Whether it has been putrid-smelling pig farms or pollution-spewing industry, the courts have stood up to business in the past and will continue to do so, says one legal expert. “The idea of issuing an injunction (against a business) to prevent noxious activity is nothing new,” said Allan Hutchinson, associate dean at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School, in a story in The Era-Banner (Newmarket) Oct. 5. It falls within the courts’ mandate if it is believed halting the operations of a business is vital to the community. Which was the case when a Newmarket Superior Court ordered Halton Recycling Ltd. to close its doors following years of odour complaints from neighbouring residents and businesses, Hutchinson added.
Situations such as the problem with Halton Recycling can often become bogged down by the various competing levels of government, making adjudication from the courts necessary, reported The Era-Banner. Hutchinson agreed. “There are going to be those who say there should be more (court intervention). That you can’t buy your way out of pollution,” Hutchinson said. “That’s the price of doing business. If you can’t play within the existing rules, you’re gonna get hit.”
Brantford native studies criminology and suits up for Lions
Athlete of the Week Jordon Hall is an 18-year-old graduate of Pauline Johnson Collegiate (PJC) who played football for seven years and excelled in the sport, reported the Brantford Expositor Oct. 5. He was a member of his high-school football team, played for the Brantford Bisons football team and was part of the 2003 Team Southern Ontario. Hall was a member of the PJC team that won the 2004 & 2005 Brant County Football Championships, he received the team’s most valuable player award and numerous other awards as a player with the Bisons. Hall is currently attending York University, pursuing a degree in criminology and playing linebacker for the York Lions. His goal for the future is a career with the RCMP.
Beare says Manitoba anti-gang program is the right approach
The Manitoba attorney general’s office has announced a $1-million program aimed at steering young offenders with gang connections toward a straighter path. The Winnipeg Police Service and the RCMP say the initiative will bring some much-needed coordination to a mix of agencies currently trying to tackle the growing gang problem. A criminologist at Toronto’s York University called the program’s potential excellent. “This sounds like it’s certainly the way to go,” said Margaret Beare, professor at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School and in the Faculty of Arts, who has written and taught about organized crime. “People are turning too much to an assumption that law enforcement and police crackdowns are the answer. But you need community support and a wide array of approaches.”