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 stationnementenrevancheseracontrôlé à proximité des lieux publics comme les écoles ou encore l’aréna. Les amendes en casd’infractionpourrontallerjusqu’à150 $. Des sanctions contre les conducteurs seront prises essentiellement en cas de « plaintesoud’abus ». « Beaucoupdemunicipalitésontdécidé d’interdiretotalementlaprésencedesVTT. Ce n’était pas notre but, indique M. Villeneuve. Si le véhicule est utilisé pour unusageindispensablecommes’alimenter oubienmettredel’essence,noustolérons. » En plus de cette limitation, la municipalitéfocaliseraégalementsurles conducteurspourlapossessiond’unpermis de conduire VTT validé par l’Ontario, conditionindispensablepourlaconduite decetypedevéhicule.
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 souventexcessivedesVTTmaiségalement quelques cascades, explique Mario Villeneuve, directeur de la sécurité communautaire pour la municipalité de Casselman. Les conducteurs prennent beaucouptropderisquesetmettentparfois en danger la vie des autres. Il fallait agir. » Si les VTT pourront toujours circuler librementàproximitédesstationsservices
Wemadethecasebeforethecourtthatnone oftheseexpertwitnessestheycalledhadever visitedRussell.” GalganovcitedStatisticsCanadadatathat indicates growth in the French-language population of the township. “Thatshowsthere’snorisktotheFrench language,”hesaid.“Basedonthat,Ithinkour argumentsarereallysound.” An Ontario Court of Appeal tribunal of threejusticeslistenedtobothsidespresent arguments during a two-day period. The tribunal is reserving a decision on the case pendingfurtherdeliberation. “This is a very important case,” said Galganov,addingthattheappealrulingwill decidethreeissues. One concerns freedom of expression as governedbytheCharterofRights.Another is the “notwithstanding clause” in the Charterwhichallowsprovincestooptoutof federal legislation that they feel interferes with their jurisdiction. The former Parti QuébecoisgovernmentofQuébecusedthat clause as justification for its language laws. Thethirdissue,Galganovsaid,iswhether ornotanylower-tiergovernmentgrouplike amunicipalcouncilhastherighttopasslaws or regulations that deal with or can affect Charterrights. “No government has the right to dictate language,” Galganov said. “Certainly not a municipalgovernment.” NowGalganovwaitsfortheappealcourt tribunal to render its verdict. “Ifwewin,we’llbeverypleased,”hesaid. “Ifwelose,we’llappealtotheSupremeCourt ofCanada.” Heagreedthatsuchanappealwillhinge onconvincingthefederalappealcourtthat thecaseisworthhearingandhasnotalready beensettledbyestablishedprecedentinother Supreme Court of Canada rulings. He expressedconfidencehecanstillgetahearing before the federal judges if necessary, on either technical or other reasons from the provincialappealcourt. “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 aboutwinninghisCharterofRightsbattle againstRussellTownship. Galganovandhisnewlegalteamsquared 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 versusRussellTownshipthatwasdecidedin themunicipality’sfavour in2010during 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 duringaphoneinterview.“Certainlyontwo out of three of the issues.” Galganov’s new legal team, headed by BrianCrane of the firmof Gowlings Lafleur Henderson, argued that the mandatory bilingualism section of the township’s commercial signage bylaw as it applies to exteriorsignsviolatestheCharterofRights on three points. They concern freedom of expression, the notwithstanding clause of theCharter,andthelegalargumentofultra 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’snoreasonweshouldn’t win.” He indicated that one of theweaknesses 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 commercialsignage.But,Galganovsaid,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 vulnerabilityofFrenchinRussellTownship.
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Lamunicipalité veut limiter les dangers de ce types de véhicules.
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GalganovisconfidentaboutwinninghisCharterofRightsbattleagainstRussell Township. submitted photo
www.cepeo.on.ca/medias-sociaux www.cepeo.on.ca 613.742.8960
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