Residential Landlord-Tenant Disputes: Essentials for Lawyers and Paralegals 2022

8:45 a.m. ET
Program Login

9:00 a.m.
Chairs’ Introduction and Opening Remarks

Jack Fleming, Executive Director, North Peel & Dufferin Community Legal Services
Kristin Ley, Cohen Highley LLP

9:05 a.m.
Essential Update: Recent Developments in Residential Landlord-Tenant Law

Jack Fleming, Executive Director, North Peel & Dufferin Community Legal Services
Kristin Ley, Cohen Highley LLP

A comprehensive and practical refresher on cases and other developments from the past year. This essential update will cover:

• New remedies and liabilities for landlords and tenants
• Significant decisions from both the Landlord and Tenant Board and the appeal courts
• Changes to the Small Claims Court jurisdiction
• Recent decisions of the Board regarding bankruptcy proceedings

10:15 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m.
Landlord vs. Tenant: Clashing Perspectives

Yodit Edemariam, Director of Legal Services, Rexdale Community Legal Clinic

Jack Fleming, Executive Director, North Peel & Dufferin Community Legal Services

Laura Groshok, Cohen Highley LLP

Joe Hoffer, Cohen Highley LLP

This highly anticipated annual panel will feature experienced practitioners from both sides squaring off on some key and very timely issues, including:

• Illegal act evictions
• Small Claims Court jurisdiction issues
• Substantial interference with landlord’s and tenant’s legal rights (breaches of COVID protocols, interference with neighbours, workplace harassment, etc.)
• Unauthorized occupants
• Snow clearing and lawn mowing – whose responsibility?
• Rent reductions on COVID related closure of amenities

12:30 p.m.
Lunch break

1:15 p.m.
Procedural Changes

Norma English, Director of Legal Services, North Peel & Dufferin Community Legal Services
Eli Fellman, Counsel, Tribunals Ontario
Stephanie Lauersen, Cohen Highley LLP

The pandemic continues to present a number of challenges to both landlord’s and tenant’s counsel. This session – focused on the practical – will examine recent developments, including:

• The new procedures, rules and guidelines at the Landlord and Tenant Board
• The new Landlord and Tenant Board portal

2:45 p.m.
Motions to Dismiss Appeals

Doug Levitt, Horlick Levitt Di Lella LLP

Get expert insight and practical tips from a practitioner with significant experience arguing this common, yet often complicated, type of motion. This session will be equally beneficial to landlord’s and tenant’s counsel.

3:15 p.m.
Break

3:30 p.m.
The Human Rights Code in Residential Tenancies

Caryma Sa’d, Law Office of Caryma Sa’d

Lee Webb, Manager of Services and Education, , Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA)

The interrelationship between The Human Rights Code and residential tenancies law is thoroughly examined in this session as you’ll hear a recap of all the human rights issues in housing from the past year.

4:30 p.m.
Ethics and Professionalism for Residential Landlord-Tenant Law Practitioners

Jack Fleming, Executive Director, North Peel & Dufferin Community Legal Services
Joe Hoffer, Cohen Highley LLP

In this final session, you will analyze some of the key professional challenges confronting today’s residential tenancies law practitioner including:

• When can a client’s confidential information be disclosed to another lawyer or paralegal? To a court or tribunal? To the police?
• In what instances can a lawyer or paralegal be in breach of their duty to encourage compromise or settlement?

5:00 p.m.
Program Ends