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3| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,A pril 19,2018 theifp.ca road, and provide a warning sign for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Doupagne could not com- ment on the case as it is current- ly before the courts. The Town of Halton Hills had 53 claims filed last year for gen- eral liability, ranging from property damage by basement flooding to physical injuries. Of the 35 claims closed in 2017, 12 of them were denied by the in- dependent adjuster that the town contracts out to deal with the issues. The town paid out $33,604 in claim settlements. Halton Hills chief adminis- trative officer Brent Marshall says that that number of claims is relatively standard. "Most of them are fairly rou- tine," he said. "There hasn't been anything significant." Another claimant, Acton res- ident Cherry Atkins, is seeking $9,902 in compensation from the town after she claims that tree roots caused a blockage in the city's sewer lateral, causing a sewage flood in her basement. "The Region of Halton re- paired the blockage and said that there was no history of sew- age backup at this address," she wrote in her statement of claim. "The sewer lateral is on city property . This tree is main- tained by city employees." Atkins filed the court docu- ments after the Town of Halton Hills denied her claim. When the town receives a statement of claim, indicating that a resident is taking the town to court, staff notify the insurer. The insurance agency in turn assigns a lawyer, who meets with a town representative. The insurance company re- quests the claimant's docu- ments, like medical files if need be, and throughout the exami- nation for discovery and pre- trial sessions, seeks to come to some sort of resolution. Atkins says Halton Hills did not respond to Atkins' file with the small claims court in Milton within the 20-day window of time, resulting in the file being handed over to a default deci- sion-making process, where judgment may be obtained with- out notice and enforced against the town. "People in this day and age are more aware of their rights," said David Levy, a personal in- jury lawyer and partner with Howie Sacks and Henry LLP. "We like to think of ourselves as different from Americans...I'm not sure we're any less liti- gious." Levy says that Canadians are more aware of the options to file claims, however, current law re- quires the claimant to notify the municipality of their intention to sue within ten days of the in- jury or incident. "It is complicated," he said. NEWS l Continued from page 1 Lawsuits a part of doing municipal business The town of Halton Hills recieved 53 insurance claims in 2017, 18 of which remain open. Stock Image Autism Ontario North Halton is seeking nominations from the community to take over the Chapter Leadership Council (CLC) for the 2018-2019 term. The chapter is seeking indi- viduals who can utilize their ex- perience in leadership, business and education to continue to strengthen and grow this much needed organization in the North Halton region. The CLC is elected by chapter members annually for one-year terms. The CLC members are re- sponsible for the direction and management of the chapter. Elections will be held on April 24 at 7 p.m. at Tim Hortons (373 Mountainview Rd. S.). There is no need to have a personal con- nection to someone with autism to get involved. Those interested can also nominate themselves. For further information, visit http://www.autismontario.com/ northhalton. 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