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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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  • Image: "Statement by the chief coroner" by BC Gov Photos is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The B.C. Workers Compensation Board’s (WCB or the Board) website and annual reports contain no images of anyone injured. This is consistent with how the Board currently administers claims. The October, 2019 report to B.C.’s Minister of Labour, New Directions Report of...

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  • Image: "#selfcare_in_september day 15: 10 good things about my body. ☆ ☆ This was a huge struggle. If you're friends with me on Facebook you saw my post about my spinal injury. It's flared up recently or I've reinjured myself and am in constant agony. ☆ ☆ When yo" by Katje van Loon is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
If in the past 18 years you or someone you know has suffered a serious injury at work, you will know what it is like to encounter British Columbia’s Worker’s Compensation Board (WCB or the Board). B.C.’s workers compensation system is...

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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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  • 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...

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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: "Study" by Tim Swinson | http://timswinson.com is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Clearly, some members of society are being left behind amid responses to  corona virus. Women, the disabled and the impoverished are particularly affected. Between March and June, schools in B.C. and Alberta abruptly closed. Alberta’s government is closing middle and high schools again...

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  • Image: German government launches Covid-19 warning app for anonymous contact tracing of infected persons by verchmarco
In the wake of 9-11, after the twin towers fell in New York city, there was a strong sense that Americans – and North Americans – were under threat. The prevailing feeling was that drastic times called for drastic measures. In...

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  • Image: "Mr Sub Pepperoni Salami Sandwich" by Like_the_Grand_Canyon is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision last week in 1688782 Ontario Inc. v. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. The Court was divided on whether Maple Leaf Foods ought to owe a duty of care to Mr. Sub franchisees. In 2008,...

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  • Image: Banana peeled by richard_north. This image was marked with a CC BY 2.0 license.
My son recently came home with a joke, “What did the banana say to the judge?” First, let’s look at a 2015 Supreme Court of Canada constructive dismissal decision. In Potter v. New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission, the Supreme Court...

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