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British Columbia

  • Photo: "Snapshots of my whiteboard" by nilexuk is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Last week, we looked at the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision in Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v. British Columbia. That decision confirmed that the Province of British Columbia unjustifiably infringed section 23(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights...

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  • Photo: "6 feet" by artnoose is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Amid fears over corona virus and declarations of emergency, many employers moved away from physical workplaces, toward either requiring employees to work remotely from home, or allowing employees to take leaves of absence. British Columbia’s state of emergency has now been...

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What legal framework governs B.C.’s response to covid-19?   The Emergency Program Act  (EPA), passed in 1993, is the principal legislation for responding to disasters and emergencies in British Columbia. If the Minster of Public Safety, or the entire cabinet, is satisfied...

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  • Photo: "Corona Virus" by danielfoster437 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
British Columbia’s Employment Standards Act (ESA) has been amended in response to concerns regarding covid-19.  The amendments are now in effect. They include two new job protected unpaid leaves of absence: a covid-19 related leave; and an unpaid illness or injury leave. BC’s...

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  • Photo: "response" is licensed under CC0 1.0
Liquor and cannabis stores remain open.   The list of essential services seems to be about a mile long. Amid all the concern about coronavirus, covid-19, even dollar stores are open. Lawyers are considered an “essential service.”  By definition, this includes the judiciary. Why,...

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  • Photo: "Wahi Sawaal | Short Film" by Abhey Singh, jaikishan patel is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
As International Women’s Day approaches, what better time to introduce legislative amendments to assist employees impacted by “domestic or sexual violence.” For simplicity, I will refer to this as domestic abuse.  If implemented, the amendments will also apply to employees...

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  • Photo: "Keyboard" by alvaroprieto is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 cc-icon
“A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was” (Joseph Hall).   Words, once spoken, can be impossible to ever take back. This includes social media posts. Social...

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  • Photo: "Eid Mubarak Greeting Cards" by Rimana Zaman is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
This time of year, many of us are busy preparing for the upcoming holiday season. It is important to remember that the two biggest holidays of the year – Christmas and Easter- arise from one faith tradition. Of course, not everyone shares...

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