Legal news & strategy
Letter to Legal Aid Ontario
From June 9th – July 9th, 2023, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) held an open consultation on tariff increases for lawyers. Luke’s Place submitted a letter to LAO’s Consultation department in response to the proposal to reform tariffs for the lawyers on their panel. Overall, we are supportive of the proposed amendments, but strongly encourage legal…
Read moreOntario Court of Appeal Rejects Tort of Family Violence in Decision of Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia
The Ontario Court of Appeal rejects the tort of family violence in the decision of Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia, which was released on Friday, July 7, 2023. Luke’s Place intervened in this appeal along with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic based on our collective experience supporting survivors of IPV. We sought intervenor status to help the…
Read moreAllegations of Parental Alienation and Family Violence
The following blog post was written by Ibukun Ogunfuwa[1] and Joanna Harris[2] Allegations of parental alienation can significantly impact cases involving family violence. It can be a very challenging and emotionally distressing situation for all involved, particularly the accused parent. The term parental alienation was first coined by Richard Gardner in the mid-1980s, in response…
Read moreLuke’s Place Position – Criminalization of Coercive Control
While our work at Luke’s Place is focused on the family law needs and experiences of women who have left relationships in which they were subjected to abuse, we are well aware that other legal systems intersect with family law. For this reason, we have been paying close attention to the issue of whether or…
Read moreRecent Case: Family Reunification Therapy
C.B. v. E.G. 2023 ONSC 1571 This is an interesting decision concerning a father seeking family reunification therapy in order to repair his fractured relationship with his 17-year-old daughter. The mother and father, in this case, had joint decision-making and parenting time of their two children (one who is now 18 and the 17-year-old). The…
Read moreRecent Case: Imputing Income Beyond the Minimum Wage
Osanebi v. Osanebi 2023 ONSC 2546 This is an endorsement based on an application for an uncontested trial. The mother in this case sought the following relief: a divorce, decision-making responsibility for her two children and child support. The mother and father were married for 6 years before they separated. The father relocated to Nigeria and has not been involved in the children’s lives…
Read moreNational Sexual Assault Awareness Month
May is recognized as National Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Canada. This is an important time to reflect on the prevalence of sexual violence in Canada and how we can work towards improving support and services for those who have been subjected to this violence. Sexual violence is highly gendered. Women, girls, and gender-diverse people…
Read moreThe challenge of judicial education
The passage of Bill C-233 through third reading in the Senate on April 19th offers hope to survivors of intimate partner violence and their children, while also raising some questions about exactly how it will be implemented. While the Bill has two distinct components – the use of electronic monitoring in intimate partner violence (IPV)…
Read moreNova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission Releases Final Report
On March 30, the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission released its final report, Turning the Tide Together. The Mass Casualty Commission was the joint public inquiry created to examine the April 18-19, 2020, mass casualty in Nova Scotia, in which a sole perpetrator killed 22 people throughout rural Nova Scotia, and to provide meaningful recommendations…
Read moreLuke’s Place intervenes in the important decision of Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia
On March 23, 2023, Luke’s Place was honoured to intervene in Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia at the Ontario Court of Appeal along with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic. The decision recognizes a new tort of family violence and has important implications for survivors of intimate partner violence throughout the province. This case involved a 17-year traditional…
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