Courtroom dress rules may seem fixed and unchanging, but over time, they have evolved along with law, culture and society.When most people picture a judge, they likely imagine a figure in a flowing black robe. Judicial robes are meant to signal fairness, authority, and neutrality. By … [Read more...]
United We Stand, Divided We Stumble: Canada’s provincial legal responses to human trafficking
Five Canadian provinces have introduced different laws to combat human trafficking. What needs to be done to standardize responses across the country?In 2001, Canada signed the United Nations Palermo Protocol of 2000. The Protocol is part of the United Nations Convention against … [Read more...]
Bill 18: Alberta Pushes Back Against MAID Expansion
The federal government plans to expand eligibility for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in March 2027. Alberta's Bill 18 may place stricter limits on MAID eligibility in the province.In March 2024, I wrote an article titled “Canada is not yet Ready to Expand its Medical Assistance in Dying … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Afraid to Call 9-1-1: Immunity from prosecution when dealing with drug overdoses
The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act protects people from criminal charges for drug possession if they call 9-1-1 to report a drug overdose.Under the law of possession in criminal law, you can be arrested even if you do not physically have any drugs on you. For example, if you are in someone … [Read more...]
Indigenous Law vs. Aboriginal Law: What’s the difference?
Indigenous laws are gaining recognition in Canada's legal landscape, but have always been a part of the fabric of the nation.Canadian law is a multi-juridical system, where many forms of law coexist. Canada’s legal system was founded on a combination of English common law, French civil law (in … [Read more...]
Charting a new path with legal information in Alberta
The following is a summary of what we heard through CPLEA’s community consultations project – along with a glimpse into human-centred design in action within the legal information and services ecosystem.This is probably a problem we can all relate to when working on a long-running project or … [Read more...]
Dispensing with a Parent’s Consent for Therapy for Children
When therapy is in a child's best interests but one parent doesn't agree to it, there are options for going ahead with therapy without that parent's consent.EDITOR’S NOTE This article was first published in LawNow on January 5, 2018. It was reviewed and updated by the author in 2026.When … [Read more...]
Divorcing with Dignity and Civility
Divorce can be one of the most stressful events in a person's life. Collaboration and clear communication can reduce harm and lead to better outcomes.Divorce is often portrayed in media as an acrimonious fight, and many of us have likely heard horror stories of high-conflict separations. … [Read more...]
Poverty Law and Policy: Provincial vs. federal approaches
Canada aims to reduce poverty to 50% below 2015 levels by the year 2030. Are we on track for this ambitious goal?The federal Poverty Reduction Act (2019) set the goal to reduce poverty to 50% below 2015 levels by the year 2030. To hit this target, Canada’s national poverty rate must drop to … [Read more...]
Revisiting emotional support animals
With a recent human rights case in Alberta, there is now more legal clarity around emotional support animal situations.For cat lovers, there’s nothing like the feeling of having an edgy predator melt into a warm loaf in one’s lap, purring for kisses and cuddles. For some, maybe the sleepy … [Read more...]
