Since Canada became a country in 1867, Canadian law has evolved from that of a British colony to a sovereign state, including major developments like the Charter, the Criminal Code and the Divorce Act.EDITOR’S NOTE This article was first published in LawNow on May 5, 2017. It was reviewed … [Read more...]
Magna Carta Informs Our Criminal Law
The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, includes important legal concepts found today in our justice system, including the Rule of Law, jury trials, appointing qualified judges, evidence and access to justice.EDITOR'S NOTE This article was first published in LawNow on November 2, 2015. It was … [Read more...]
A Brief Overview of Child Intervention Services in Alberta
Alberta's Child, Youth, and Family Enhancement Act (CYFEA) sets out how the government intervenes to protect children, including through agreements with the child's guardian and various court orders.EDITOR'S NOTE This article was first published on January 5, 2016. It was reviewed and updated … [Read more...]
Children Witnesses in the Criminal Courts: Recognizing Competence and Assessing Credibility
The law and research in Canada have evolved to allow children to take the stand as witnesses in criminal court, though there is still work to do.EDITOR'S NOTE This article was first published on January 5th, 2018. It was verified for accuracy on December 13, 2024.Until the late 1980s, the … [Read more...]
Privacy and Medical Information in the Workplace
How can we balance an employer's right to know about illness or disability and an employee's right to privacy?EDITOR'S NOTE A version of this article first appeared in LawNow in 2019. It has been reviewed for legal accuracy in 2024 by the author.Requesting medical information from … [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 now closed) Wild Rapids waterslide park in Sylvan Lake or to Calgary’s Callaway Park. These amusement parks offer … [Read more...]
Heading into Alberta’s Great Outdoors This Summer? Passes and permits to know about
It's your responsibility to know the rules before you head out to enjoy parks, camp, hunt or fish, and operate off-highway vehicles or boats.One positive thing to come out of COVID-19 is that more Albertans are exploring the beautiful outdoors of our province.Before venturing out though, you … [Read more...]
Does Elite Sport Respect Young Athletes’ Human Rights?
We all enjoy watching national and international sports events. But most of us have no idea about an athlete’s journey to make it to these events.To become elite athletes and reach the top of their sport, children may leave their families and begin training extensively at a very early age. Most of … [Read more...]
Contact in Sports: Acceptable or criminal assault?
By voluntarily taking part in an activity, individuals implicitly consent to interactions with others that would otherwise be criminal assaults.A visitor to Earth would probably notice something odd about some of our favourite pastimes. Societies around the world consider some behaviour – of one … [Read more...]
Royal Families Around the World
Around the world, monarchs hold different roles in government and more.Canadians live in a “constitutional monarchy”. So, we are somewhat familiar with how our system has evolved to the point where the Queen is mainly a figurehead at the top of our government. Over many centuries, the British, and … [Read more...]
