This is the second part to the article, The Blackmailer’s Charter: Victims in British Film and Theatre. I can’t neglect to mention a bold play that preceded it by a few years. Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey (1958), staged by the innovative and brilliant Theatre Workshop under Joan Littlewood, … [Read more...]
Employers’ Legal Obligations During Major Disasters
Introduction We write this column within a week of the devastating floods in southern Alberta. A few years ago, this column addressed the H1N1 influenza outbreak. Before that was SARS. Alberta has experienced serious tornados and fires. While not ‘natural’ disasters, we remember the potent … [Read more...]
Living with your Landlord
Each province has one law that applies to most renting situations, and then other laws that you may need to know about depending on the kind of property that you are renting. For example, if you are renting a condominium unit in Alberta, you’d want to know about the Residential Tenancies Act and the … [Read more...]
Mother May I? Schools and Parenting Disputes
I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Jim Davies, the general counsel for the Edmonton Public School Board. He gave a group of family law lawyers the educator’s perspective on parenting disputes.1 Today’s dynamic family configurations can be complicated – divorced biological parents, foster … [Read more...]
Changing Terms of Employment
Introduction Darrell Wronko started work at Western Inventory Service Limited (WIS) in 1987, right after graduating from university. He worked at the company for 17 years, including four years as Vice President of National Accounts and Marketing. In 2000, he signed an amended employment contract, … [Read more...]
Tax Problems
As I write this a controversy is playing out in the United States over apparent targeting of Tea Party and other conservative groups by local offices of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to determine if they met American statutory requirements for exemption from tax. Under U.S. law such groups must … [Read more...]
An Overview of Anti-bullying Legislation and Alternatives in Canada
Very few days seem to go by, of late, without Canadians hearing about the alarming consequence of bullying in some form or another. This is particularly true in relation to children and youth. A number of high profile cases have garnered much discussion over the past few years, the latest of which … [Read more...]
The Blackmailer’s Charter: Victims in British Film and Theatre
I recently saw the 1961 British film Victim, starring one of my favorite actors, Dirk Bogarde. Dirk plays the highly successful barrister, Melville Farr, expected by his staff to take silk very soon (that is, become an eminent Queen’s Counsel, with a judgeship in his bright future as well). We see … [Read more...]
New Developments in the Area of Discrimination on the Basis of Family Status
Note: a portion of this article is reproduced with permission from Ablawg.ca “Accommodation for Family Status Required by Federal Human Rights Tribunal for Three Alberta Women” – Ablawg December 22, 2010 All provinces and territories, and the federal government, have human rights legislation to … [Read more...]
After the Flood for Landlords and Tenants in Alberta
There has been substantial flooding in Alberta this spring. This means that there are some tenants and landlords who need information about renting and their rights after a flood. The Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta has developed an info sheet to help people understand their rights and … [Read more...]









