New Proposed Apology Legislation in Ontario

By: Omar Ha-Redeye · October 7, 2008 · Filed Under Legal Reform · 6 Comments 

Just over a month ago I said on Slaw,

…government officials should also review legislation relating to liability of public apologies so that responsible companies like Maple Leaf are not penalized in the process.

It seems someone was paying attention.

A new proposed law would address this issue.  The Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario said in a release today,

The Apology Act would, if passed:

  • Allow individuals and organizations, such as hospitals and other public institutions, to apologize for an accident or wrongdoing, without it being used as evidence of liability in a civil legal proceeding under provincial law
  • Help victims by acknowledging that harm has been done to them — an apology is often key to the healing process
  • Promote accountability, transparency and patient safety by allowing open and frank discussions between patients and health care providers
  • Enhance the affordability and speed of the justice system by fostering the resolution of civil disputes and shortening or avoiding litigation.

B.C., Manitoba, and Saskatchewan have already enacted similar legislation.

xPD from Slaw.

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Omar Ha-Redeye, Law is Cool Founder, joins Slaw

By: Omar Ha-Redeye · August 18, 2008 · Filed Under Administrative · 6 Comments 

After founding this site in the summer of 2007, it has quickly grown into the largest law school website in Canada.

It has been a great experience, not without challenges, but the time has come to take on new initiatives.

For that reason, I’m pleased to share that I’m accepting an invitation to join Slaw, “a cooperative Canadian weblog on things legal.” It’s really an honour to share the same web space with the biggest legal names in Canada.

You can see my posts there for this week:

Our site here has grown enough that we have many regular contributors and several editors that can keep it running. I’ll still be around and contribute, but my attention is obviously divided between two sites now.

And for any students out there who doubt that blogging on legal issues (as opposed to your personal life, happenings at law school, etc.) is a good way to build relationships with senior practitioners in the field, please do take note. We’re always willing to consider serious and dedicated law students interested in joining the team.

I’ll also be launching a personal site in the near future to keep track of some of my professional activities, including an upcoming book publication with Oxford University Press.

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