2ND TAX LAWYER LEAVES FMC FOR MCCARTHYS
Wendy Brousseau has joined McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s tax group as a partner in Toronto.
Brousseau made the move from Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP. She joins Chia-yi Chua, who made the same transition from FMC just a week earlier.
Brousseau specializes in commodity taxation issues, including the implications of new business ventures, cross-border transactions, and corporate reorganizations.
“I look forward to working closely with McCarthy Tétrault’s outstanding tax team,” Brousseau said. “Together we will be able to provide clients with the sophisticated tax advice they need in commercial transactions and ensure they are getting fair tax treatment from the government.”
4 FORMER MEMBERS RETURN TO IRB
The federal government has announced four new appointments to the Immigration and Refugee Board at its Toronto regional office.
All four are former members of the IRB. In a news release, the government said they would be able to tackle the backlog of claims due to the new refugee determination system after only a short training period.
James Railton, a former area director for Legal Aid Ontario and deputy judge of the small claims branch of the Superior Court, was also a member of the IRB between 2003 and 2006.
Michael Somers has lectured in law-related matters at Ryerson and York universities in addition to stints that include serving as a member of the Ontario Municipal Board. He was also an IRB member between 2003 and 2006.
Nina Stanwick served with the IRB between 1997 and 2007. Before her current appointment, she was a member of the Landlord and Tenant Board.
George Wang returns to the IRB after a stint from 2003 to 2006. He has also worked as a tax auditor for Ontario’s Ministry of Finance.
AIDWYC EVENT WITH DENNIS EDNEY
The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted will celebrate the newly conferred charitable status of its AIDWYC Foundation with a speaker series designed to raise funds for the program.
One of Omar Khadr’s lawyers, Dennis Edney, will be the first speaker at the Injustice Speaks series at the Arcadian Court in downtown Toronto on Dec. 1.
The new AIDWYC Foundation also hopes to raise the profile of the organization, which has been providing legal services and financial assistance for wrongly convicted people since 1993.
“The newly created AIDWYC Foundation will increase our levels of financial support from stakeholders in the criminal justice system and from the general public,” said Jonathan Freedman, the foundation’s president.
“Increased support will allow us to assist more individuals who have been wrongly convicted in a more expedient manner and to advance our efforts to prevent future wrongful convictions.”
Tickets for Edney’s speech are available online at aidwyc.org or by calling 416-504-7500.
NEW PARTNER AT GOWLINGS
Jim Wilson has joined Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP as a partner in the Ottawa office working in the firm’s national tax practice group.
Wilson has 32 years of experience at the Canada Revenue Agency, where he held positions in its legislative policy division and training and learning directorate.
He also developed a specialty in tax treaties over the last decade.
KRISHNA APPOINTED TO OSC
The Ontario Securities Commission has appointed Vern Krishna as a commissioner for a two-year term.
Krishna, who currently practises tax litigation, mediation, and arbitration at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Ottawa, returns to the OSC after a three-year stint as commissioner between 1994 and 1997.
Krishna has taught tax, finance, and corporate law as a professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law since 1981 and is also the executive director of the CGA Tax Research Centre.
