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Giovanni C. Giuga

(Hon.) B.A., M.A., C.S.C., J.D. Lawyer

Called To Bar

2023

Education

  • Canadian Securities Institute, C.S.C., 2022
  • University of Ottawa, J.D. 2022
  • McGill University, M.A., 2019
  • Wilfrid Laurier University, (Hons.) B.A., 2017

Practice Areas

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Guelph Office T. 519-837-2100 x327 F: 519-837-1617

Giovanni is a litigation lawyer in the Municipal and Planning Law Practice Group. He articled at a national full-service law firm, where he gained experience working on municipal law and land use planning matters.

He received his law degree from the University of Ottawa. He also obtained his graduate degree from McGill University and his undergraduate degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Political Science. Giovanni also completed the Canadian Securities Course.

During law school, Giovanni participated in the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot and Richard Weiler Mediation Competition. He was an intern with the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) which is Canada's first and only public interest technology law clinic. Giovanni researched at the intersection of data science and law as a Research Assistant. He served as an Assistant Editor and was re-hired as an Associate Editor for the Ottawa Law Review. In 1L, Giovanni was a Technoship Fellow. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Giovanni provided technical assistance to professors transitioning to online learning as a Dean’s Technology Fellow. Giovanni was also a Student Mentor with the Allies in Law Program, Queer Buddy for the Queer Peer Program, and Treasurer for Inter Alia's Editorial Board (2020-21). He also sat on two faculty committees (Program's Assembly and Hiring Committee) for 2021-2022.

Giovanni has been published in Lawyer's Daily (now Law360), Ottawa Law Review Blog (peer reviewed), and co-authored two edited book chapters. He also presented a paper at the Ottawa Law Review’s inaugural Emilio Binavince Student Research Colloquium on affordable housing reforms through municipal legal policy.

Outside the practice of law, Giovanni is an active member of the Waterloo Region community. He currently sits as a board member for SPECTRUM: Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space and Bridges to Belonging. He also sat on the inaugural (and subsequent) Community Change Committee for the Region of Waterloo’s Upstream Fund. 

In his spare time, Giovanni enjoys hiking and camping, squash, golf, cooking comfort food, collecting records, staying up-to date on Canadian politics, and tossing a football.

Awards & Accolades

  • (Co-Recipient) Clawbies Award – Best Student Projects, Canadian Law Blog Awards, 2020 (Inter Alia Editorial Board Member)
  • (Co-Recipient) Public Interest Fellowship, University of Ottawa, 2020
  • (Co-Recipient) Common Law Summer Student Fellowship, University of Ottawa, 2020
  • Jack and Mary Harper Memorial Scholarship, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2016
  • Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Co-Op Award, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2016
  • Dean’s Honour List, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2014-2016
  • Doug and Joyce Lorimer Award, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2016

Articles or Publications:

Michelle Liu, Brittany Singh & Giovanni Giuga, "Pro-Pronouns: Gender Identities on Social Media, Video Conferencing, and Learning Platforms" in Nasma Ahmed, Suzie Dunn & Florian Martin-Bariteau, eds, Can't Compute: Moving Towards an Equitable Digital World, (June 2023).

Giovanni Giuga, "Starving Off Copyright Trolls: An Approach to Non-Commercial Statutory Damages Reform" (24 July 2022), online (blog): Ottawa Law Review Blog <rdo-olr.org/2022/starving-off-copyright-trolls-an-approach-to-non-commercial-statutory-damages-reform/>.

Giovanni Giuga & Michael Piaseczny, "Shareholder activism during COVID-19: Bump in the road" The Lawyer's Daily (30 May 2022), online: <www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/3663>.

Giovanni Giuga & Michael Piaseczny, "Shareholder activism during COVID-19: Setting the stage" The Lawyer's Daily (26 May 2022), online: <www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/36564/>.

Giovanni Giuga, "A Case for a Refundable Federal Political Contributions Tax Credit" (12 April 2021), online (blog): Ottawa Law Review Blog <rdo-olr.org/2021/a-case-for-a-refundable-federal-political-contributions-tax-credit/>.

Giovanni Giuga & Michael J Piaseczny, “Child access during COVID-19’s first wave in Ribeiro v. Wright: Other variables”, The Lawyer’s Daily (11 January 2021), online: <www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/23464>. 

Giovanni Giuga & Michael J Piaseczny, “Child access during COVID-19’s first wave in Ribeiro v. Wright: Expansion and restriction”, The Lawyer’s Daily (22 December 2020), online: <www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/23328>. 

Wolfgang Alschner et al, “Plain Language: Automatic Readability Assessment of Statutes” in Serena Villata, Jakub Harašta, Petr Křemen, eds, Legal Knowledge and Information Systems - Jurix 2020:  The Thirty-third Annual Conference Brno, Czech Republic, December 9–11, 2020, (Washington DC: IOS Press, 2020) 207.

Michael J Piaseczny & Giovanni C Giuga, “Why it’s Unlikely that a Ruth Bader Ginsburg – Amy Coney Barrett Scenario Will Happen in Canada” (26 October 2020), online (blog): Ottawa Law Review Blog <rdo-olr.org/en/2020/why-its-unlikely-that-a-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-scenario-will-happen-in-canada/>.

Memberships & Professional Appointments

  • Member of the Law Society of Ontario

Community Involvement

  • Bridges to Belonging Waterloo Region, Board Member and Treasurer, 2022 – Present
  • SPECTRUM: Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, Board Member, 2022 – Present
  • Region of Waterloo’s Community Change Committee for the Upstream Fund, Committee Member, 2022-2023
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