Consumer law covers a wide range of topics that are pervasive in our everyday lives – including contracts, advertising, credit, buying of goods and services, privacy and more. CPLEA often receives questions from the public about consumer law-related issues and so LawNow is launching this column to … [Read more...]
When is Reinstatement Possible for Employment Discrimination?
A worker experiencing discrimination must choose the legal avenue that will give them the result they want. For example, if pursuing the matter in court, the worker will have to start a contract claim (e.g., wrongful dismissal) or tort claim. One cannot sue in tort for discrimination, but one can … [Read more...]
Confidentiality Clauses: the Jan Wong Case
. . . I can’t disclose the amount of money I received I’d just been paid a pile of money to go away . . . Two weeks later a big fat check landed in my account. Even with a vastly swollen bank account . . . Introduction Almost all lawsuits are settled or abandoned. Only about 5% go … [Read more...]
Water Regulation in Alberta: 5 Things You Need to Know
Water plus Earth, Wind and Fire. No … it’s not a day at the beach with a great band from Chicago. These are the names of the four classical elements, which in ancient times were thought to explain the nature of how the world worked. They are also the subjects of the next four LawNow Environmental … [Read more...]
How Earnings Must Be Paid
Introduction In 1981, when I was a student working for the summer in London, England, every two weeks I would walk over to another building and join a queue to collect my pay packet. In the little cardboard pouch, I found a very narrow strip of paper of numbers that explained how my earnings and … [Read more...]
The White Angel: An excursion from Chinatown to posh Shaughnessy Heights and back
John MacLachlan Gray is a celebrated playwright who penned the immortal masterpiece Billy Bishop Goes to War. Having not seen any new plays from Gray for many years, I had wondered whatever had become of him. Not to worry. It turns out that in recent years he has reinvented himself as a mystery … [Read more...]
Alternatives to Court: Parenting Coordination
This is the last column in LawNow’s series on resolving family law disputes out of court. The other columns in this series include Sarah Dargatz’s articles on collaborative negotiation and mediation, and my article on arbitration. In this column, I’m going to talk about parenting coordination. This … [Read more...]
VIP Access to Justice: Why state-funded counsel is crucial to our democratic identity
Access to justice is always a live issue, no matter how developed a country may be. Luckily, in Canada, our justice system rivals some of the best in the world. However, there is still concern for those who represent themselves in the criminal justice system. After all, criminal matters have a … [Read more...]
Ottawa situation highlights governance obligations in managing misconduct risks
News earlier this year of the mass resignation of the Board of the Ottawa Lions Club should come as no surprise to followers of recent developments in organizational governance. The resignations came in response to a report commissioned by Athletics Canada into the group’s handling of allegations of … [Read more...]
Freedom of Expression at Canadian Universities: A difficult compromise?
Recently, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford passed a new policy that Ontario universities should adopt free-speech policies, or face receiving less money from the Government. The policies must meet “a minimum standard prescribed by government.” This means that “while members of the university/college are … [Read more...]
