With Canadians spending increased time on social media platforms, cyberbullying has skyrocketed with 71% of young Canadians reporting seeing online hate content. Criminal and civil laws offer ways to deal with it. Cyberbullying on social media has become a major problem in the 21st century. … [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...]
Canada’s Proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act
In 2022, Canada proposed the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act to attempt to regulate and promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence, though the framework is not yet law. Canada has become a leader in developing and using artificial intelligence (AI). AI has become increasingly … [Read more...]
Think Before You Post – A Primer on Online Defamation
Posting online can lead to a defamation claim if the statement refers to an identifiable person, is communicated to someone else, and may lower the target's reputation in the minds of others. On the internet, anyone can make written statements that may potentially be viewed by a large … [Read more...]
Bill C-18: Canada’s Online News Act
Canada’s Online News Act received royal assent but is not yet law, though it is already stirring up controversy with Google and Meta saying news will no longer be available to Canadians on their platforms. Meta and Google have been in the news lately in response to Canada’s Online News Act … [Read more...]
Gambling in the Online Age
While gambling facilities must have a provincial license to operate, only government-operated websites offer legal gambling online. You have probably seen ads for online gambling websites all over the place - commercials, social media, even at the Superbowl. But did you know these websites are not … [Read more...]
Going it alone? Resources for Self-Represented Litigants
Increasingly, people are finding themselves in court without a lawyer to represent them. They are known as “self-represented litigants” (SRLs for short). The National Self-Represented Litigants Research Study conducted by Dr. Julie Macfarlane revealed that, generally, this is not because … [Read more...]
Resources for Termination of Employment
The Edmonton Journal recently reported layoff notices way up in 2015: “Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 10, 18 Alberta employers disclosed plans to terminate a total of 4,544 workers.” Further, “Statistics Canada figures show the province gained 13,700 jobs in January, but lost 1,000 in the natural … [Read more...]
Law in the Public Interest
In this issue of LawNow, the Special Report focuses on Public Interest Standing in courts and other tribunals. That got me thinking about public interest law in general. The Career Development Office of the University of Toronto says: Public interest or social justice law has been described as … [Read more...]
Talking to the Police
The police are key players in the criminal justice system. “To prevent crime and to make sure that there is order in the community, police officers are given special powers to search, arrest and detain any individual who is committing, has committed or who is believed to have committed a criminal … [Read more...]
