Earlier today, the Law Society's mailing list experienced some difficulties. Announcements were sent out regarding the Appointment of the Hon. Judge Christine Gagnon and the release of the Arctic Obiter's February edition. However, many members received multiple copies of these emails while most did not receive any emails. We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused. Please read below regarding the Hon. Judge Gagnon's Swearing In Ceremony and the February edition of the Obiter.

Christine Gagnon has been appointed as a Judge of the Territorial Court by the Hon. Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

Members are cordially invited to the Swearing In Ceremony for the Hon. Judge Christine Gagnon, sworn in by the Hon. Chief Judge Brian Bruser. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 26 (3:00pm), at the Territorial Court of the NWT - Courtroom #2.

A reception will follow in the Courtroom Lobby. No RSVP is necessary.

The February 2009 Edition of the Arctic Obiter, the Law Society's monthly newsletter, is now available online.

This month, we catch up on what the CBA-NWT is up to. Also, NWT Court Decisions and news from the Legislative Assembly.

Download yours today! Click the link below to download your copy of the Arctic Obiter in PDF format:

http://www.lawsociety.nt.ca/Portals/0/pdf/
Arctic_Obiter/ArcticObiter-February2009.pdf

Membership renewal forms for 2009/10 are now available online. Be sure to take advantage of the new "fillable" forms. You may now complete them from your desktop through Adobe Acrobat/Reader. Simply complete the form, print it, sign it and send it to us.

The deadline for membership renewal is March 31, 2009.

TO MEMBERS OF THE BAR

The Senior Judge of the Supreme Court would like to invite all members of the Bar who practice in the field of family law, either exclusively or only as part of their practice, to meet with him and one or two other judges of the court for an informal discussion on procedures for family law cases in the Supreme Court and what practices or initiatives should be considered to facilitate the resolution of family law cases.

The meeting will be at 10 AM on Thursday, March 5, 2009, in the third floor courtroom of the Court House. In order to encourage as much attendance as possible, the regularly scheduled family chambers session will be cancelled for that day.

Justice John Vertes

A CLE Committee Meeting will be held on Friday, March 6, 2009 – 12:00pm in the LSNT Boardroom. Please confirm your attendance by return.

A Special CPD Event will take place on Friday, March 13, 2009, starting at 9:00am in the Upper Level of Fuego International Restaurant.

In the morning session, Brian Olesky of the Law Society of Alberta will be discussing Trust Accounting. All members are encouraged to attend and to bring the individual responsible for doing their accounting.

In the afternoon, Ross McLeod, Practice Advisor with the Law Society of Alberta, will explore Client ID and Verification, as well as Legal Ethics.

Members are encouraged to take advantage of this event. Please RSVP your attendance, as appropriate, by return.

NOTE: Members outside of Yellowknife may be eligible for travel assistance to this event. Please contact the Law Society for information.

The Supreme Court of Canada, in R. v. Hydro Québec, called the environment "a diffuse subject that cuts across many different areas of constitutional responsibility, some federal, some provincial." In the climate change arena, differing approaches to greenhouse gas reduction across the country appear to be crystallizing into inconsistent and potentially competing regulatory regimes.

This live, online CLE will present expert discussion of key recent developments and their implications for climate change regulation. Topics include the constitutionality of federal control over greenhouse gas emissions, the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, 2007 and the recent Federal Court decision in Friends of the Earth v. Canada. Visit the CBA Website for more information and to register for this CLE, happening on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 (9:00-10:30am MT).

Alternatively, the CBA-NWT Branch will be providing a portal for this event (location to be announced). CBA members are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Please comfirm your attendance by return no later than March 9.

Effective February 1, 2009, the Territorial Court Civil Claims Rules, made under the Territorial Court Act are amended. The consolidation of the Rules on the GNWT Legislation Division website has been updated to reflect the changes and it may be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.nt.ca/legislation/documents/
TerritorialCourtCivilClaimsRules.pdf.

You may find the actual amendments at:
http://www.lawsociety.nt.ca/Portals/0/pdf/R-008-2009.pdf.

The CBA is currently seeking candidates for its National Standing Committees for 2009-2010. All CBA members are eligible to apply for positions on the following committees:

Awards
Communications
Continuing Legal Education
Equity
Ethics and Professional Issues
International Development
Judicial Compensation & Benefits
Legal Aid Liaison
Legislation and Law Reform
Resolutions, Constitution and Bylaws
Supreme Court of Canada Liaison

Nomination forms are available in the LSNT Office. Contact us for more information. The deadline for applications is April 15, 2009.