Happy Canada Day
We Canadians should be proud every day that we live in a country where basic freedoms are protected and advanced.
We should be grateful that our country is saved from war, disease, drought and extreme poverty. We should be happy that we are free to express ourselves and worship and love whoever we want.
I am thankful that my parents decided to choose Canada as their home when they first arrived in the seventies. If they didn`t I can`t imagine where I would be.
This Canada Day walk tall and proud because you are a citizen of the greatest country on earth.
Happy Birthday Canada.
Mississauga Careless Driving Lawyer
With the death of a police officer yesterday and a terrible car accident leaving two dead and one injured in Toronto this afternoon people often ask what is careless driving.
Careless driving falls under the provincial law of the Highway Traffic Act specifically section 130 which reads as follows:
Careless driving
130. Every person is guilty of the offence of driving carelessly who drives a vehicle or street car on a highway without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway and on conviction is liable to a fine of not less than $400 and not more than $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than six months, or to both, and in addition his or her licence or permit may be suspended for a period of not more than two years. 2009, c. 5, s. 41.
Section 130 is amongst the most serious of offences under a provincial statue and also the one that probably gets litigated the most. [1]
The terms without due care and attention and or without reasonable consideration are typically the terms of contention.
Careless driving under the Highway Traffic Act is different from the Criminal Code provision that deals with Dangerous Driving.
[1] The Law of Traffic Offences, Third Edition by Hutchison, Rose and Downes page 160
Police Officer Killed
While many are trying to plan their long weekend and getting ready to escape there are those who are not as fortunate. Life can change in a heartbeat and we should never forget that.
Constable Garrett Styles was killed this morning while he was on duty and had stopped a van. As reported by City Pulse.
Constable Garrett was to celebrate his 33rd birthday this long weekend. Constable Garrett was a seven year veteran of the force and had just written his exam to apply for Sargent. He leaves behind a wife and two small children his daughter who is two and half years old and his son who is nine weeks old.
This is the second police officer killed in the line of duty this year alone. Earlier this year Constable Ryan Russel was killed in the line of duty by a snowplow. He was 35 years old and left behind a wife and a small child as well.
Rest in Peace Constable Garrett.
Lawyers And The Mail
Canada Post workers will be back on the job starting this afternoon and mail can expect to resume starting tomorrow at least according to a recent Toronto Star article.
Up to and during the strike many debated about the usefulness of regular mail service. Many said they really had no need for the mail as they relied on other forms of technology.
However, lawyers especially in smaller law practices still continue to rely on the mail as part of their daily routine. Courier is the way to go for larger packages but regular letters can`t be couriered all the time. Your clients will likely complain about the high cost.
It will probably take a few weeks for everything to get back into order.
Personal Emergency Leave
Just in case you`re ever wondering. Under the Employment Standards Act section 50(1) an employee can take up to 10 unpaid days of leave each calendar year to deal with an emergency situation.
Remember, that in order to qualify the employer must regularly employ 50 people. A personal emergency leave is defined as a personal illness, injury or medical emergency. It can also be a death, illness, injury or medical emergency of an individual of a family member. See section 50(2) for the various family members that qualify.
The matter must also be considered urgent and unplanned. In other words there must be some serious negative consequences including emotional harm.
The employer may request proof if necessary of the leave.
This provision applies to all employees regardless of whether they are part-time, full-time and or temporary employees. However, it does not apply to certain professions.
Remember this is not legal advice.
Why Blog?
Today it seems like everyone has a blog. Many people ask what are the benefits of blogging for a small business such as, a legal practice.
I was blogging before it was cool and trendy. In fact, I started blogging in 2004 when I was still an articling student. The blog I maintained was for family and friends.
In my opinion blogging if done effectively can be quite useful.
First, blogging provides for creative expression. This was the single most important reason as to why I started blogging.
Second, despite what SEO gurus say I still think keywords in blog posts attract new visitors. In fact, sometimes I have received calls within 24 hours of posting.
Third, blog posts should be short and to the point. I see way too many businesses writing lengthy blog posts. In my opinion, I don`t think visitors read the entire post.
The above are just some tips. Ultimately, do what feels right. Blogging is a great way for you to brand yourself and get your name out on the internet and best of all it`s free!
Hard To Take Vacations For Small Business Owners
Last Friday in a class I teach we discussed working long hours and how today, we don`t necessarily get a break because of the technology we carry with us.
Many of the students were adamant that taking time off is crucial. I couldn`t agree more however, many don`t have the luxury to do so. Especially, those who own and operate small businesses.
We discussed the importance of balancing a healthy lifestyle with work. However, so many of us are not able to take away even one day from our businesses!
Ironically, an excellent article entitled Stop making excuses and take time off appeared in the Globe and Mail.
More On Cell Phone Radiation
The Toronto Star published an article today entitled, You Docs: How to cut down cellphone radiation. Are we finally starting to acknowledge that cellular phones and mobile devices might pose some sort of health hazard? There has been debate about this for the last few years.
I have blogged about this topic on various occasions. See below for previous blog posts.
Mississauga Personal Injury Lawyer | Cell Phone Safety
Cell Phone Use Linked to Brain Tumors
Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors?
Guaranteed Results
I went to see another lawyer and he or she said they can guarantee a result. Many clients say this either on the phone or when we meet.
Whether it`s litigation, criminal or family it really doesn’t matter there is often uncertainty. Based on experience a lawyer can typically advise you about your chances of success.
At law there are so many variables at play that make it difficult to guarantee a result.
If a lawyer tells you he or she can guarantee a specific result better think twice.\
New Domain Suffixes
Those in the know back in the start-up days of the internet began to purchase domain names like hot cakes. It was like purchasing prime real estate. Of course many of us were unfamiliar with the internet lingo and wouldn`t have thought twice of purchasing coke.com, cnn.com etc.
These individuals began to be known as domain squatters. Whereby, they would purchase a domain and simply wait until an individual wanted to purchase it.
This created many problems for example, someone else owning the domain name of your actual name.
I am not sure of the kind of money domain squatters made but I am sure they made some.
A few years back internet regulators introduced new domain endings. We had the introduction of .tv, .biz, .telecom.
However, this did not solve the problem. Today the BBC reported that ICANN:
A global internet body has voted to allow the creation of new website domain suffixes, the biggest change for the online world in years.
It will only cost a meagre $185,000 to apply for a specific suffix.