Did you know you can officiate your friends’ and family members’ marriage ceremonies in Alberta? For a long time, only appointed civil marriage commissioners could officiate weddings in Alberta. The provincial government recently changed its policies to allow members of the public to perform these … [Read more...]
Property Laws You’ve Maybe Never Heard Of
Did you know that each province in Canada has different property laws? Property laws deal with buying and selling land, dividing property at the end of a relationship, property liens and claims, registering interests in property, buying and selling goods, inheritances, etc. The reason for each … [Read more...]
What You Didn’t Know was a Crime in Canada
Lesser known offences in the Canadian Criminal Code that are still on the books in 2020 Disclaimer: This article is not meant to be substituted for any legal advice. The Government of Canada recently gave the Criminal Code a legal face lift after conducting a detailed review to eliminate all the … [Read more...]
The Critical Role of Public Legal Education in Societies Governed by the Rule of Law
At some point in high school, we learn that we live in a nomocracy, which is a fancy ten-cent word for a society governed by the rule of law. The whole “governed by the rule of law” thing is an especially important quality of democracies like ours. It includes the following rights: All of … [Read more...]
BearPaw Media and Education: Indigenous public legal education in Alberta
What is BearPaw Media and Education? As a department of Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA), we produce and distribute free, multimedia Indigenous public legal education and information (PLEI). Our resources are for Indigenous people, by Indigenous people in Alberta and include … [Read more...]
Public Legal Education: Unexamined theory constrains practice
Nothing is so practical as good theory. ~ Kurt Lewin When Public Legal Education (PLE) began to take shape in Canada, it was an innovative, disruptive form of legal service. We were definitely thinking ‘outside the box’. So far out, in fact, that the mere thought of educating the public about … [Read more...]
A2J and Public Legal Education in 2020 in Alberta
What is justice? It is widely stated that we have an access to justice (A2J) crisis in Canada. You will get a variety of answers, though, if you ask people what they think this means and what we can do about it. As Lois Gander points out in her article in this issue of LawNow, one reason is that … [Read more...]
Getting Your Film onto the Screen
So, you have an idea for a great movie and think it has “legs”. Where do you start? Let’s look at it like any product to be sold in the marketplace. To understand how to make and market your movie, there are three basic questions that you need to answer: What are you selling? Who is the … [Read more...]
My Brain Needs a Rating System!
In the past few months, lack of access to my regular activities has “forced” me to make significant behavioural changes to my daily routine. Some people may have taken the opportunity to get in better physical shape or learn a new language. I will be the honest voice and admit that I have mostly … [Read more...]
Lights! Camera! Music!
For over a century, music has been used in film to not only enhance the viewing experience, but it has become very much an integral part of the film. For example, it is hard to imagine watching Star Wars without the score by legendary composer John Williams. Songs, by especially popular artists, can … [Read more...]
