Reading Time: 4 minutes Increasingly, people are finding themselves in court without a lawyer to represent them. They are known as “self-represented litigants” (SRLs for short). The National Self-Represented Litigants Research Study conducted by Dr. Julie Macfarlane revealed that, generally, this is not because individuals have decided that lawyers are unnecessary. In fact, “[b]y far the most consistently cited […]
Small Claims Court: A Venue Made for Self-Represented Litigants
Reading Time: 7 minutes Introduction A few years ago, while stopped on a major road in congested Calgary commuter traffic, our vehicle was struck from behind by another vehicle. We were hit with such force that our car was pushed into the car in front of us. The road and visibility were excellent and we all knew the cause […]
Resources for Termination of Employment
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Edmonton Journal recently reported layoff notices way up in 2015: “Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 10, 18 Alberta employers disclosed plans to terminate a total of 4,544 workers.” Further, “Statistics Canada figures show the province gained 13,700 jobs in January, but lost 1,000 in the natural resources sector (it includes oil and gas, mining […]
New website from CPLEA: Laws for Landlords and Tenants in Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA) is excited to announce the launch of our newly redesigned Laws for Landlords and Tenants in Alberta website. The new Laws for Landlords and Tenants website reflects the feedback CPLEA received from landlords and tenants across Alberta. It features a modern, streamlined design with enhanced search capability along […]
If your Employment Ends… Laws for Tenants in Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute With oil prices dropping significantly and Target closing its doors, thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs. Many thousands more are worried everyday that they could lose their job. The Centre for Public Legal Education (CPLEA) has created a new tip sheet for Alberta tenants who are having trouble keeping up with their rent due […]
Considering Jurisdiction in Interprovincial Custody Applications
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canadians are mobile and it is not uncommon for families to move between provinces. It is also not uncommon for parents to live in different provinces after a separation. So, if they need to go to court to settle a parenting dispute, which province should make this decision? This is a question of which court […]
What, Why and Where: Untangling Jurisdiction in Family Law
Reading Time: 8 minutes It can be a real challenge to figure out which court to go to when a family law problem needs to be resolved by a judge. You may need to go to a court where you live, or a court somewhere else. If you are going to a court where you live, you’ll have to […]
How is property divided at the end of a relationship?
Reading Time: 2 minutes The property rights that you have at the end of a relationship depend on what kind of relationship you had in the first place. Are you married? Living together? If you are married, then the property rights that you have come from Alberta’s Matrimonial Property Act. If you are living together but are not married, then […]
Talking to the Police
Reading Time: 4 minutes The police are key players in the criminal justice system. “To prevent crime and to make sure that there is order in the community, police officers are given special powers to search, arrest and detain any individual who is committing, has committed or who is believed to have committed a criminal offence. However, these powers […]
Can a landlord charge a tenant for renovations?
Reading Time: 3 minutes I just got a question from a tenant. The landlord replaced all the windows in the rental property, and then gave the tenant a bill for half the cost of the renovations. Seriously. The tenant doesn’t have to pay the landlord the money. There are some costs that are simply the costs of doing business, […]
