Supreme Court of Canada to examine boundaries of ‘conflict of interest’
The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday hears a case that will likely clarify when lawyers can act against former clients in unrelated matters….Alan Hutchinson, Distinguished Research Professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, believes the choices before the Supreme Court may not be as clear cut as some might think. “Acting for a former client on an unrelated and small matter shouldn’t be a problem, but acting on a huge matter – say, the takeover of the former client – could be a problem even if it is strictly speaking unrelated to the current retainer,” said Hutchinson in the Financial Post Jan. 23. Read full story.
Krivina a journey to find old friends, rejoin a war-torn country
“I basically fell out of my chair,” recalled the Sarajevo-born Toronto filmmaker and York University grad Igor Drljaca, in Metro Jan. 22, of learning that his debut feature Krivina had been selected for last year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). On one hand, it’s easy to understand why he was surprised. Shot over a period of three years on a shoestring budget of about $15,000, Krivina is one of the more modest productions to be tapped by TIFF in a long time. Read full story.
For every benefit of telecommuting, a challenge
Employers will have built-in advantages by having employees work on computers remotely in the future, says Ellen Auster, professor of strategic management and policy at York University’s Schulich School of Business, in The Globe and Mail Jan. 23. Employees are not geographically constrained, meaning the company saves on real estate by not having to buy a big building and manage it. Read full story.
Cannex launches annuity tools
Toronto-based financial data provider Cannex Financial Exchanges Ltd. has introduced annuity and retirement income educational tools designed to enhance advisors' financial planning processes when serving their client's retirement income needs…."Choosing the right annuity can be a confusing process for many consumers and even for some of their advisors, so anything that can be done to supplement advisors' existing planning processes is a valuable addition to the industry," says York University Professor Moshe A. Milevsky and CEO of the QWeMA Group, in Investment Executive Jan. 22. Read full story.
Seniors bring joy of movement to dance class
Supported by the Ontario government’s Healthy Communities fund, the program is a joint project between York University’s dance department and community agencies, such as Downsview Services for Seniors, reported the North York Mirror Jan. 22. Students from York’s dance and nursing departments teach the classes. Dance classes provide particular benefits for seniors, said April Nakaima, a project coordinator for the program and a course leader in York’s dance department. Read full story.
How an empty office stays productive
The Toronto office of technology services company T4G Ltd. has become close to virtual, with staff free to either work from home or on the road most days. Ellen Auster, professor of strategic management and policy at York University’s Schulich School of Business, adds that there are advantages for both employers and employees by decentralizing the workplace. “There are advantages [for the employer] even before they get the folks on board,” she says in The Globe and Mail Jan. 23, noting the money saved on real estate and taxes, and the cost of managing and maintaining a building. There’s also better work-life balance for the people doing the work, a smaller carbon footprint with less commuting and high-tech virtual meetings. Read full story.
Dancing to music, not playing it, is what drives Dufferin Grove resident
Andrea Nann, a Vancouver native, moved to Toronto in 1985 to pursue a fine arts honours degree at York University before settling in the Dufferin and Bloor West streets neighbourhood in 1992, where she and her husband are raising their children, reported the Bloor West Villager Jan. 21…. Nann is a member of Baker’s company. Since 2003, Nann has danced in many of Baker’s group works both in Toronto and on tour, including Piano Quartet, Coalesce and in her site-specific work, Night Garden, as part of the National Ballet School/Nuit Blanche 2012. Read full story.
Condo residents try to stop Real Jerk restaurant from obtaining liquor licence in their building
Not in my condo building. That’s what some residents of Edge Lofts, a six-storey structure at 625 Queen St. E., are saying as the Real Jerk restaurant attempts to obtain a liquor licence for its new location, reported the Toronto Star Jan. 23….But the city can expect more disputes like this as the number of mixed-use buildings increases – Toronto residents simply aren’t used to the concept, said Ute Lehrer, a professor with York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies and an expert in cities and urban planning….She wonders if a high-end or “yuppie” restaurant would garner as much opposition in this case. Read full story.