Training and Licensing: The Essentials of Private Security

The shooting of two men in at a Toronto McDonalds – allegedly perpetrated by an off-duty security guard – has people asking questions about whether security guards are being properly trained to handle dangerous situations. All security guards in the Province of Ontario are required to be trained and hold a licence to provide private security services. Some security guards – such as armoured car …

Show Me the Policy, Honey! Why is Uber keeping its insurance details a secret?

Uber maintains it has sufficient insurance to protect customers of the popular ride-sharing program, but refuses to produce the paperwork to prove it. On March 9, 2015, Uber asked an Ontario Superior Court Judge for an Order to seal its insurance policy, claiming it is necessary to do so for “competitive reasons”. The sufficiency of Uber’s insurance coverage is a hot button topic and Uber …

Pitfalls, Potholes and Falling Concrete: Problems with the Minimum Maintenance Standards

With one of the coldest months on record finally behind us, Ontarians are getting a knack for braving subzero temperatures this winter. Unfortunately, Ontarians will continue to feel the chilling effect of the Minimum Maintenance Standards for Municipal Highways (“MMS”) long after the snow has gone. Recent news about a large chunk of concrete allegedly falling from the Gardiner Expressway Bridge and smashing into the …

The “Inevitable” Accident Defence

The inevitable accident defence can be applied not only in cases of black ice or potholes, but also where accidents are attributed to a medical condition, sudden mechanical failure, or an animal darting onto the roadway.

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 …

The Civil Jury

In North America, the jury trial is almost sacrosanct. Even lawyers who have never tried a case before a jury will argue passionately that a jury trial is every litigant’s right and should be preserved at all costs. Over the past several years there is a push by the judiciary to find ways to decide disputes more efficiently and at less cost. One target for …