The Alberta Court of King's Bench introduced streamlined trials in 2024 to replace summary trials, and four cases help us interpret the new rules.This article summarizes the status of streamlined trials in Alberta. Streamlined trials were introduced in Alberta at the beginning of 2024. They … [Read more...]
Non-Disclosure Agreements in Canada: The future in wake of Hockey Canada’s scandal
Canadians have closely followed the bombshell criminal charges against five members of Team Canada’s 2018 World Juniors hockey team.The case is scheduled for trial in 2025, seven years after the alleged sexual assault. Following the incident, the complainant reached a settlement with Hockey … [Read more...]
Privacy and Medical Information in the Workplace
How can we balance an employer's right to know about illness or disability and an employee's right to privacy?EDITOR'S NOTE A version of this article first appeared in LawNow in 2019. It has been reviewed for legal accuracy in 2024 by the author.Requesting medical information from … [Read more...]
Coercive control bill should tackle familial elder abuse
Bill C-332 is a noble attempt to protect domestic abuse victims from escalating violence. However, the proposed law does not help seniors who are harmed by adult children and other relatives like grandchildren, once again banishing elder abuse to the hinterlands of the criminal justice … [Read more...]
Why is Canada a Bilingual Country?
Canada has two official languages: French and English. We always wonder why.EDITOR'S NOTE A version of this article first appeared in LawNow in 2019. It has been reviewed for legal accuracy in 2024 by the author.Canada’s two colonizing peoples are the French and the British. They … [Read more...]
Commercial Host Liability
To help us understand when a commercial host, such as a bar, is liable for injuries suffered by its drunk patrons, let's take a look back at Crocker v Sundance Northwest Ltd.What duty of care is owed to drunk patrons? While every scenario is dependent on its own facts, Canadian courts have … [Read more...]
Are you being legally misinformed?
Misinformation is one of society’s current challenges. While technological tools increase access to useful and crucial information, they also facilitate the spread of false information.Misinformation is inaccurate information published as truth. If the information is intentionally deceptive, … [Read more...]
Romance Scams: When it really is too good to be true
In an era where relationships often begin online, romance scams have emerged as an increasingly significant threat.In 2021 alone, victims of romance scams had lost over 50 million dollars (and this is just what was reported), according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Hiding behind the … [Read more...]
Legal experts dispute the use of federal prisons for refugees
Although Canada has welcomed more than one million refugees since 1980, the challenging path to freedom in Canada continues to be difficult as some newcomers face time behind bars – despite being guilty of no crime at all.Recently, the federal government quietly announced plans to jail … [Read more...]
Right to Protest on Canadian University Campuses
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms includes the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association. But the courts have not been clear whether the Charter applies to protest encampments at universities.Protest encampments on Canadian university campuses have been dealt with … [Read more...]
