Joni Dobson

Joni became a partner at Legate & Associates in 2012 having joined the firm 6 years before. Her practice is restricted to serious personal injury disputes, with a particular focus on medical malpractice and motor vehicle collisions. She has represented injured people both at trial and on appeal. Joni believes that an injured person should have a strong advocate who will go the full distance when required to obtain fair results.

Medical Negligence: It’s Never an Open and Shut Case

When a person has suffered because of an obvious error by a health care professional, the comment often said to me is, “It’s an open and shut case.” When it comes to medical negligence litigation, there is no such thing. A medical negligence lawsuit is different from other personal injury cases in at least one critical way; the plaintiff is often already unwell before the …

Fernandes v. Araujo, 2015 ONCA 571

Released August 10, 2015 | CanLII After 62 Years, Court of Appeal Admits it was Wrong A five-judge panel of the Court of Appeal just over-ruled its own decision from 1953 on vicarious liability of the owner of a vehicle being driven on the highway. This week, the Court released its decision in Fernandes v. Araujo (2015 ONCA 571) about the liability of the owner of …

Ontario’s Health Care Budget – Time to Cut the Fat?

The release of Ontario’s budget last week prompted comment from the president of the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Ved Tandan, that the government’s policy of taking from the health care system to balance its budget is putting the healthcare system in jeopardy. Population growth and unmet needs for family doctors and other services are being ignored, he says. This is certainly an important and complex …

Reasonable Cost Recovery: How Hospitals Push the Envelope

In Ontario, individuals have the right to access their personal health information contained in a hospital chart. You can request copies of your medical records from a hospital, and for a fee, they will be provided to you. There are a number of reasons why you may wish to access your medical records – when applying for insurance, making a claim for workers compensation, changing …

Consent to Medical Treatment is Not a Waiver of Rights

With the holidays behind us, and all the full potential of the New Year before us, thoughts sometimes turn to our health. Now is the time to dust off the treadmill, avoid the sugary treats and maybe even see the doctor for a checkup. If there are any concerns, the doctor will likely recommend some form of treatment. Treatment can be as simple as a …

When it comes to doctor competence, ignorance is not bliss

At the beginning of October, Ontario’s Minister of Health, Dr. Eric Hoskins, did a good thing. He demanded that colleges of all regulated health professions take concrete steps to increase transparency in college processes and decision-making, and to make more information available to the public. The colleges, which include the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (“CPSO”), have until December 1st to report back …