Personal injury law firm Diamond & Diamond has hired a lobbyist to persuade politicians to kill a private member’s bill aimed at fixing a system critics call a “black hole” for accident victims.The public affairs firm, the CCS Group, registered to lobby for Diamond & Diamond, known for its flashy, U.S.-style advertising, the day after Liberal MPP Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence) introduced the Personal Injury and Accident Victims Protection Act.“We are asking that members don’t support the private bill,” reads the CCS Group’s filings on behalf of Diamond & Diamond. The bill calls for major restructuring of Ontario’s contingency fee system — “you don’t pay unless we win” — including a dramatic curb on how much lawyers can charge for their services.“Why are they so afraid of this bill?” Colle said. “Why not make the bill a vehicle to improve protection for accident victims? … There are people who are victims of serious accidents who are trying to get justice and they are put through hell and we shouldn’t be standing by and allowing it.”Critics say that hiring a lobbyist in an attempt to quash a private member’s bill is an unusual move considering such proposed acts rarely become law.Neither Diamond & Diamond nor the CCS Group has responded to the Star’s requests for comment.The Toronto-based lobby firm, which calls itself “one of Ontario’s leading public affairs firms” on its website, also represents medical marijuana company MedReleaf Corp., an environmental waste company, road-builder the Miller Group, and several First Nations, according to the lobbyist registry.The CCS Group’s public filings with the provincial lobbyist registry show the firm is targeting numerous MPPs, including those in Barrie, London, Hamilton and Mississauga, where Diamond & Diamond has offices. Also ...
|
