Jewitt McLuckie & Associates recently held its first Halloween candy drive collecting boxes of candy for the Orleans-Cumberland emergency food cupboard. Halloween candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters is a luxury that families in poverty can’t afford and just one more way that children in poverty miss out and are isolated from their peers. We had great participation for our first drive and look forward to making it an annual event.

David Jewitt spoke to incoming students at uOttawa Faculty of Law (Common Law Section) on Mind Body Awareness Practices for Lawyers: How to Find Balance and Focus in the Practice of Law.   David had the students up and out of their seats for some firsthand experience in mind/body awareness. He credits his yoga and mindfulness practice for his ability to thrive in an incredibly challenging field. We wish this year’s class all the best as they develop their own strategies for handling the stressful world of law practice!

(Photo credit – Marina Pavlović, via Twitter)

Jewitt McLuckie & Associates got a bird’s eye view of Ottawa’s Labour Day Parade 2015. Despite the scorching weather, there was a strong union presence, with enthusiastic marchers from CUPE, ATU, IBEW, CAPE, PIPSC, PSAC and others on their way over to McNabb Park.  Thanks to the generosity of the Ottawa District Labour Council, the festivities continued with a free barbecue and lots of family fun. We hope everyone had a great long weekend and remembered to thank the labour movement pioneers who made it possible!

Hosted with flair by CUPE Local 503 and held at Manderley on the Green, the Jacques Trépanier Open is an annual event collecting food items for the Ottawa Food Bank.

JMA donated a number of door prizes, and seven of us played a round of golf, with skill levels ranging from quite experienced to totally new.

We all enjoyed the relaxed, fun atmosphere, and even finished the afternoon with a bit of beautiful sunshine!

In April, Jewitt McLuckie & Associates  had the opportunity to join another area firm, SGM, as part of the Lawyers Feed The Hungry program, an initiative put together by the Law Society in four different cities across Ontario.  The Ottawa branch of the program serves up a feast for some of the city’s most vulnerable residents on the third and fourth Thursday of each month at the Ottawa Mission, located at 35 Waller Street, between the hours of 3:00 – 5:00 P.M.

The law firms sponsor the cost of the meal and provide enough volunteers to work as servers, to bus tables and to generally provide those in need with a full restaurant-style experience.  As you can see from the smiles, everyone had a great time and JM&A can’t wait for our next chance to participate in this noble venture.

JM&A was proud to join ATU 279 in this year’s Labour Day Parade.  The parade began at City Hall and proceeded through downtown to McNabb Park where the Ottawa District Labour Council held its annual Labour Day picnic.  The ODLC once again  put on a great, and completely free, event for the community with lots of food, live music, pony rides, face painting, etc.  The sun surprised everyone by showing up in full force and a great time was had by all.

Solidarity with the International Union of Elevator Constructors

At their trienniel International Convention held in San Diego this August, officers from ATU locals across North America met to discuss the challenges facing public transit employees both in the US and in Canada. These challenges include privatization as well as legislative attacks on pensions, working conditions and bargaining rights.

John McLuckie and Cindy Watson of Watson Burns were invited to San Diego by ATU International President to give a speech to the assembled delegates highlighting some of these challenges.

While there, John joined in the convention activities alongside members of ATU 279 and 1760.