Two cases, released in April 2012, from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (“OPC”) demonstrate the privacy challenges facing users of social networking websites. The first allegation was made by a user who alleged that Facebook was collecting, using and disclosing his personal … [Read more...]
Privacy in Canada (Part 2)
From the time of the Code of Hammurabi in the 17th century BCE, societies that have aspired to some level of freedom and personal autonomy have expressed awareness of the need for privacy. In North America, the modern era of awareness of privacy as a right to be enshrined in the law might be traced … [Read more...]
Intrusion Upon Seclusion: The Tort of Invasion of Privacy
A person’s computer is a highly personal storage instrument. Many cases have concluded that an extremely high level of privacy is expected regarding the contents. One week after the Ontario Court of Justice made that observation in Pottruff v. Don Berry Holdings Inc., 2012 ONSC 311 (which … [Read more...]
Cry for me Argentina! The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in South America
Visitors to South America’s spectacular Iguazu Falls say you start to hear the roar kilometers away. The falls – actually a series of 275 individual cascades and waterfalls that drop up to 82 metres into a gorge below – are located along the rim of a crescent-shaped cliff that stretches for nearly … [Read more...]
Gender Identity and Sport
This article is being written on the day of the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games. Leading the procession of athletes, coaches and officials from South Africa will be a young female middle distance runner named Caster Semenya. This is her Olympic debut and the controversy will be loud and … [Read more...]
Prostitution in Canada: The Big Picture
Recent developments in Canadian prostitution law prompt an examination of some very important legal, moral and philosophical issues. For many years, the act of selling sex has not been illegal in Canada. However, several activities associated with prostitution are illegal: including communicating in … [Read more...]
Which Passport Should I Take to the Olympic Games?
The 2012 London Olympic Games are going to see a whole new level of anti-doping activity. The centrepiece of this activity is what is known as the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). It has been in the works for some time and has already been used extensively in the sports of cycling and … [Read more...]
What Ever Happened to … Jim Keegstra
Our law does not regulate expressions of desire or love. The same applies to the full range of other emotions such as rage, melancholy or euphoria. Even malicious lies and deceits largely pass without legal redress – and prosecutions where they can cause palpable harm – such as for misleading … [Read more...]
Human Trafficking: A Call for Reform
Next to drug trafficking, human trafficking has been described by various international sources as the second most profitable crime in the world. While there is virtually no country that is immune to human trafficking, until recently and following the enactment of the United Nations Protocol to … [Read more...]
The Supreme Court of Canada Protects the LITTLE GUY
Do you have an insurance contract? Do you know and understand your rights and obligations under that contract? If you have a dispute with your insurance company, how can you be sure that a court will protect you, the “little guy”, in the face of the arguments put forward by a large, possibly … [Read more...]