20/20: Looking back over the last 20 years What is the most important environmental law case in Canada since the turn of the century? Twenty years is a long time in Canadian environmental law, given that this area of law has only existed as a ‘thing’ for a little more than twice that length of … [Read more...]
Canada’s Law on Consumer Product Safety
20/20: Looking back over the last 20 years In the past 2 months alone, you’ve probably heard about the recent food recall warnings on beef and romaine lettuce. Did you know that we have a law in Canada that deals with product safety and recalls? The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (“CCPSA”) … [Read more...]
Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice System
20/20: Looking back over the last 20 years In April 2003, the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) replaced the Young Offenders Act. The YCJA sets out the justice system that applies to young persons – aged 12 to 17 – charged with an offence in Canada. Children under 12 cannot be charged with a … [Read more...]
Access to Justice Given a Boost by Downtown Eastside Sex Workers Case
20/20: Looking back over the last 20 years In Downtown Eastside Sex Workers United Against Violence Society v Canada (Attorney General), 2012 SCC 45 (DESW), the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) adapted the rule on public interest standing. This resulted in the potential for better access to … [Read more...]
DBS v SRG: Retroactive child support claims
20/20: Looking back over the last 20 years I was not short of choices when LawNow asked me to write about one of the most important family law cases in the last twenty years. After consulting with Sarah Dargatz, my fellow columnist on family law issues, I decided to talk about DBS v SRG, a … [Read more...]
The Unchanging Meaning of ‘Charity’
20/20: Looking back over the last 20 years It is often said that the only constant is change. But some things move faster than others. With 5G in the offing, few people now remember the days of dial-up internet and the non-profit groups that sprang up twenty or so years ago to offer access to … [Read more...]
The Right to be Tried Without Undue Delay
20/20: Looking back over the last 20 years Since the turn of the century, there are many – too numerous to count – “important cases” in the field of criminal law. Some have dealt with procedure, some with the substantive law, and some with enhancing and protecting the basic rights of Canadians. … [Read more...]
44-2: Family Break-ups & the Law
Volume 44-2 Nov/Dec 2019 Full PDF of this issue Table of Contents Feature Articles: Family Break-ups & the Law Special Report: Globalization Departments Columns Both federal and provincial legislation are changing with respect to family law. This issue highlights the … [Read more...]
Common Misconceptions about Family Law
It’s not unusual for someone to come see me and have some misconceptions about how the law or the legal process works. Previous articles and columns in LawNow have addressed many of these misconceptions. In this article, I’ll address a few others. 1. I can trade “parental rights” for the obligation … [Read more...]
Shared Custody Parenting: Income Tax Issues
Since the introduction of the Federal Child Support Guidelines (FCSG) in 1997, custody arrangements have affected child support obligations for Canadian parents. The greatest flexibility applies to “shared custody” situations. Under the FCSG, a child is in shared custody where each parent “exercises … [Read more...]