Commercial and residential property taxes are by far the largest source of revenue for Canadian municipalities – about one third of the budgets in large cities. Other revenue streams include provincial grants and licenses, permits and user fees. Residential accommodation is taxed on market-based values. Municipal assessors annually determine and issue an assessment for each […]
EMPLOYMENT | Bad Behaviour 5.0: Employees getting away with …
Whitford was not given sufficiently clear and detailed warnings about his misconduct, was mislead [sic] by approvals granting him leave, and was not told that failure to prepare a return-to-work plan could result in his dismissal. Further, he was not caught drinking on the job, other than the one occasion when he made no attempt to […]
NOT-FOR-PROFIT | COVID-19 Support: Getting the ‘best bang for the buck’
July 2, 2020 By Peter Broder
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated charity and non-profit organizations’ revenue sources to an extent rarely, if ever, seen before. Though some high-profile groups saw governments and the public funnel generous support to them and there have been a few clever online initiatives to raise money, that is just a small part of the story. The […]
HUMAN RIGHTS | Overt Discrimination and Hate Crimes are Increasing During COVID-19
July 2, 2020 By Linda McKay-Panos
Generally, when talking about the situation in Canada, the emphasis is on the prevalence of systemic discrimination —policies or practices that are part of an organization, which perpetuate disadvantage. This is pervasive in Canada and difficult to address because it is reinforced by acceptance as the “normal” way of doing things. However, while complex systemic […]
FAMOUS CASES | Canada Opens its Courts to Overseas Human Rights Abuses
On February 28, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to strike damages claims for international human rights abuses and Canadian torts by three former workers at a Canadian majority-owned mining company in Eritrea. In the five-to-four majority decision in Nevsun Resources Ltd v Araya, the court signalled that Canadian courts are open to hear […]
HOUSING | Alberta’s New Condominium Regulations: Insurance
July 2, 2020 By Judy Feng
On January 1, 2020, revised condominium governance regulations came into effect in Alberta. This article is part of a multi-part article series on Alberta’s new condominium regulations. Stay tuned for our next article on repairs. The previous incarnation of the regulations primarily addressed the type of insurance condominium corporations were responsible for. For example, condominium […]
YOUTH & THE LAW | Medical Treatment: When can I give my own consent?
July 2, 2020 By Jessica Steingard
We are in the middle of a global health crisis – the COVID-19 pandemic. With health on everyone’s mind, now is a perfect time to talk about when you can give your consent to medical treatments, without your parents’ approval. To be clear, by youth we mean anyone under the age of majority in the […]
Volunteer Lawyers & Pro Bono Organizations in Alberta
Lawyers across Alberta spend countless hours each year volunteering with legal clinics and court programs to assist vulnerable individuals with their legal problems. Without help, these individuals would otherwise represent themselves – called self-represented litigants or SRLs. Volunteer lawyers play a critical role in ensuring fair access to our justice system. Volunteer lawyers play an […]
Can I Be Liable for the Actions of My Volunteer?: Vicarious liability and volunteers
In many volunteer-driven organizations, volunteer coordinators or boards may hold the view that the organization is not liable for negligent or intentionally injurious actions of its volunteers. This can sometimes be the benefit of using volunteers. They are not employees and, therefore, the same rights and obligations that arise in the employment context do not […]
LAW & LITERATURE | 1919 by John Dos Passos: A requiem for the defeated and outcasts
May 1, 2020 By Rob Normey
I have always intended to work my way through all three volumes of Dos Passos’ U.S.A. trilogy, published between 1930 and 1936 and clocking in at 1,300 pages. During today’s strange pandemic times, I have taken advantage of the opportunity to do so. And I can tell you that, while at times it was a […]
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