This post may be of interest to those looking for a quick, efficient, time-sensitive and less expensive way to arbitrate a dispute. On July 24, 2020, the 77th Session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, (UNCITRAL) Working Group II (Dispute Settlement) published its draft Expedited Arbitration Provisions. Before that, the Secretariat was requested to collect information on the different roles undertaken by arbitral institutions in administering expedited arbitration. Accordingly, the Secretariat circulated a questionnaire to arbitration institutions and related organizations on 26 April 2019 and received responses from 18 institutions as of 29 July 2019. The arbitral institutions administering expedited arbitration that responded were these: Vienna International Arbitral Centre, Construction Industry Arbitration Council, Russian Arbitration Center, Milan Chamber of Arbitration, London Court of International Arbitration, Georgian International Arbitration Centre, Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, … Read More
Can The Condo Corporation Register A Lien On My Condo Unit?
A recent Divisional Court decision, Amlani v. YCC 473, 2020 ONSC 5090, confirmed that there are two separate ways to register a condo lien depending on whether the amount is related to common expenses (or “condo fees”), or related to compliance and enforcement expenses. A condo lien may be registered without a court order when the condo corporation seeks to recover unpaid condo fees. However, condo corporations are generally required to obtain a court order to register a lien when seeking to recover legal fees and expenses incurred for compliance and enforcement matters. Background The condo owner, a smoker for 56 years, purchased the unit after confirming that smoking was allowed in the building. A few years later, the neighbour complained about the smell of smoke but the issue was resolved after the condo corporation sealed certain openings at its own cost. When new complaints about the smell of smoke … Read More
Nick Poon Comments on Anti-Black Racism in Commercial Lease Dispute for The Lawyer’s Daily
Nick Poon was recently asked by The Lawyer’s Daily to comment on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision in Elias Restaurant v. Keele Sheppard Plaza Inc., 2020 ONSC 5457. The Lawyer’s Daily article is found here: Court cites ‘prejudices’ to Black tenants in overturning landlord’s eviction bid. In this case, the tenant was a husband and wife team that operated a successful restaurant/bar offering African and Caribbean cultural foods primarily to the black community. The tenant had spent $150,000 in leasehold improvements when it took over the lease in 2013. The lease included two further five-year renewal options, upon delivery of written notice at least six months before the lease expired. Although the tenant attempted to contact the landlord, both before and after the notice deadline, to start the renewal process, the landlord appeared to have avoided its telephone calls. The tenant brought an application for relief from forfeiture … Read More
Arbitration Without an Arbitration Clause | When Can I Arbitrate?
When Is Arbitration Available? An agreement to refer or submit disputes to arbitration may be made before a dispute arises or after a dispute has arisen. Arbitration Clause and Standalone Agreement to Submit Disputes to Arbitration An agreement to arbitrate typically appears as an arbitration clause in a contract in relation to which a dispute has arisen. However, resolving disputes by arbitration may be possible even if the parties have not included an arbitration clause in the contract – if they agree to submit disputes to arbitration by a standalone arbitration agreement. This way the parties to a dispute can agree to submit a dispute to arbitration even if they did not include an arbitration clause in the contract, if any, in dispute. This option provides the parties with the advantages of arbitration as a presumptively private and confidential, efficient, faster and therefore less expensive way to resolve disputes. Statutory … Read More
Employment Arbitrator | Reasonable Fees and Good Availability
David Alderson, LL.B, LL.M, Q.Arb – Employment Arbitrator Competitive Fee Rates Offered. Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Arbitrator Experience David Alderson is an experienced, independent and qualified arbitrator. He has been appointed as arbitrator by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to adjudicate disputes. David accepts appointment as an employment dispute arbitrator. David is a full member of the ADR Institute of Ontario and is in its arbitrating member’s Directory of Ontario Dispute Resolution Professionals, as well being a member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, where he appears on its Roster of Member Arbitrators. His roster membership can be viewed here. He hold an LL.B (Osgoode), LL.M (Lond.) and Q.Arb (ADR Institute of Canada). David is on the newly formed Member’s Roster for Remote Arbitration and Mediation Services, for the provision of remote Arbitration in a wide variety of disputes. David has completed the Foundations in Judicial Competencies Series, and has … Read More
Online Defamation and Use of Pseudonyms
Online Defamation (“Cyber Libel”) Many of our defamation matters come from the internet. These cases take many forms, from defamatory articles, to social media posts, to negative reviews of a business or person. Courts have recognized that online defamation or “cyber libel” is far more perverse than other forms of defamation. This is because internet users can reach the global population within seconds by publishing defamatory remarks about an individual or a business. As such, cyber libel can be significantly more damaging to a person’s business and/or reputation than other forms of defamation. Posting via Online Pseudonyms Some individuals go so far as to create aliases to post malicious and defamatory comments about others on the internet. In Ontario, you can sue an anonymous defamer by naming them as “John Doe” and/or “Jane Doe” in your claim against them. There are methods to determine the identity of these anonymous defamers, … Read More
Toronto Defamation Lawyers – Libel and Slander Law in Ontario
