There may, undoubtedly, be cases justifying a wilful disobedience of such an order; as where the servant apprehends danger to her life, or violence to her person, from the master; or where, from an infectious disorder raging in the house, she must go out for the preservation of her life. But the … [Read more...]
Workplace Bullying: What Employers Need to Know
Bullying in the workplace is slightly different from bullying seen in the childhood sandbox. There is rarely physical violence or threats (although these are possible), and the tormentors may not always be the most obvious culprits. Instead, workplace bullying may not even be noticeable to an … [Read more...]
Being Fired: Employment and Identity
Clearing Your Name: Some Basic Rules if You’ve Been Fired for Fraud You’ve just been fired. It’s probably affecting you financially and emotionally to a great degree. Worse yet, your (now former) employer is saying it is “for cause” or “just cause”, possibly because of as serious an accusation as … [Read more...]
Independent Contractor or Employee?
Payment terms alone do not distinguish an independent contractor from an employee, so we look at five factors and the intention of the parties. With business culture evolving, we see increasingly varied means to manage one of the most expensive and critical components of a business – human … [Read more...]
Under the Influence: Liquor Outlet Density and Domestic Violence in Alberta
We have too many liquor outlets in Alberta. Okay, we said it. This is a conversation that most Albertans don’t want to have. Privatization Effects In 1993, Alberta became the only Canadian jurisdiction to fully privatize the sale of alcohol. Since then, we have gone from 200 liquor outlet stores … [Read more...]
Legal Requirements When Travelling Abroad with a Minor
Whether it is summer vacations, winter holidays or visiting relatives for a long weekend, traveling abroad has become common for children of all ages. This travel, however, does not always occur with both parents or with every legal guardian of the minor. In such circumstances, it is highly … [Read more...]
The Unified Family Court: A Road-Tested Justice Strategy for Alberta
In my recent article, “What, Why and Where: Untangling Jurisdiction in Family Law,” I explained how litigants navigate the thicket of jurisdictional choices involved in a family law dispute. First there’s choosing the right law, because the federal and provincial governments have overlapping … [Read more...]
Can Domestic Abuse Victims Qualify as Refugees?
A Comment on Matter of A-R-C-G et al The recently-released decision of the United States’ Board of Immigration Appeals (“the Board”) in the Matter of A-R-C-G et al., (“Matter of A-R-C-G“), 26 I&N Dec. 388 (BIA 2014) may signal the United States’ growing openness to granting asylum to women who … [Read more...]
The Calculation of Child Support: A Basic Guideline
The Federal Child Support Guidelines provide a framework for the payment of child support that a parent pays to support a child financially after a separation or divorce. What are the Federal Child Support Guidelines? As stated in Paragraph 1 of the Guidelines, their purpose is: (a) To establish … [Read more...]
Recent Developments in Criminal Law
It will come as no surprise to anyone tuned into the current political situation in Canada that changes in our criminal laws over the last several years have been consistently in a single direction: that of creating more offences and imposing stiffer penalties. Relying upon its position that … [Read more...]
