December 2020

A Lawyer’s Christmas Wish

December 17, 2020
Susan Kootnekoff
Image: "Peace on Earth" by Clearly Ambiguous is licensed under CC BY 2.0

We couldn't help but share again this adaptation we wrote a couple of years ago, based on a favorite seasonal song. Amid governments struggling to respond to fears surrounding covid-19, state action surrounding covid-19 and so many people in distress,...

When the Legal System Fails

December 11, 2020
Susan Kootnekoff
Image: "Bee keeper" by Oregon Department of Agriculture is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Few people wish for their case to make ground breaking law. Few desire fame through a court decision. I was reminded recently of a tragic example of a famous Canadian case. Up to the late 1970s, women who claimed a beneficial share of...

Are School “Rankings” Admissible as Evidence?

December 4, 2020
Susan Kootnekoff

“One-quarter of Kelowna elementary students 'below expectations',” a headline recently read. As a parent, and as a lawyer, I confess that I am puzzled by the prominence given in the media to these “rankings”, year after year. Would the Fraser Institute’s ranking...