In a recent newsletter, I noted that as the calendar year was drawing to an end, we were also at the beginning of the holiday season. Many people around the world happened to be celebrating special days or periods that shared a common feature -...
I like to think of a mediation as planning a trip to Settlement-ville. Unless one or more parties are absolutely set on going to Trial-town instead, the people at a mediation are generally interested in finding a way to a mutually agreeable destination - even...
It’s been said that necessity relieves us from the embarrassment of choice. In March 2020, the emerging COVID-19 pandemic made it imperative for much of the world to stay home when at all possible – whether we wanted to or not. If mediators desired to continue...
[ Download PDF ] Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to mediation? In January 1999, the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program was launched in certain judicial venues (Toronto, Windsor and Ottawa). Initially, this program/process may have lived up...
There’s a joke among politicians in Canadian parliaments: “It’s called Question Period, not Answer Period.” Every day during Question Period, members of cabinet are called by the Speaker to respond to questions posed by members of the opposition or backbenchers. Whether what comes out of their...
An insurance adjuster is sitting at her desk and a file marked “urgent” is handed to her. The claimant has been involved in a motor vehicle accident involving a motorcycle, snowmobile/off-road vehicle or heavy commercial vehicle. She knows that she’ll need to initiate payment of...
“You have top priority!” In most circumstances, you’d probably be happy to hear that you’re first in line – to own a new, hotly-anticipated product; to reserve concert tickets for your favourite band’s upcoming tour; or while on hold waiting to speak to a representative...
There’s an old medical adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Anticipating a problem and preparing for it can often eliminate it completely or substantially reduce future complications down the road. It’s a lesson counsel representing clients at mediation would...
Think back to the mid-1980s - if you’re old enough to remember them. Michael Jackson moonwalked his way into superstardom, the Breakfast Club taught kids everywhere that serving detention could give you a real education, and a fresh-faced articling student named Vance Cooper was eagerly...
If you enjoy great local music and are passionate about helping at-risk youth in Toronto, be sure to mark Thursday, October 6, 2016 in your calendars – The fifth annual Vancestock, a night of live music benefiting Trails Youth Initiatives, will have the Hard Rock Café Toronto...