Doing your own home renovations means understanding the legal requirements, such as permits, and the consequences of doing poor work. You own your own home and decide to do some renovations. You get a couple of quotes from local contractors and are in shock over what it all adds up to. You think to … [Read more...]
Assisting the Client Living with the Effects of Serious Mental Illness
What are the challenges involved when working with clients living with psychotic illnesses, and what is some practical advice for their lawyers and advocates? I was asked to write an article on the challenges that those experiencing mental illnesses face when engaging with the legal system. What … [Read more...]
Alberta Court Adds New Tort about Protecting Private Information
The tort of Public Disclosure of Private Information protects someone from having private information disclosed about them publicly. In September 2021, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench released its decision in ES v Shillington. Noteworthy about this case is that the Court recognized a … [Read more...]
Ride at Your Own Risk: Amusement parks and liability
What does it mean to do something at “our own risk”? And who is ultimately responsible when accidents do happen? When I was young, winter officially ended with family outings to (the recently closed) Wild Rapids waterslide park in Sylvan Lake or to Calgary’s Callaway Park. These amusement parks … [Read more...]
Vehicle Insurance: What are you paying for anyway?
If you own a vehicle, you probably pay for insurance on it. But you may not know what you are actually paying for and why governments require it. This article briefly describes why governments require vehicle insurance. It then gives an overview of the insurance systems for mandatory insurance in … [Read more...]
Everything You Need to Know About Wedding and Special Event Insurance
Wedding and special event insurance is a special kind of cancellation insurance that can protect you if your event goes awry. When you’re thinking about planning a big event—whether it’s a wedding, huge birthday bash or blowout retirement party—no one wants to think about cancellations or other … [Read more...]
Act Now: Insurance policies and the duty to notify
Insurance policies require insureds to notify the insurer of claims and potential claims. Insurance policies, like any other contract, contain certain legal obligations. For example, insurance policies of all types require insureds to notify the insurer of loss or damage – or in the case of … [Read more...]
You Can Officiate Your Friends’ Weddings!
Did you know you can officiate your friends’ and family members’ marriage ceremonies in Alberta? For a long time, only appointed civil marriage commissioners could officiate weddings in Alberta. The provincial government recently changed its policies to allow members of the public to perform these … [Read more...]
Getting a Fair Say: Adjudicative bodies and the duty of fairness
“Administrative bodies” play a critical role in many areas of the law – from human rights to municipal planning to labour and employment. Maybe you have heard of the Human Rights Commission, the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, the Labour Relations Board, the Immigration and Refugee Board … [Read more...]
Retaining a Lawyer
You have asked your friends, looked at websites and finally settled on a lawyer who seems to be a good fit for your case. But before you become a client of that lawyer, you must first retain them. Unfortunately, retaining a lawyer is not always straightforward. The process involves checking whether … [Read more...]
