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REGIONAL WRAP-UP Security beefed up in Saskatoon courts ments were recently implemented. If necessary, members of the public may be examined S by hand-held metal detectors before being granted entry to the courthouse. The same perimeter screening will soon be rolled out in the Court of Queen's Bench and Family Court in Saskatoon. Laur'Lei Silzer, director of communications for the Ministry of Justice, says the measures were taken to ensure the safety and perceived safety of the people who attend court, including judges, court workers, accused, and wit- nesses. "Any member of the public who has reason to be in pectators in Saskatoon's Provincial Court will have to walk through a metal detector and could have their bags x-rayed and searched after new security enhance- the courthouse, this is to protect their security," she says. Silzer says no specific incident spurred the enhanced security but the department has been following develop- ments in other jurisdictions. "It seems to be the way of things," she says. Silzer says the security upgrades should have been completed earlier but the ongoing economic boom in Saskatchewan has meant it's been difficult to find general contractors to do the renovations. Perimeter security systems are in place and operational in Prince Albert and Regina. More than two-thirds of court appearances in Saskatchewan will now be in screened courthouses. — GK couldn't be happier. The young lawyer who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Louise Charron was headed to work at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General's Crown Law Offi ce (Criminal Division) when she ended up taking over the Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, the nation's fi rst, established in Montreal in 1869. Next month will A passion for pooches A lanna Devine went from the big- gest courthouse in the land to the country's oldest doghouse and mark the first anni- versary of 29-year-old Devine being named acting executive direc- tor of the Montreal SPCA, a position the McGill University law graduate says hopes will become per- manent. "I was sup- posed to move to Toronto to become a prosecutor, but ended up staying here and pursuing my passion for animals," Devine says. "I made the commitment to have a career in animal law and ani- mal welfare. This is the biggest challenge of my life so far." The self-described animal lover, despite being allergic to cats, recalls she "didn't want anything to do with the place in the past when Barnoti was still there. But I jumped at the opportunity to join when he went on sick leave." She is referring to Pierre Barnoti, the execu- tive director who was fired last July, four months after taking sick leave on the heels of accusations of mismanagement during his 13-year reign. In addition to trying to help the Alanna Devine's career is in the doghouse. Montreal SPCA turn its tarnished image around following the Barnoti days, Devine is fighting for the power to enforce Criminal Code sections that prohibit cruelty to ani- mals in a province rec- ognized as the puppy mill capital of North America with an esti- mated 2,200 operat- ing across Quebec. "In other provinces, the SPCA has the power to enforce, but not in Quebec," notes Devine who joined the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2007. She plans to join the Barreau du Québec as well. The daughter of Montreal family law- yer Donald Devine at Devine Schachter Polak, where she once worked for six months — "I loved working for him, 10 M ARCH 2009 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com CENTRAL CANADA but hated family law" — says highly publicized raids on some puppy mills last year had double-edged benefits. "We rescued dogs and sensitized the public to the problem. Now people want more action taken." "I'm just enjoying the ride for the moment," Devine adds. "There's still lots to be done, but I'm very proud of what we've accomplished so far." It's no exaggeration when she says she's "a bit of a workaholic." Devine ini- tially logged 12- to 14-hour days, seven days a week, and at the beginning of the year began trying to keep to no more than a dozen hours daily and a maxi- mum of one day over the weekend. Devine compares animal rights law with environmental law. "Eventually we'll see animal rights as a legitimately recognized area of practice and I defi- nitely see animal law as my future," she says of her aspirations to open Canada's first law firm dedicated to that cause. — MIKE KING mking@videotron.ca