There are good and bad things in our society, successes and failures. But there is only one fundamental reality that remains unaddressed. That is the situation of indigenous peoples. This is the single most important issue before us, whether we are recently arrived in Canada or have been here for … [Read more...]
Era of Reconciliation: A Sacred Relationship
The truth be told, Canada’s dealing with its Indigenous populations has a dismal historical record. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has faced this issue head on. In its report, it states: Residential schooling was only a part of the colonization of Aboriginal people. The policy of … [Read more...]
40-4: Municipal Law and the Environment
Full PDF of this issue Volume 40-4 Mar / Apr 2016 Table of Contents Featured Articles: Municipal Law and the Environment Special Report: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report Departments Columns Featured Articles: Municipalities and Environmental … [Read more...]
The Municipal Government Board
The Municipal Government Board shall provide timely, independent, quasi-judicial appeal adjudication to all parties in the areas of assessment matters, planning, subdivision appeals, inter-municipal disputes and annexation recommendations, that yields fairness and equity consistent with the … [Read more...]
Unleashing the Environmental Power of Municipalities: Recommendations to Strengthen Alberta’s Municipal Government Act
Municipalities play a key role in the management and protection of Alberta’s environment. This occurs through regulation of private land uses and through local land use planning. Municipalities can also direct local changes that reduce the trajectory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and create … [Read more...]
Municipalities Leading the Way on Environmentalism
Canada’s municipalities, already leaders in effective environmental action, stand poised to accomplish even more: to reduce the consumption of energy and water, and to emit less pollution, for example—while delivering the same quality and quantity of services to residents. During the next decade, … [Read more...]
In Praise of Urban Forests
I applaud the Glenora Conservation Association and the City of Edmonton in their ongoing attempts to protect and save Edmonton’s mature tree canopy. It is clear there is a desire to balance the needs of new homeowners, and protect the trees. As the president of Tree Canada, Canada’s only national, … [Read more...]
BenchPress – Vol 40-4
Gonzo Language! The Federal Court of Appeal used some unusually strong language in a recent judgment about a claim for costs. The claim was made by the two lawyers who successfully challenged the appointment of Judge Marc Nadon to the Supreme Court of Canada. Together, the two lawyers asked for … [Read more...]
Indian Residential Schools – A Chronology
This chronology was compiled to convey, by historic milestones, how the Indian Residential School system came to be, how it embodied attitudes of its time, how critics were dismissed, and how finally the deep harm it did to many members of generations of Indian children was exposed in the course of … [Read more...]
Whatever Happened to … Scandalous Criminal Allegations: the Miazga Case
Introduction Miazga v. Kvello Estate is a tragic, yet fascinating, case which reminds us of the devastating power of criminal prosecution to ruin innocent lives and the near impossibility to hold Crown prosecutors legally accountable when that happens [(2009) 3 SCR 339, 2009 SCC 51 … [Read more...]
