SLAPP SUITS

The Ontario Attorney General of Ontario is beginning to tackle the issue of SLAPP suits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). 
A new advisory panel will suggest possible content for legislation that would help prevent lawsuits from being used to silence critics by imposing long and costly court processes on them.  
Its advisory panel apparently reported to the AG on September 30, 2010


See the news release Protecting Freedom Of Expression In Public Debate

MINISTER "RESPONDS" TO OMB IRREGULARITIES

Rick Bartolucci, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, has replied to Lakeshore Planning Council's letter of July 2nd, 2010. In that letter, LPC drew the attention of Jim Bradley, the Minister at that time, to a number of "irregularities" regarding the developer's appeal before the OMB.  The developer's grounds for the appeal are based on his assertion that the City delayed his building application.   
LPC's detailed letter containing information pertaining to the proposal indicates that, in fact, the developer appears to be responsible for the delay and questions whether the application should have been forwarded to the OMB in the first place. LPC had hoped that the information provided might help staff determine how policy could be changed to avoid this kind of situation in the future.
Here is the new Minister's far from adequate reply.