Canadian Lawyer

June 2016

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14 J U N E 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m New Edition Martin's Related Criminal Statutes, 2016-2017 Edition Special Edition - In Memory of The Honourable Mr. Justice Marc Rosenberg Marie Henein, , Edward L. Greenspan, Q.C., and The Honourable Mr. Justice Marc Rosenberg New in this edition Case Law Highlights • Canada (Attorney General) v. Federation of Law Societies (2015 S.C.C.) • R. v. Taylor (2015 Ont.C.A.) • R. v. Tyers (2015 B.C.C.A.) • R. v. Vivares (2016 Ont.C.A.) • Alberta (Chief Firearms Officer) v. Runkle (2015 Alta. C.A.) • Strickland v. Canada (Attorney General) (2015 S.C.C.) • M.M. v. United States of America (2015 S.C.C.) • United States of America v. Viscomi (2015 Ont.C.A.; leave to appeal to S.C.C. refused) • Erasmo v. Canada (Attorney General) (2015 F.C.A.) Legislative Amendments • Canada Evidence Act • Competition Act • Corrections and Conditional Release Act • Customs Act • Federal Courts Act • Firearms Act • Fisheries Act • Income Tax Act • Interpretation Act • Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act • Prisons and Reformatories Act • Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Finance Act • Seized Property Management Act • Sex Offender Information Registration Act Available in print and online in CriminalSource™ Fully annotated by three of Canada's preeminent authorities on criminal law, Martin's Related Criminal Statutes, 2016-2017 Edition contains a winning combination of insight and information. On subscription Order # 804939-65203 $125 Hardcover April 2016 approx. 1680 pages 978-0-88804-939-1 Annual volumes supplied on standing order subscription Multiple copy discounts available Canada Law Book One-time purchase Order # 804939-65203 $129 Multiple copy discounts available Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. 00236UV-A60177 \ AT L A N T I C \ C E N T R A L \ P R A I R I E S \ W E S T REGIONAL WRAP-UP 'Lies, fabrications, misrepresentations': Court slams disbarred lawyer then feigned a phone call from the woman to be questioned saying she could not appear. "Rather than trying to clear Mr. Luft's reputation," Martin wrote, "Mr. Zinkhofer filled their lives with lies, fabrications, misrep- resentations and unnecessary, unused and futile documents." In 2004, Zinkhofer was finally disbarred. But it was not until 2015 that a suit launched by the Lufts against Zinkhofer came to court. They won. Earlier this year, they were awarded almost $750,000 in damages plus costs. Canadian Lawyer contacted Zinkhofer, but he refused to com- ment. — GEOFF ELLWAND writerlaw@gmail.com Continued from page 13 L egal Aid Alberta has a money problem. The organization's president and CEO Suzanne Polkosnik says "a disappointing" $2.5-mil- lion increase in annual provincial funding means the organization "will have inadequate funds to cover our costs for the entirety of the year." This comes in spite of legal aid trimming services, consolidating staff, and reducing office space. "[We] have stripped $5.5 million out of internal costs," says Polkosnik. The cash problems are exacerbated by Alberta's sputtering economy, which has resulted in a 37-per-cent "explosion in demand for service." Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley is aware of LAA's problems. She has created an eight-person ministry team, led by Deputy Minister and former law dean Philip Bryden, to take a hard look at the legal aid system. "We want to see if we can identify ways to make [legal aid] more effective," says Ganley, "to see if we can get more bang for our buck." "Where will that take us?" asks Polkosnik. "That's not clear. But we've been repeatedly told there are no foregone conclusions." While LAA is not endorsing any particular course of action, it may start hiring its own staff counsel rather than using private criminal and family lawyers, as it does now. "We are examining whether a staff model is more effective than a certificate model," says Ganley. Based on recommendations from her internal panel, Ganley will take proposals to cabinet some time this summer. The surge in demand is putting added stress on front-line legal aid workers such as Jamie Simmons. She is one of the people who fields often desperate calls from the public. "People are in [custody] or in the middle of a terrible marriage crisis or have lost their children. It's a very hard job," she says. "That's why we stay. We make a difference." Everyone agrees legal aid makes a difference, but depending on what recommendations are ultimately accepted by the Alberta cabinet, the program that delivers those services may itself become very differ- ent. — GE BIG CHANGES IN ALBERTA'S LEGAL AID SYSTEM? STAY TUNED

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