In my earlier two columns, I discussed substantive aspects of criminal law in the North (Part One). I briefly reviewed some aspects of the crimes we deal with in court, some of the underlying causes, and certain aspects of sentencing for those offences (Part Two). I want now to describe some … [Read more...]
Professional Bodies are Subject to Alberta Human Rights Act
A recent Human Rights Tribunal decision, Mihaly v The Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, 2014 AHRC 1 (CanLII), (“Mihaly”) about the actions of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA), has sparked a fair … [Read more...]
Viewpoint 38-5: Ten Steps to Creating Safe Environments for Children and Youth
A Risk Management Road Map to Prevent Violence and Abuse for all organizations that intersect with young people What constitutes abuse? violence? bullying? harassment? Why do bad things happen in even the best organizations? What is the duty of care and what is your organization’s … [Read more...]
The State of Your Children: The Top Five Things you need to know about your children
This spring, UNICEF released Report Card 11 ranking the well-being of children in rich countries. Well-being is measured by a wide range of factors that make life better for children including healthy behaviours, positive relationships with peers and parents, high educational achievement and low … [Read more...]
The Protection of Young Workers in Canadian Employment Law
EDITOR'S NOTE The information in this article may be out-of-date. For current information on employment laws for workers under 18 years of age in Alberta, see CPLEA's Youth & Work FAQs. Employment laws are often different for young workers under 18 years of age to protect them from … [Read more...]
Public Legal Education and the Legal Needs of Vulnerable Youth
Vulnerable Youth and the Law Young people face many challenges as they prepare for and transition into adulthood. These challenges can easily transform into problems with the legal system. For marginalized youth, legal problems are compounded by other social problems. Some of the extra hurdles … [Read more...]
Vulnerable Youth in Canada’s North
Any discussion of “vulnerable youth” must begin by defining the scope and meaning of that term. In this article, I include those persons under the age of 18 years who are particularly vulnerable to neglect, and/or harm of various sorts. Sometimes this is a result of poverty alone, and parental … [Read more...]
Vicarious Liability: The Legal Responsibility of Employers
“It is right and just that the person who creates a risk bears the loss when the risk ripens into harm.” - Bazley v. Curry, 1999 CanLII 692 (SCC) Introduction After the massive train derailment disaster last summer in Lac Mégantic, Quebec, the chief executive of the train company was roundly … [Read more...]
Copyright in the Classroom
Copyright, a category of intangible proprietary rights, has always been an important consideration in the delivery of Canadian primary and secondary education (“K – 12”). This is because K – 12 educators and students make up two prominent groups of copyright users - those who use the property of … [Read more...]
Common Misconceptions about Copyright
As an intellectual property lawyer, I am often consulted by creators of works protected by copyright. Here are five of the most common misconceptions I have encountered in my practice, and my comments on them: If a work is not marked with the © claim, it is not protected: Annotation of the … [Read more...]
