Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan Issues Consultation Paper on The Intestate Succession Act, 1996

The Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan recently issued a consultation paper on The Intestate Succession Act, 1996. The Act determines how an estate is divided in Saskatchewan when there is no valid will, or if there is a portion of an estate left after the will is applied. Just over half of Canadian adults do not have a signed will. This number increases with younger adults. The Commission wants to get feedback from a wide Read more…

Manitoba Law Reform Commission seeking public comment on substitute powers of attorney

The Manitoba Law Reform Commission has just published its Consultation Report on Substitute Powers of Attorney under The Powers of Attorney Act (PDF). The report is asking the public to comment on a proposal to reform Manitoba’s Powers of Attorney Act. Section 21 of Manitoba’s act deals with renunciation of a person’s appointment to act as an attorney. If an attorney appointed under an enduring power of attorney knows or ought reasonably to know that the donor Read more…

The Cayman Islands Law Reform Commission Releases Consultation Paper on the Law of Contempt

The Cayman Islands Law Reform Commission recently issued a consultation paper on the law of contempt, including a draft Contempt of Court Bill and draft amendments to the Penal Code. The law of contempt generally refers to “contempt of court.” But what does that term mean and why might the law surrounding it need to change in the Cayman Islands? Black’s Law Dictionary (5th ed) provides a broad, historic definition of “contempt of court”: Any Read more…

BCLI Announces Re-Appointment of the Honourable Marion J Allan to Board of Directors

We are pleased to announce that the Honourable Marion J. Allan has been re-appointed to the British Columbia Law Institute Board of Directors. Ms. Allan will serve as a representative of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch. Her three-year term begins 1 August 2016. Ms. Allan graduated from UBC with a BA in 1967, from the University of Alberta with an MA in International Relations in 1970, and from UBC with an LLB in 1977. Read more…

Scottish Law Commission Updates Third Party Rights in Contract Law

The Scottish Law Commission recently released its report on third party rights in contract law. In jurisdictions such as England and Canada, strangers to a contract (termed “third parties”) are generally not permitted rights under it, but exceptions exist. This rule is known as privity of contract. By contrast, Scots law allows a contract, in certain circumstances, to contain enforceable rights in favour of a third party. In other words, one may give a right Read more…