EVENT: Resisting the Omnibus Crime Bill (January 17, 6:30 – 8:30)

omnibusFB

In March 2012, the federal Conservatives passed the Omnibus Crime Bill C-10, despite the protests of thousands of Canadians that the bill would greatly increase the prison population, would not prevent crime, would cost billions of dollars and would have a devastating impact on already marginalized communities, particularly Aboriginal communities who are already drastically over-represented in Canadian prisons.

Bill C-10 is now law, but we can resist! The Law Union of Ontario is hosting a mass meeting on Thursday, January 17th. The idea is simple: Torontonians meet and we brainstorm ways to prevent the implementation of this bill and stop Harper’s unjust law and order agenda.

Thursday , January 17
Beit Zatoun
612 Markham St (just south of Bloor)
Toronto, ON
6:30-8:30 pm

Featured speakers:

Jules Koostachin (Elizabeth Fry Society Toronto): the omnibus bill’s impact on the over-criminalization and over-incarceration of Aboriginal peoples, especially Aboriginal women

Annika Ollner (PASAN): implications of the bill for prisoners,
including overall increases in Prison populations and changes to prisoners’ rights

Mike Leitold (Law Union of Ontario): overview of the omnibus bill’s changes to the criminal laws and the Law Union’s resistance to date

Light refreshments will be provided

ASL and child care will be available. Please email smack@tao.ca 48 hours before the event if you require these services.

PLEASE NOTE: there are two series of steps into the building. A ramp system is available. Washrooms are in the basement down a flight of stairs

If you’re interested in assisting in the advertising of this event posters are attached to this message and can be downloaded using the link below.

Hosted by the Law Union of Ontario’s Prison Justice Committee

2012 Annual General Meeting: Oct 11

The Law Union of Ontario will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday October 11 from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Friends’ House, 60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. Click here for a map. The meeting room entrance is at the rear of the house on the west side. For wheelchair access, enter from the meeting parking lot on Bedford Road.
Come hear about the Law Union’s successes over the past year, and help chart the way forward. Please bring your ideas for new projects as well as ways to improve the Law Union. With social justice issues under siege, a strong Law Union is needed more than ever to fight oppression and to advocate for a more just, humane, and equal world.

Good conversation and refreshments to follow; agenda to be circulated shortly.

Join the Steering Committee!

We will also be forming new Steering Committee to guide us in the year to come. We strongly encourage people with diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives to lend their talents to the Steering Committee and help make the Law Union as inclusive, representative and effective as possible. Those interested in putting their names forward to become Steering Committee members should do so at the Annual Meeting. If there are more than 12 nominations, there will be an election in accordance with our constitution, though in years past this has not been required.

Law Union calls on Ontario to Resist Harper’s Regressive Omnibus Crime Bill

To endorse this call, email your 1) name/organization; 2) email address to: law.union.of.ontario@gmail.com

Endorsed by:

In the aftermath of an Ontario court striking down another “mandatory minimum sentence” last week, Ontario lawyers and legal rights advocates are urging Ontario’s Attorney General, Hon. John Gerretsen, to take steps to mitigate the impact of the federal government’s new crime legislation before it begins coming into force on August 9, 2012. The Law Union of Ontario has written to Attorney General Gerretsen asking for the Minister to comply with the spirit of two Ontario court rulings by resisting the measures implemented under Bill C-10, the “Omnibus Crime Bill”, through provincial policies. The letter calls on the Attorney General to:

For youth in the system, the Attorney General should:

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services has estimated that the Omnibus Crime Bill will cost Ontario more than $1 billion in infrastructure-related costs alone, and more than $50 million annually in additional operating expenses for new jails and correctional institutions. This is an enormous cost for policies that increase repression a do nothing for public safety and increase the risk of re-offending.

Attachments:

Deadline for G20 Legal Actions Expires June 26/27, 2012

During the G20 Summit in Toronto on June 26 and 27, 2010, police trampled on the legal rights and civil liberties of thousands of protestors, legal observers, media personnel, bystanders, and other members of the public.

If you want to hold the police accountable for their wrongful actions and get compensation and justice for any wrong done to you, you may have to take action immediately. The deadline for taking legal action with respect to many of the claims arising from the G20 Summit will be June 26 or June 27, 2012. If you miss the deadline, you may lose your legal right to sue.

Deadlines for filing a police complaint or a human rights application have already expired, but you can still sue the police. You can sue the police in either the Small Claims Court (if you are seeking monetary compensation up to $25,000), or in the Superior Court if you want to claim a greater amount or ask the Court to do something other than order payment of money.

You should get advice from a lawyer immediately if you are considering taking legal action and want to make sure that you don’t miss the deadlines. Some lawyers who will provide a free one-half hour consultation about G20 legal claims are listed on pages 87-88 of the Law Union of Ontario’s Post-G20 Action Guide (www.lawunion.ca/g20guide).

For more information, please see the flier.