AFCC event for new professionals, to be held on October 20, 2016 (1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.): “Exploring Strategies for Clients with Mental Health Issues”. Program details are attached.
10. FDRIO (Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario) hosts “FDRWeek 2016” from November 21-26. The early bird deadline has been extended to October 28, 2016! See the attached link: http://eepurl.com/ckDBxH
11. Luke’s Place (http://lukesplace.ca/) has launched a 3 hour online training program for lawyers representing clients leaving abusive relationships. The fee for the program is $125 and is accredited by LSUC for 1 hour, 20 minutes Professionalism Hours and up to 1 hour, 10 minutes Substantive Hours. See Luke’s Place’s website for more details.
12. Access for Parents and Children in Ontario (APCO) will hold its Annual Holiday Party on November 10, 2016 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at 100 Sheppard Ave. E., Suite 504. The details are in the flyer. RRSP to Fahima via email at . Come out and celebrate the season with your friends and colleagues and show your support for this very important service.
13. Looking forward to getting together to toast 47’s greatest asset – Joshua Harroch – on his retirement! Set aside the evening of November 24, 2016 for a fun night at the Madison Avenue Pub. Tickets are $30 and must be purchased in advance. Email for the event flyer.
14. This year the Family Lawyers Association awarded three bursaries in the amount of $250.00 each to young members to attend the Child Protection Program. We were pleased and encouraged to see such interest in this important and under-serviced area of law and hope to be able to continue the bursary program to support this interest in future years.
If you have any comments or any news you would like in the next newsletter, please contact Katharina Janczaruk, Chair of the Board at