Category: Law News

Exercising an option to renew a retail lease in Victoria.

The Victorians Retail Leases Act 2003 (RLA) is the legal framework which regulates the leasing of retail premises in Victoria. “Retail premises” means premises used wholly or predominantly for the sale or hire of goods by “retail”, or the “retail” sale of services. There are, however, certain premises which are exempt from being considered retail premises. “Retail” means the sale of goods, or the provision of services to the public or end users, as opposed to a wholesaler. The RLA seeks to provide tenants with a level of security of tenure, which is particularly important in the retail industry, where…Continue Reading

Gadsden State hires law enforcement veteran Freeman as its first police chief

Veteran law enforcement officer Jay Freeman will become Gadsden State Community College’s first police chief. The school announced Freeman’s hiring, effective June 26, on Friday in a news release. He will leave the Southside Police Department, where he’s served since 2009. “We are delighted to have Chief Freeman on our staff,” school President Kathy Murphy said. “We know he will do an amazing job in building Gadsden State’s very first police department. We believe his past work experience and his passion for public safety and security made him the best person for this new role at Gadsden State.”Jay Freeman…Continue Reading

Foreign Consultancies in China Wary of Expanded Counterespionage Law

taipei, taiwan — International business consultancies operating in China that provide economic data to potential investors appear to be headed into a period of greater scrutiny as of July 1, when a revised espionage law expanded the list of activities Beijing considers spying. The consultancies assist companies and individuals seeking profit from the world’s second-largest economy by doing deep background reports before money flows into China. And while China’s economic policymakers advocated in March for more foreign investment to restore an economy stalled by Beijing’s draconian COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, that position runs counter to President Xi Jinping’s national security concerns.…Continue Reading

TikTok content creators file lawsuit against Montana over first-in-nation law banning app

Helena, Mont. – Five TikTok content creators have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Montana’s first-in-the-nation ban on the video sharing app, arguing the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights. The Montana residents also argued in the complaint, filed in federal court late Wednesday without public notice, that the state doesn’t have any authority over matters of national security. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law Wednesday and said it would protect Montana residents’ private data and personal information from being harvested by the Chinese government. The ban is scheduled to take effect on Jan.…Continue Reading

Calls grow for Quebec laws to fight sexual violence in high schools after new allegations

More than a dozen parents and students alleging sexual violence at some Quebec high schools came together Friday to call for a law to prevent and fight the issue in secondary schools. At a news conference Friday in Montreal, several young women and parents — some holding signs reading “No means no” and “#sexualassault awareness” — took turns speaking about their experiences, denouncing the way their school administration and boards handled allegations of sexual assault. They, along with several politicians present, implored Education Minister Bernard Drainville to do more to clamp down on the problem. “It’s been a while that…Continue Reading

Portuguese colony Macao revises its legal system, national security

BEIJING – Echoing the crackdown on freedoms in neighboring Hong Kong, the former Portuguese colony of Macao has revised its legal system to face “new adverse challenges in terms of national security.” The government of the tiny enclave, heavily dependent on its gambling industry, said changes to the Law on Safeguarding National Security were needed as an upgrade to legislation first enacted in 2009, a decade after Macao’s handover to Chinese rule. “As the country now faces new adverse challenges in terms of national security, the revision of Macao’s Law on Safeguarding National Security is a compulsory step to respond…Continue Reading

Kenneth Law investigations see rise of wellness checks: sources

Editor’s note: If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health there are a number of ways to get help, including by calling Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566. A list of local crisis centers is also available here. Amidst a global recognition around the unregulated sale of sodium nitrite online for the purpose of suicide, Peel Region is reporting a 10 per cent increase in calls “involving either attempted suicide or suicide” in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The police response to those calls in some jurisdictions, sources allege, has been intense. The uptick…Continue Reading

Building a house or renovating? We explain what Domestic Builders Insurance covers and how to protect yourself.

Domestic Building Insurance (DBI) – What is it, when can I rely on it, how does it protect me as an owner and how do I know if my builder has obtained it? Building a new home is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful with the many terms and documents being provided to you that you may not have come across before. One of the most important documents you should receive from your builder is an insurance certificate which confirms that the builder has obtained a current policy for Domestic Building Insurance (DBI), also previously known as…Continue Reading