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Charter of Rights and Freedoms

  • Photo: "construction zone" by granth is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Demand remains high for French immersion programs in Western Canada. Despite the high demand, many parents remain disappointed with the opportunities afforded to their children.  Constitutional Status The opportunity for children of Canadian citizens to study French, whether by attending a Francophone school...

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  • Image: "Ping Pong Balls" by Peter Alfred Hess is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Alberta’s workplace legislation is starting to resemble a ping pong ball. After the NDP formed the Alberta government in 2013, it amended Alberta's workplace legislation, including Employment Standards Code and Labour Relations Code, to include  provisions consistent with those in other...

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  • 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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“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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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: "Photo Jul 23, 3 04 19 PM" by danielmoyle is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Imagine that you have a very good case against a large player. Maybe your case is against the government for something terrible it did. Maybe it is against a large corporation for wrongful dismissal or some other wrong. Maybe it...

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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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  • Photo: "196/365 - What have I done?" by TheRogue is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
What is the “right to be forgotten”? Does it exist in Canada? This right arises from a 2014 decision of the European Union Court of Justice, commonly referred to as the “Google Spain” decision.  Google Spain Decision The case arose from announcements published...

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  • Photo: "Learning to read" by montessori toolkit is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Last week, we began looking at the ongoing dispute between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the B.C. government.    In 2011 and 2014, two British Columbia Supreme Court decisions sided with the BCTF. Both decisions held that the government’s attempts...

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