Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Registration Open for Government Information Days 2022

The Ontario Council of University Libraries - Government Information Community will host virtual Government Information Days 2022 on December 13 and 14, 2022.

The event is free but organizers have stated that registration is required.

The program is available online.




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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:18 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Most Recent Issue of the Canadian Law Library Review

The most recent issue of the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR) is available online.

The CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL). It is an open access publication.

Check out the feature article on page 10 by Ilana N. Hernandez, Research Guides Beyond Canadian Law: A Question of Justice:

"As common resources in academic libraries, research guides can be expected to furnish  researchers and students with access to resources on topics taught at their institution. In the law school libraries of institutions with significant programming on topics in Jewish Studies,  Islamic Studies, or Indigenous Studies, librarians must be prepared to provide or facilitate access to materials addressing such topics, as well as instruct in their use. However, many  Canadian law school libraries currently do not provide adequate support in this area. I argue  that libraries at schools where courses or programs address these topics have a responsibility  to support them through research guides."

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 8:39 pm 0 comments

Thursday, November 24, 2022

Live Webcast of Welcoming Ceremony for New Supreme Court of Canada Justice

Next Monday, November 28 at 10:30AM, the Supreme Court of Canada will hold a welcoming ceremony for the Honourable Michelle O’Bonsawin, the newest Justice of the Court.

Justice O’Bonsawin joined the Court in September.

The event will be webcast.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:56 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Supreme Court of Canada Calendar of Upcoming Hearings

The Supreme Court of Canada recenly published its calendar of upcoming appeals that will be heard from November 29 to December 8, 2022.

To find out more about any particular case, click on the docket number in parentheses next to each case name to find docket information, case summaries as well as factums from the parties. 

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 9:03 pm 0 comments

Monday, November 21, 2022

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Upcoming Webinar on Global Legal Research

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries is organizing a webinar on December 8 from 1 to 2PM called Global Legal Research: Lyo’s Guide to the Best Resources for Helping Users Who Are Embarking on Foreign, Comparative, and International Law Research Quests:

"Researching foreign, comparative, and international law (FCIL) topics can be daunting, but wonderfully rewarding if you can help a user find the information they need. In this webinar, you will find out what the most frequently asked FCIL research questions are and how to prepare to answer them. Lyo will introduce you to the best online and print tools to start with, tell you who the best people resources are, and give you tips on what to do when you’re stumped or don’t know when to stop looking for answers. Whether the user’s FCIL research quest is successful or not is up to you. Are you ready?"

The speaker is Lyonette Louis-Jacques, Foreign and International Law Librarian & Lecturer in Law, D’Angelo Law Library, the University of Chicago Law School.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 8:16 pm 0 comments

Sunday, November 20, 2022

Library of Parliament Summary of Key Freedom of Expression Jurisprudence in Canada

The Library of Parliament has published a HillNotes post about Freedom of Expression: Recent Jurisprudence:

"Canadian courts must at times determine whether a person’s particular expression has violated Canadian law or whether laws and government actions have violated the right to free expression guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

"The selected recent court decisions summarized in this document highlight the challenges that can arise when drawing limits around acceptable or appropriate expression. They address certain questions: When does a joke go too far and interfere with another person’s right to protect their dignity? When is hateful speech harmful to others rather than simply offensive? When can laws restrict creative or commercial expression involving products that raise health concerns? Should public spaces be available for the expression of all views?"

"While the Charter guarantees the right to free expression as one of Canada’s constitutionally protected fundamental freedoms, it also allows governments to impose limitations on it. Courts may be called upon to determine if, as required by the Charter, these limitations are proven to be reasonable and justifiable in a free and democratic society."

HillNotes offer analysis of current events and emerging issues of significant interest to Canadian Parliament.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 4:04 pm 0 comments

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Law Library of Congress Report on Mass Timber Construction

The Law Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. has published a comparative law report on Mass Timber Construction:

It looks at the laws and regulations on the use of wood in the construction of new buildings in Australia, Austria, Canada, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Some countries or regional jurisdictions have legislation promoting the use of wood in new construction in general or at least in government buildings. Some have policies recognizing the use of wood as part of clean growth plans. Italy, on the other hand, discourages the use of wood in tall buildings due to seismic conditions.

The Law Library of Congress is the world’s largest law library, with a collection of over 2 and a half million volumes from all ages of history and virtually every jurisdiction in the world.

