LexisNexis: Canadians Aren't as Polite as They Seem

Study Shows Canadians Would Rather Report Their Noisy Neighbours to the Authorities Than Settle Disputes Themselves

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 20, 2007) - Canadians take pride in their politeness, but when it comes to being courteous when dealing with noisy neighbours, 61 per cent of Canadians admit they would report their neighbours to the police for excessive noise, according to a new survey conducted for the lawyers.com(SM) service.

The Ipsos Reid survey carried out for the lawyers.com site, an online legal resource centre from LexisNexis that helps consumers and small businesses find lawyers and legal information, reveals that, regionally, Canada is divided on how polite Canadians are to their disruptive neighbours. Sixty-nine per cent of British Columbians have no problem reporting their noisy neighbours to the police. In contrast, Maritimers, long noted for their laid-back attitudes, ranked number one with their patience, as only 41 per cent have talked to their neighbours about their excessive noise and only half, at 50 per cent, would consider reporting them to the police. Quebec seems to be the most proactive in reaching a resolution, with 63 per cent of the province having no problem approaching their noisy neighbours to address their concerns rather than reporting them to the authorities.

"If your neighbours' noise levels get out of control and you're unable to resolve the conflict yourself, there are a few avenues you can explore in an effort to remedy the problem," said Peter McInroy, a Nova Scotia lawyer practising in the area of municipal law and a lawyers.com consultant. "You can contact your local police to report your neighbours for excessive noise as there are certain protections in the Criminal Code. In addition, contact your local municipality as most have enacted laws to prohibit and regulate noise. You may find that a bylaw enforcement officer is willing and able to devote more time to resolve the matter."

According to the survey, household income also plays a role in the conduct of Canadians toward their neighbours. Sixty-two per cent of respondents with household incomes of less than $55,000 per year have spoken to their neighbours about their concerns, and 60 per cent admit they would consider contacting the authorities, whereas respondents with household incomes of over $100,000 per year were more likely to report their noisy neighbours to the police than confront them themselves.

The lawyers.com web site provides further detailed findings from the survey.

Regional Breakdown

The following percentages of Canadians would consider reporting their neighbours to the authorities for excessive noise:

- British Columbia - 69 per cent

- Prairies - 66 per cent

- Ontario - 62 per cent

- Quebec - 51 per cent

- Atlantic - 50 per cent

The lawyers.com service is the most comprehensive and trustworthy online resource for finding lawyers. Searches for lawyers can be done easily by location, by name of the law firm or lawyer, or by area of law practised. Articles and information on legal topics are also available to help consumers get answers to their basic legal questions. The lawyers.com site is free and easy to use, and can help users make informed decisions when selecting legal services.

Methodology

These are the findings of a poll conducted by Ipsos Reid from April 27, 2006, to May 1, 2006. For the survey, a representative, randomly selected sample of 1,184 adult Canadians completed an online survey. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-2.8 percentage points at a confidence interval of 95 per cent. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. To view the survey factum, please visit www.ipsos-na.com/news.

About lawyers.com(SM)

Martindale-Hubbell(R) lawyers.com(SM) (www.lawyers.com) from LexisNexis(R) is the leading lawyer directory on the web, providing consumers and small businesses with access to a free database of more than 440,000 lawyers and law firms in the United States and Canada. The lawyers.com service helps site visitors make a fast, informed decision when choosing a lawyer. More than one million searches per month are conducted through lawyers.com by consumers and business people in search of the right legal representation for their needs.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis(R) (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leading global provider of information and services solutions, including its flagship web-based Lexis(R) and Nexis(R) research services, to a wide range of professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting, and academic markets. A member of Reed Elsevier (NYSE:ENL)(NYSE:RUK) (www.reedelsevier.com), LexisNexis serves customers in 100 countries with 13,000 employees worldwide.

LexisNexis Canada Inc. (www.lexisnexis.ca) provides Total Practice Solutions that serve the changing needs of legal professionals and help them achieve excellence. LexisNexis offerings include the Quicklaw(TM) online research service for Canadian legal information; Butterworths print and CD-ROM titles and newspapers for legal, accounting, and other professionals; the Lexis(R) and Nexis(R) research services for global online legal, news, and business information; and solutions that serve the needs of law firms and organizations in Practice Management, Client Development, and Litigation Services.