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British Columbia

  • Image: "Stop school closure OLB" by Backbone Campaign is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
As Mothers’ day 2021 approached, schools closed in Alberta and Ontario and parts of Manitoba. At the time of writing, Alberta’s schools had reopened, but schools in Ontario and parts of Manitoba remained closed. B.C. schools closed briefly in March, 2020,...

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  • Image: "clock" by fsse8info is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
So you’re one of many who has been dismissed or are otherwise out of a job. Has covid-19 changed your deadline for filling a civil claim for a wrongful dismissal action?    Maybe. It depends on when you were dismissed. If your claim...

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  • Image: "clocks" by Leo Reynolds is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In March, 2020, as fears mounted over covid-19, the Supreme Court of British Columbia and British Columbia Court of Appeal suspended their regular operations. I expressed concern at the time with courthouses closing at a time when they are needed more...

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  • Image: "Royal Throne" by D-Stanley is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Any resemblance in this article to real persons, dead or alive, or other real-life entities, past or present, is purely coincidental. Once upon a time, there was a royal family. The ruler of the Kingdom was a King. He had three sons,...

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  • Image: "New innovative learning spaces improve Okanagan Mission Secondary school" by BC Gov Photos is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
I have previously written about section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter). Section 23 enshrines in our constitution the right of children of Canadian citizens to study French. Depending on the circumstances, this may be by...

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  • Image: "jail" by the_kid_cl is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The BC Human Rights Tribunal recently awarded its highest injury to dignity award yet. The recipient was an employee who experienced race-related discrimination at work. The case was heard in two stages. First, the Tribunal decided if discrimination had occurred.  In July,...

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  • Image: "Door of a bankrupt business locked with chain and padlock. Global recession due to coronavirus lockdown" by Ivan Radic is licensed under CC BY 2.0
It’s an understatement to say the economy is currently bleak.   Anyone with employment is hanging onto it for dear life. Dismissed employees who are looking for new work face a formidable task. People are told to “stay home”. Many businesses have effectively...

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  • Image: "Anti-cyber bullying fix - meet the troll" by FixersUK is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
It is our neighbors to the South who have the reputation for being litigious. Here in Canada, we regard ourselves as more friendly. More reasonable. More able to resolve disputes without necessarily resorting to full litigation. Is the COVID-19 pandemic moving us...

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  • "Tommy Douglas - Keeping an eye on Parliament" by Jamie McCaffrey is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
One of the institutions we treasure most as Canadians is our national health care system. Under the Canada Health Act (CHA), all "insured persons" are entitled to receive "insured health services" without charge.     “Insured health services” means hospital services, physician services and...

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  • Image: "Injured Piggy Bank With Crutches" by kenteegardin is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” -- Upton Sinclair Last week, this column discussed how the B.C. Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB or Board) uses key performance indicators to...

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