The Facts Mr. John Clendenning of Woodstock, Ontario travelled a lot in his work and often rented a car from the Tilden Rent‑A‑Car Company when he was away from home. He would get extra insurance protection in the event he had an accident with the rental vehicle. On a trip to Vancouver he picked … [Read more...]
Stop the Hurt: Young people deserve a coordinated anti-cyberbullying strategy says Senate report
The hurt caused by cyberbullying is known all too well by young Canadians and it’s time for the federal government to coordinate an anti-bullying strategy with provincial and territorial counterparts says a report by the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights. Cyberbullying Hurts: Respect for … [Read more...]
The Blackmailer’s Charter: Victims in British Film and Theatre – Part 2
This is the second part to the article, The Blackmailer’s Charter: Victims in British Film and Theatre. I can’t neglect to mention a bold play that preceded it by a few years. Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey (1958), staged by the innovative and brilliant Theatre Workshop under Joan Littlewood, … [Read more...]
Employers’ Legal Obligations During Major Disasters
Introduction We write this column within a week of the devastating floods in southern Alberta. A few years ago, this column addressed the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Before that was SARS. Alberta has experienced serious tornados and fires. While not ‘natural’ disasters, we remember the potent … [Read more...]
Living with your Landlord
Each province has one law that applies to most renting situations, and then other laws that you may need to know about depending on the kind of property that you are renting. For example, if you are renting a condominium unit in Alberta, you’d want to know about the Residential Tenancies Act and the … [Read more...]
Mother May I? Schools and Parenting Disputes
I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Jim Davies, the general counsel for the Edmonton Public School Board. He gave a group of family law lawyers the educator’s perspective on parenting disputes.1 Today’s dynamic family configurations can be complicated – divorced biological parents, foster … [Read more...]
Bench Press 37-6: A Jury of Your Peers
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ordered a new trial for an Aboriginal man convicted of manslaughter in 2008. The majority on the Court found that Clifford Kokopenace did not receive a fair trial because the jury that heard his case had no Aboriginal members. Mr. Kokopenace argued that his Charter … [Read more...]
Bench Press 37-6: Water Woes
A Court of Queen’s Bench judge has ruled that the provincial Environmental Appeal Board has no jurisdiction to grant public interest standing to interested parties who wish to appeal decisions of the Director of Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. The applicants wanted to … [Read more...]
Cyberbullying or Criminal Conduct?
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, texting or similar means of communicating over the Internet have given new challenges to teachers, parents and most of all, youth. We tell youth to be cautious, to use their common sense, to not talk to strangers and to keep their personal information private. And yet … [Read more...]
Changing Terms of Employment
Introduction Darrell Wronko started work at Western Inventory Service Limited (WIS) in 1987, right after graduating from university. He worked at the company for 17 years, including four years as Vice President of National Accounts and Marketing. In 2000, he signed an amended employment contract, … [Read more...]