Defamation is the tort of false publication (whether written or oral). Typically, a publication which tends to lower a person’s reputation in the opinion of reasonable members of society, or to expose a person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, is defamatory and will attract liability. The major piece of legislation governing the law of defamation in Ontario is the Libel and Slander Act. According to the Act, you can be defamed in two ways: via either (1) Libel and/or (2) Slander. What is Libel? Defamatory communications may be by words, pictures, sounds, or other forms of communication. They may be published on the internet, in social media postings, on websites, online reviews, chat rooms, or in other forms of broadcast. The dissemination of such defamatory comments or communications to the public is libelous. What is Slander? Slander is the public utterance of words that are meant to disparage a person … Read More
Corona Divorce: Worldwide Increase in Divorce Rates and Inquiries After Coronavirus Quarantine
Divorce rates and inquiries have dramatically increased across the world because of lockdowns brought by governments intended to stop the spread of COVID-19. The stress of the pandemic, coupled with being confined in close quarters for weeks, added financial worries and increased childcare responsibilities are thought to be behind this increase. Back in March, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, one of the UK’s most eminent family law lawyers told her peers at Westminister: “The prediction amongst divorce lawyers is that following self-imposed confinement it is very likely that the divorce rate will rise.” She further noted: “”One only has to imagine what it’s going to be like when families are sealed in a property for a long period of time.” As China emerged from lockdown in March, numerous cities across China reported large increases in divorce filings. Specific numbers are not available as China only releases statistics on divorces annually. Saudi … Read More
Construction Arbitrator | Reasonable Hourly Rate | Good Availability
Construction arbitrators must be able to arbitrate efficiently and at the pace required by the parties, disputes ranging from simple renovations and repair, to complex multi-party multi-staged projects. The ability to understand construction stages and complexities of design, architecture, engineering and project management, and technical dimensions of a construction dispute are the hallmarks of an effective construction arbitrator. Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Experience In his practice here in Ontario, and when practicing in Dubai and Bermuda, David has been involved in a wide array of construction disputes, including, but not limited to project development, project finance, infrastructure and construction disputes, including matters involving parking garages, road building, residential house construction and renovation, condo development and financing disputes, numerous joint venture disputes, matters involving demolition, collapse, fire and flood, as well as contract disputes concerning construction quality and warranties; and labour disputes in the construction industry. Arbitrator … Read More
Tech Arbitrator | IP Arbitrator | IT Arbitrator | Internet Arbitrator
David Alderson LL.B, LL.M, Q.Arb : Reasonable hourly rates, with good availability. Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Experience David Alderson is an experienced, qualified and independent arbitrator who offers appointment as an arbitrator in technology arbitration. He has been appointed arbitrator by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in commercial arbitration matters. His practice of over 40 years, and in Canada and other international jurisdictions, has been in a diverse array of commercial and technical disputes, including trademark infringement, passing off, copyright infringement, injunctions to take down fake websites and applications to transfer confusingly similar domain names, licensing disputes, reinsurance, and marine arbitration. He has been counsel in both the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal in a leading trademark and internet case. He has been counsel in numerous internet-related disputes. Technology David’s practice areas, though diverse, mostly share a common trait, namely that they … Read More
Construction Law Lawyers – An Overview of Construction Law
Construction law and practice, largely governed by the Construction Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.30 (the “Act”), is a specialized field of law which has unique attributes, processes and deadlines. One cannot contract out of the application of the Act and must abide by its provisions. Without going into the various intricacies, the following is a brief primer on some (not all) key parts of the Act for those that may need legal assistance with a construction related dispute. The Initial Contract A construction project will typically start with a contract between a property owner and a general contractor. For a fee, the contractor takes on the responsibility of overseeing the project and supplying services and/or materials to the construction project. The Subcontracts The contractor often needs help from tradespeople (“subcontractors” or “subtrades”) with various aspects of the project like plumbing, painting, etc. For such assistance, the contractor tends to enlist … Read More
Commercial Arbitrator at Reasonable Hourly Rates – David Alderson
David Alderson. LL.B, LL.M. Q.Arb – Background Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST David has been accredited by the ADR Institute as Canada as a Qualified Arbitrator (Q.Arb). He accepts appointments as a commercial arbitrator, international commercial arbitrator and as a business dispute arbitrator, at reasonable hourly rates and with good availability. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has appointed David in commercial arbitration matters. David is a member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, has successfully completed their Gold Standard Course in Commercial Arbitration, and is on the TCAS Roster of Arbitrating Members. He is also a Full Member of the ADR Institute of Ontario and appears in its Member Directory. David is on the Ontario Bar Association roster of Remote Arbitrator and Mediator Services. David has lived and practiced commercial arbitration in Ontario, England, Bermuda and Dubai, in a wide variety of disputes in a diverse range of businesses … Read More
Is it a Gift or a Loan?
