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UPFRONT 8 www.canadianlawyermag.com ATLANTIC UPDATE NEWS BRIEFS Changes to Newfoundland auto insurance Amendments made to the Automobile Insurance Act and the Insurance Companies Act came into effect Aug. 1. The provincial government said these changes are intended to help stabilize insurance rates and strengthen consumer protection. The changes include directing Facility Association to create an all-comers risk sharing pool. Uninsured drivers involved in an accident after Aug. 1 will lose out on funds previously held to fund damages and injuries. Also, the commission taxis and limousines services pay to insurance brokers will be halved to three from six per cent. New Brunswick says no to piece-meal cannabis unionization The New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board rejected an application from the New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees to certify three of the province's cannabis retail stores. The board was trying to avoid a "complicated and highly fragmented" union landscape in the cannabis sector, according to an article by Bryan Mills and John Morse, lawyers with Stewart McKelvey. To be legitimate, the bargaining unit would have to include all 200 employees and 20 retail stores of the provincial cannabis dealer. New managing partner at McInnes Cooper Kevin Kiley, former chairman of the McInnes Cooper board of directors, was appointed managing partner on July 24. His practice includes advising businesses in commercial disputes, financial institutions, investment professionals and construction contractors and sub- contractors among other clients. Greg Connors, acting chairman of the firm's board, said the appointment is "a testament to Kevin's exceptional leadership, strategic acumen and professional accomplishments." Kiley is chairman of the Canadian Bar Association's civil litigation section. Two Cox and Palmer partners appointed to the provincial Supreme Courts Appointed to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Glen Noel has practised in insurance and personal injury law since 1990. With the firm since 1999, John Keith has maintained a successful civil litigation practice and was appointed to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. Noel's involvement in the legal profession includes a stint as president of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, elected bencher, chairman of the discipline committee and member of the Judicial Council. Keith has been active in the Supreme Court liaison committee, civil procedure rules subcommittee and the steering committee that produced the province's current civil procedure rules. Atlantic immigration pilot program extended The Atlantic immigration pilot program has been extended until December 2021. It includes two programs for skilled workers and one for graduates of international universities. The government's website says there will be more flexibility for hiring health professionals and students will have more time to apply. Employers do not need a labour market impact assessment but must show they can't find help within Canada. Deborah Smith appointed chief justice New chief justice of the Supreme Court in Nova Scotia practised at McInnes Cooper NOVA SCOTIA'S new chief justice of the Supreme Court is the second woman in the province's history to hold the position and is recognized by fellow judges and lawyers as a leader in judicial education. Called to the bar in 1984, Deborah Smith has been a member of the court since 2001 and spent the preceding 17 years at McInnes Cooper, practising civil and family law. In 2004, Smith was made associate chief justice, the first woman in Nova Scotia appointed to that role. Tilly Pillay, executive director of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, says the province's