The Workers' Resource Centre sees common scenarios where workers do not understand their rights and options, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. For someone experiencing legal issues in the workplace for the first time, navigating the system for information and help can be a dauting task. … [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...]
Working with Clients Who Have Experienced Family Violence: Being client-centered and trauma-informed
Calgary Legal Guidance's Domestic Violence Family Law program is constantly learning and growing to better hear, understand and serve its clients. Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) is a non-profit organization offering a range of legal services to those who cannot easily access Legal Aid or other paid … [Read more...]
Sorrowful Soliloquies: I Am Ariel Sharon (Part 1)
I Am Ariel Sharon by Yara El-Ghadban is a timely novel that sheds light on the ongoing tragedy of the Palestinian people. Part 1 of this article describes how Canadian politics, institutions and media have responded to the Israel-Palestine conflict, providing context for my review of I Am Ariel … [Read more...]
Sorrowful Soliloquies: I Am Ariel Sharon (Part 2)
I Am Ariel Sharon by Yara El-Ghadban, is a timely novel that sheds light on the ongoing tragedy of the Palestinian people. Part 1 of this article described how Canadian politics, institutions and media have responded to the Israel-Palestine conflict, providing context for my review below of I Am … [Read more...]
Access to Justice During COVID-19 and the Jordan Case
How are delays in court processes due to COVID-19 considered when assessing the Jordan time limits for the right to be tried within a reasonable time? In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Since then, the pandemic has affected the functioning of many … [Read more...]
The (Sometimes Complicated) Rules that Apply to Farm Workers in Alberta
In January 2020, the rules changed to exempt farm and ranch employees on small farms from employment standards laws. Alberta’s Employment Standards Code (and the Employment Standards Regulation) applies to most workers in Alberta. But it creates all kinds of exceptions for farm workers, including … [Read more...]
What happens when farmers divorce?
The inter-generational nature of farms, and the need to keep enough farmland to make the farm viable, pose several unique challenges when families decide to separate. Farm families often experience the law in unique ways, and divorce is no exception. The inter-generational nature of farms, and the … [Read more...]
Canada Follows Other Countries and Bans Conversion Therapy
After two failed attempts, Canada passed legislation on December 8, 2021, banning conversion therapy and safeguarding the rights of LGBTQ2 individuals. After two failed attempts, Canada passed legislation, on December 8, 2021, banning conversion therapy. By doing so, Canada joins many countries … [Read more...]
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Migrant Farm Workers
Each year, between 50K and 60K migrant farm workers come to Canada. But are their working conditions in violation of the Charter? “The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.”- Cesar Chavez, civil rights and farm labour activist Chavez uttered those words in 1970 in the … [Read more...]
