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access to justice

  • Image: "Marieval Mission, Cowesses Indian Residential School in Elcapo Creek Valley, Saskatchewan, 1923 / Mission de Marieval, Pensionnat indien de Cowesses, dans la vallée d’Elcapo Creek (Saskatchewan), 1923" by BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives is licensed under CC BY 2.0
In “A Less Private Practice: Government Lawyers and Legal Ethics”, a 2020 paper published in the Dalhousie Law Journal, Jennifer Leitch discusses the role of government lawyers amid claims for compensation relating to the St. Anne’s residential school.  It is now...

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  • Image: "day 18/365" by shehan365 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Last week’s article looked at the 2006 Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) and the Independent Assessment Process (IAP) claims resolution process. This was a system to provide for compensation as a result of experiences at residential schools. This system was...

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  • Image: "Rep of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Canada apologizes for their role in residential schools" by The United Church of Canada is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Recently, the remains of 215 children were discovered in unmarked mass graves on the site of Kamloops Residential School. There is a sense that there may be more. That sites like this may exist elsewhere in Canada. The school was operated by...

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  • Image: "File:COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 population.png" by Traut is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Some Canadian provinces, including B.C., are implementing travel restrictions amid fears of covid-19. The federal government's mandatory testing and hotel quarantining for travelers entering Canada is currently being challenged in the courts.  In January, 2021, after seeking legal advice, B.C. premier John Horgan...

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  • Image: "DSC09478" by dgrinbergs is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
She has been called Canada’s Erin Brockovich.  Erin Brockovich, of course, was the single mother whose crusade for justice was depicted in the movie bearing her name, staring Julia Roberts. Ms. Brockovich was a law clerk. Without formal legal training, she put...

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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: "#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: "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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  • 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: "Never Give In !" by Neil. Moralee is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
In 2002, the provincial government amended the Workers’ Compensation Act. The amendments made it more difficult for injured workers to receive compensation for their workplace injuries. Earlier this year, B.C.’s Workers Compensation Act was amended. Significantly, a legislative provision which had attempted...

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