ACTUALITÉ / NEWS
Galganov has high hopes for Charter win against township
S ÉBASTIEN P IERROZ sebastien.pierroz@eap.on.ca Les VTT limités à Casselman
et des aires de restauration, leur stationnement en revanche sera contrôlé à proximité des lieux publics comme les écoles ou encore l’aréna. Les amendes en cas d’infraction pourront aller jusqu’à 150 $. Des sanctions contre les conducteurs seront prises essentiellement en cas de « plaintes ou d’abus ». « Beaucoup de municipalités ont décidé d’interdire totalement la présence des VTT. Ce n’était pas notre but, indique M. Villeneuve. Si le véhicule est utilisé pour un usage indispensable comme s’alimenter ou bien mettre de l’essence, nous tolérons. » En plus de cette limitation, la municipalité focalisera également sur les conducteurs pour la possession d’un permis de conduire VTT validé par l’Ontario, condition indispensable pour la conduite de ce type de véhicule.
CASSELMAN | Les véhicules tout- terrains devraient vrombir un peu moins dans les rues de Casselman. Le conseil municipal vient d’approuver leur limitation dans le village. Cette mesure est en place depuis le début février. « Nous avons constaté une vitesse souvent excessive des VTT mais également quelques cascades, explique Mario Villeneuve, directeur de la sécurité communautaire pour la municipalité de Casselman. Les conducteurs prennent beaucoup trop de risques et mettent parfois en danger la vie des autres. Il fallait agir. » Si les VTT pourront toujours circuler librement à proximité des stations services
We made the case before the court that none of these expert witnesses they called had ever visited Russell.” Galganov cited Statistics Canada data that indicates growth in the French-language population of the township. “That shows there’s no risk to the French language,” he said. “Based on that, I think our arguments are really sound.” An Ontario Court of Appeal tribunal of three justices listened to both sides present arguments during a two-day period. The tribunal is reserving a decision on the case pending further deliberation. “This is a very important case,” said Galganov, adding that the appeal ruling will decide three issues. One concerns freedom of expression as governed by the Charter of Rights. Another is the “notwithstanding clause” in the Charter which allows provinces to opt out of federal legislation that they feel interferes with their jurisdiction. The former Parti Québecois government of Québec used that clause as justification for its language laws. The third issue, Galganov said, is whether or not any lower-tier government group like a municipal council has the right to pass laws or regulations that deal with or can affect Charter rights. “No government has the right to dictate language,” Galganov said. “Certainly not a municipal government.” Now Galganov waits for the appeal court tribunal to render its verdict. “If we win, we’ll be very pleased,” he said. “If we lose, we’ll appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.” He agreed that such an appeal will hinge on convincing the federal appeal court that the case is worth hearing and has not already been settled by established precedent in other Supreme Court of Canada rulings. He expressed confidence he can still get a hearing before the federal judges if necessary, on either technical or other reasons from the provincial appeal court. “If there is one dissenting (provincial) justice,” he said, “I suspect, one way or the other, this case is going to the Supreme Court.” At press time, Russell township’s legal counsel Ronald Caza had not returned our call.
G REGG C HAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
TORONTO | English-language rights activist Howard Galganov is confident about winning his Charter of Rights battle against Russell Township. Galganov and his new legal team squared off against the township’s legal counsel Ronald Caza before three justices of the Ontario Court of Appeal at the start of February. The case is a legal re-match of Galganov versus Russell Township that was decided in the municipality’s favour in 2010 during an Ontario Court of Justice hearing. Galgnov believes that the second-round decision in the legal fight will be his. “It went extremely well,” Galganov said during a phone interview. “Certainly on two out of three of the issues.” Galganov’s new legal team, headed by Brian Crane of the firm of Gowlings Lafleur Henderson, argued that the mandatory bilingualism section of the township’s commercial signage bylaw as it applies to exterior signs violates the Charter of Rights on three points. They concern freedom of expression, the notwithstanding clause of the Charter, and the legal argument of ultra vires, which Galganov said, concerns whether or not a municipality has the authority to pass laws and regulations that concern Charter of Rights issues. “That was our very first point that we made,” Galganov said. “Based on laws and jurisprudence, there’s no reason we shouldn’t win.” He indicated that one of the weaknesses of the township’s defence is that its legal counsel is arguing a need to maintain and protect the language rights of both francophones and anglophones in the community with the mandatory bilingualism clause dealing with exterior commercial signage. But, Galganov said, there is no proof of any danger to individual language rights that would fall under the “notwithstanding clause” of section one of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “If you’re going to argue a Section 1 case, you’ve got to prove costs,” Galganov said. “There was never a study done on the vulnerability of French in Russell Township.
photo autorisée
La municipalité veut limiter les dangers de ce types de véhicules.
఼ዲ
఼ዲ
఼ዲ
ዲ
఼ዲ Les écoles publiques L’Académie de la Seigneurie et De la Rivière Castor répondent à l’appel avec le ఼ዲ programme d’éducati ఼ዲ d’édu r les élève ዲ es élève
఼ዲ programme d’éducation environnementale ISO 14000 pour les élèves reconnu mondialement par les Nations Unies. ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ
఼ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ዲ ዲ ఼ ఼ዲ ዲ ఼ ఼ዲ ዲ ዲ
఼ዲ
఼ዲ L’Académie de la Seigneurie Nos portes ouvertes :
఼ዲ
఼ዲ ఼ዲ
Intermédiaire, jeudi 16 février de 19 h à 21 h Secondaire, jeudi 23 février de 19 h à 21 h 613.764.0550 731, rue des Pommiers, Casselman www.academiedelaseigneurie.cepeo.on.ca De la Rivière Castor 613.443.2226 100, rue Maheu, Embrun www.riviere-castor.cepeo.on.ca ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ዲ
఼ዲ
఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ ఼ዲ
Galganov is confident about winning his Charter of Rights battle against Russell Township. submitted photo
www.cepeo.on.ca/medias-sociaux www.cepeo.on.ca 613.742.8960
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker