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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: "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,...

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 “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...

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  • Image: "Job search" by slightly everything is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Recently, in Dubois v. Milne, the B.C. Court of Appeal considered a claim for an oppression remedy in the wrongful dismissal context. The oppression remedy is a powerful way of addressing misconduct that has harmed a “shareholder.” Section 227(2) of the Business...

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  • Image: "hornby st" by Beach650 is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Lately, there is a dichotomy within B.C.’s justice system. As a result of concerns over COVID-19, B.C. courts have largely shut down, allowing only “urgent and essential matters” to proceed. This is a topic unto itself. Though efforts are certainly being made...

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As we enter phase 2 of the British Columbia government’s announced “restart plan,” to gradually re-open businesses and ease restrictions, it is interesting to think about what legal authority is being used to make temporary emergency based legal changes amid...

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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: "Coronavirus Research" by danielfoster437 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In March, 2020, concerns began to mount over covid-19. We heard that certain group gatherings resulted in outbreaks of the virus. Some of these events involved health care professionals.  An Alberta outbreak was traced to an Edmonton curling bonspiel. More than...

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  • Photo: courtesy of creative commons, Cemetery 011
“Moot” is commonly used to mean “hypothetical.”  Whether a case is legally "moot" or not is a narrower question than common usage may suggest.  It is a question which may, depending on the case, require some analysis. The framework for determining whether...

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“Driver in Humboldt crash wasn't distracted at time of collision with bus, document says” read the headline. It reminds me of a joke my mother, a Saskatchewan resident, tells:   “A small car and a semi collided. The driver of the semi...

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