The Law Union of Ontario’s Annual Conference, 2013 Edition will be held on March 16, 2013 at Victoria College on the University of Toronto Campus.
Note that on Friday, March 15 we shall fete the 40th anniversary of the Law Union at a venue to be announced.
As the Conference shapes up and more information becomes available it will be posted here.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in March!
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
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.
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.
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