Have you loaned money to a friend or relative who now refuses to repay you and alleges that the loan was actually a gift? Or are you on the other side of this problem wherein your friend or relative gifted you a sum of money a while ago but is now demanding repayment? These issues come up most often in the private sphere where parties to a transaction do not habitually document all of their ventures. Nevertheless, verbal loan or gift agreements of this sort are still enforceable. Litigation involving a disagreement about whether a transaction was a loan or a gift is typically commenced by the transferor (i.e. the person who has transferred the funds) who claims that the transfer was a loan and not a gift. If you require assistance in either commencing such a claim in the Superior Court of Justice or defending against same, we have … Read More
Five Common Myths about Divorce
Both Spouses Need to Consent to Divorce In Canada, if one spouse wants to divorce, they do not need to seek their spouse’s consent to divorce. Canadian courts will grant a divorce under three grounds: if spouses have been separated from each other for a year without reconciling; if a spouse has proven adultery occurred during the marriage and they have not absolved their spouse; and if one spouse proved they received mentally or physically cruel treatment from their spouse. The Spouse Who Earns Less Income Always Receives Spousal Support Unlike child support, separated and divorced spouses do not have an automatic right to receive spousal support when their marriage ends. Separated spouses may be entitled to receive spousal support. There are several factors which give rise to an entitlement to spousal support. These factors include the length of the marriage or relationship, the roles each spouse played in the … Read More
Toronto Lawyers for Mortgage Defaults – Assessing your Bank’s Bill
Once a mortgage has been defaulted on, banks and other mortgage lenders will often charge mortgagors (you-the borrower and their customer) exorbitant and excessive fees, whether it be intentional or not. Time and again, we have seen these fees levied at exponentially greater amounts than lenders are reasonably entitled to charge under the circumstances. The charging of such unreasonably high fees has not been viewed favourably by the courts. In the midst of Covid-19 related complications and with other financial difficulties remaining on the horizon, many property owners have been unable to continue to pay their mortgages on a consistent basis. One difficulty that presents itself for home owners in this type of situation is the ability of their mortgage lenders to sell their properties via “power of sale” proceedings. A power of sale is meant to pay off secured mortgage lenders for the amount that they are owed under … Read More
Gilbertson Davis LLP Welcomes Associate Lawyer Josef Finkel!
Gilbertson Davis LLP extends a Warm Welcome to Associate Lawyer Josef Finkel who has joined the Firm following his recent Call to the Ontario Bar. Josef holds a Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School (2019), and a B.A. (Social Science) from York University (2016). Josef recently completed his Articles and has experience in matters which include corporate/commercial, shareholder, real estate, landlord and tenant, debtor and creditor, construction law and wrongful dismissal disputes and litigation, as well as personal injury law. Josef is fluent in conversational Russian, and has assumed leadership postings in various philanthropic organizations. Josef also maintains a keen interest in fitness and health. Josef will assist the Firm in all aspects of its practice, and is expected to make particular contributions to its commercial litigation practice. Further details may be found at: www.gilbertsondavis.com
Arbitrator, with Reasonable Fees and Good Availability
David Alderson is an accredited, qualified, independent and experienced commercial arbitrator, who arbitrates a wide variety of disputes. He has been appointed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in commercial arbitration matters. David offers arbitration services at a reasonable fee, and has good availability for hearings and other arbitration procedures. Sole Arbitrator – $450.00 per hour, plus HST Arbitrating Member David is a arbitrating member of a number of institutions, including The ADR Institute of Ontario, The Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, the Ontario Bar Association Remote Arbitrator Member Roster, and Gilbertson Davis LLP Arbitration and Mediation Chambers. He is also Senior Counsel – Commercial Litigation, at Gilbertson Davis LLP, and has practiced in a number of jurisdictions in most areas of commercial and civil litigation. Arbitration of Disputes David’s primary focus on arbitration is for commercial disputes, including business disputes, shareholder and partnership disputes, director and officer disputes, real estate, condo and commercial leasing disputes, projects and joint venture disputes, construction, sale of … Read More