Over the years, it has published dozens of comparative law reports which are a treasure trove for legal research on a huge variety of issues.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:04 pm 0 comments

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Public Safety Canada Report on Resolution of Victim Complaints

Public Safety Canada has published a report evaluating the resolution of victim complaints to a number of federal law enforcement and justice system bodies. 

The Public Safety Canada Portfolio Report (2020-2021): Victim Complaint Resolution Mechanisms looks at how complaints were handled involving the Canada Border Services Agency, the Correctional Service of Canada, the Parole Board of Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police:

"The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR) was enshrined in law in July 2015, which identified four statutory rights for victims of crime in the criminal justice system (CJS):

  • right to information,
  • right to participation,
  • right to protection, and
  • right to seek restitution."

"To ensure these rights are upheld, a federal complaint resolution mechanism was established as a remedy to alleged infringements of victims’ rights and to take corrective action. Victims of crime may file a complaint if they are of the opinion that their rights have been infringed or denied by a federal department or agency during their interaction with the Canadian CJS. Public Safety Canada (PS) and its Portfolio agencies continue to implement the CVBR with the aim to improve victims’ experience with the CJS."

"This report summarizes complaints received and responded to by the PS Portfolio agencies within the 2020-2021 fiscal year. This report also includes how the complaints were resolved, any improvements that were made to the complaint process by each agency, data from previous fiscal years for comparison purposes and reports on actions taken to address concerns raised by victims."

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:19 pm 0 comments

Monday, November 14, 2022

November 2022 Issue of In Session E-Bulletin of Canadian Association of Law Libraries

The November 2022 issue of In Session is available online.


It is the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) and contains news from CALL committees and special interest groups, member updates and events.

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:35 pm 0 comments

Updated Research Guides from GlobaLex

GlobaLex, a very good electronic collection created by the Hauser Global Law School Program at the New York University School of Law, has  updated a number of research guides recently:

  • Research Guide to Belgian Law (one of the civil law jurisdictions from which we collect): "Belgium is a federal state with a civil law system and is a member of the European Union. These three qualities basically account for the legal system the country has adopted. The Belgian state was formed as a constitutional monarchy in 1830, as a compromise between French and Dutch claims, appeased by the British government. At that time, it was already largely influenced by the French legal system, and this was laid down in the constitution. The legislative branch was formed by a parliament with two chambers (Chamber and Senate). The King was (and is) the head of state and of the executive branch, but political power is almost entirely in the hands of the government and its prime minister. The judicial branch consists of regular courts in different appeal levels (private and criminal law matters), later an administrative court was added (1948, Council of State). A constitutional court has only been set up in recent time (1980, Court of Arbitration now Constitutional Court). Although the Belgian state has undergone severe constitutional changes since this date, the court system has still not been deeply touched by these yet. In 2014, the late reorganization of the state has restricted the transfer of competences regarding justice to judicial proceedings policy, justice’s houses, first-line legal aid and young people welfare. It has also been reaffirmed that the judicial organization, procedure, execution of court rulings and enforcement of sentences are of federal competence."
  • International Commercial Arbitration: "International commercial arbitration is a means of resolving disputes arising out of transnational commercial transactions. It is an alternative to litigation and is controlled primarily by the terms previously agreed upon by the contracting parties, rather than by national legislation or procedural rules. Most contracts contain a dispute resolution clause specifying that any disputes arising under the contract will be handled through arbitration rather than litigation. The parties can specify the forum, procedural rules, and governing law at the time of the contract. Arbitration can be either “institutional” or “ad hoc”. The terms of the contract will dictate the type of arbitration. If the parties have agreed to have an arbitral institution administer the dispute, it is an institutional arbitration. If the parties have set up their own rules for arbitration, it is an ad hoc arbitration. Ad hoc arbitrations are conducted independently by the parties, who are responsible for deciding on the forum, the number of arbitrators, the procedure that will be followed, and all other aspects of administering the arbitration. The types of law that are applied in arbitration include international treaties and national laws, both procedural and substantive, as well as the procedural rules of the relevant arbitral institution. Arbitral awards entered in prior disputes carry persuasive authority but are not binding. Scholarly commentary, or “doctrine,” may also be applied."

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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:30 pm 0 comments

Article on Canadiana Database by Great Library at the Law Society of Ontario

The Great Library at the Law Society of Ontario in Toronto recently published a blog article about Canadiana, a database with millions of pages from Canada's printed heritage, in particular documents from the pre-Confederation period.

I regularly search in Canadiana when conducting research on Canadian legal history


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posted by Michel-Adrien at 7:22 pm 0 comments