Vandermeer Legal Services

12/24/2022

11/11/2022

Lest We Forget 🌹
Thank you to Canada's Veterans for their service and sacrifice.

11/09/2022

Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) will be focusing on above-guideline rent increase applications (AGIs) until the end of the year. If approved, AGIs allow landlords to increase rent above the annual rent increase guideline of 1% or 2%.

While the LTB prioritizes corporations, small landlords and tenants are left to struggle financially while awaiting decisions on their pending applications that range from non-payment of rent to unlawful eviction. The impact of waiting several months for a decision on a LTB application can be devastating for small landlords, sometimes resulting in the inability to pay household expenses and mortgages due to carrying the cost of a rental unit with non-paying tenants and no mechanism to enforce an eviction.

People's livelihoods are on the line, but it seems that as long as corporations are getting paid, the LTB is happy.

The province's delay-ridden Landlord and Tenant Board is prioritizing applications from landlords asking for above guideline rent increases until the end of the year, according to a memo obtained by CBC Toronto.

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween!🎃
Eat, drink and be scary.

07/01/2022

Happy Canada Day! 🍁 This beautiful country is full of wonderful people. We have come a long way and we still have a long way to go, but I am proud to be a citizen of this amazing nation!

06/30/2022

Ontario's 2023 rent increase guideline of 2.5% is less than half what it should be, considering inflation. The guideline has been capped "to help protect tenants from significant rent increases."

Ontario Caps 2023 Rent Increase Guideline Below Inflation at 2.5 Per Cent | Ontario Newsroom

06/28/2022

This is a significant development in the regulation of paralegals offering immigration services. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is a federal act under which paralegals are identified as being authorized to represent or advise individuals in the submission of an expression of interest or in a proceeding or application made under the Act (s. 91(2)(b)). In other words, paralegals are named alongside lawyers and regulated immigration consultants in being authorized to provide legal immigration services to the public. However, the Law Society of Ontario continues to limit the scope of paralegals to representing clients only in matters before the Immigration and Refugee Board. I am curious to see how the Law Society of Ontario responds to IRCC Minister Sean Fraser's letter that re-affirms the correct interpretation of IRPA as it pertains to paralegals.
Thank you for continuing to advocate for paralegals and our scope of practice Caruso Legal Services Paralegal.

A letter from the immigration minister states that paralegals have the right to practise immigration

06/03/2022

Fraud continues to be a significant issue in our rapidly evolving technological landscape. As digitalization is embraced by both public and private sectors, individuals and businesses are faced with the emergence of new and evolving forms of digital fraud. According to an article by Security Magazine, digital fraud rises year over year as a result the changing e-commerce landscape and acceptance of online payments, increasingly accessible digital banking services, and evolving consumer attitudes and expectations....