Employment Standards Amendment Bill Would Implement BCLI Recommendations

Recommendations contained in the BCLI Report on the Employment Standards Act are reflected in some provisions of the Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2019 (Bill 8), which had first reading on April 29, 2019. The BC Ministry of Labour media release relating to the bill notes that it incorporates recommendations made by BCLI, in addition to input from other organizations and the public. The Ministry’s media release also contains a link to the BCLI report. The Employment Read more…

Pension Division Review Project Committee considers transitional provisions, disability benefits at April meeting

The Pension Division Review Project benefits from having an expert project committee. At this month’s meeting, the committee considered two topics: transitional provisions and disability benefits. The transitional rules that deal with division of pension benefits under the Family Law Act are found in section 253. The committee examined each of section 253’s four subsections, with a view to whether experience in applying the transitional provisions over the first five years of the Family Law Act’s Read more…

A closer look at the Report on Insurance Issues for Stratas: Should the Strata Property Act expressly assign responsibility for an insurance deductible to a responsible owner?

This post is part of a series highlighting key recommendations in the Report on Insurance Issues for Stratas. For other entries in the series, click here. Brief description of the issue The Strata Property Act’s provisions on insurance deductibles have created uncertainty and litigation. In part, this is the natural result of a system that appears (1) to rely in large part on a third-party decision-maker to establish liability (by calling on a strata corporation to Read more…

A closer look at the Report on Insurance Issues for Stratas: Should the definition of “major perils” in the Strata Property Regulation be amended to include earthquakes?

This post is part of a series highlighting key recommendations in the Report on Insurance Issues for Stratas. For other entries in the series, click here. Brief description of the issue The legislative mandate to insure property requires a strata corporation to “insure against major perils, as set out in the regulations.” The regulations contain a list of perils that make up its definition of major perils. The list is long, but it isn’t comprehensive. As Read more…

Factors Contributing to Poverty and Vulnerability among Senior Women

In December 2018 the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women began a study of challenges facing senior women, with a focus on poverty and vulnerability. The Committee invited members of the public to submit two-page written briefs identifying concerns related to transportation, access to health services and medication, the cost of home and health services, affordable housing, access to justice, and widowhood. Throughout the last few months, the Committee has heard Read more…