Getting the Message Out

As personal injury lawyers one of the things we must do is try to reach the people who need our help. Marketing and advertising is a fine balance as here in Ontario we try to avoid the marketing hype that everyone is familiar with in the United States. One of the new advertising methods we at QTMG LLP are now using is bike rack advertising as we like to think this advertising also supports a healthy living lifestyle of riding one's bike to work etc.. In this photo we have Marc Quinn, partner at QTMG LLP, beside one of our newly installed bike racks in Ottawa, Ontario.

Ottawa Traffic Maps

The city of Ottawa provides some interesting live and interactive information in relation to traffic within the City. Through it's website at Ottawa Maps you can find live map based information relating to construction events, incidents, red-light cameras, traffic video, and much other information. Watching live traffic, getting updates, is easily accessible from any computer or smartphone. At Quinn Thiele Mineault Grodzki LLP, personal injury lawyers, we make use of the information provided through this site in building and collecting evidence in support of our clients' cases. The amount of information that is available is impressive. The only trick is to know where to look.

BRONSON AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION

Perhaps the recent complaints in various media have made a difference. Bronson Avenue in Ottawa has been undergoing a complete reconstruction and has been impassable for months. The work includes replacement of water and sewer pipes as well as improvement of the street with the installation of a signalized crosswalk to improve pedestrian safety. The City of Ottawa has announced that the working hours on this project are now being extended to include Saturdays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.. This will continue until December 2012. At Quinn Thiele Mineault Grodzki LLP, personal injury lawyers Ottawa, we have taken note of the construction work on Bronson and are hopeful that this reconstruction work along with some design changes will result in a safer street. Bronson has become a heavily used and fast artery. As many others in the community using Bronson, it was apparent that entering Bronson from the side streets was increasingly difficult and certainly there seems to have been an increase of collisions between cars and bicycles. With this reconstruction and another signalized intersection we can hope that the street is becomes safer.

RADON--Anyone to blame?

Quinn Thiele Mineault Grodzki LLP, personal injury lawyers Ottawa, would like to bring to your attention the recent news about Radon Gas build up in homes and the results of recent studies indicating that the prevalence of radon gas in homes was once underestimated. News about Radon gas has made a comeback lately as federal officials have determined that 7% of Canadian homes, nationally, have levels of Radon gas that are above safe levels thereby requiring action to be taken to prevent real harm to human health. What is Radon gas? Well it is a gas created by the decay of uranium in rocks and soil throughout the earth's crust. It is caused by a natural phenomenon. THe problem is that if the gas gets trapped in an enclosed place, like a house, it accumulates to levels that are dangerous to human health. Radon gas is measured in Becquerels. People are often exposed to Radon gas over extended periods of time in their homes. The exposure to radon gas increases their risk of cancer. Recent studies have shown that radon linked deaths in Canada have increased to about 3200 persons annually. Radon is the second biggest cause of lung cancer, after smoking. Is Radon Gas exposure inevitable? A fact of life? The answer is no. You are able to self test for Radon Gas in your home through a do it yourself test kit available at many hardware stores. If radon gas is detected at unsafe levels it is entirely possible to release the gas to the atmosphere through proper venting. The venting will need to be done by professionals to ensure that radon gas levels are brought down to more reasonable levels. Testing is simple and relatively cheap. Given the consequences of prolonged exposure you may wish to consider completing the simple test.