BC introduces amendments to consumer-protection legislation

Yesterday, a new bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia containing significant amendments to BC’s main consumer-protection statute, the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act. Bill 7, the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Amendment Act, 2019, adds a new part to the act to deal with high-cost credit products. The bill will also establish the Consumer Financial Education Fund, to promote financial education in British Columbia. A news release from the provincial government’s ministry of Read more…

Consultation Update on CCEL’s Inclusive Investing Project

The Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL) continues its consultation interviews with key informants and stakeholders on the use of supported decision-making, in the investment context, by persons living with Alzheimer’s, other forms of dementia or intellectual disabilities. Since October 2018, Project Manager and CCEL Staff Lawyer, Valerie Le Blanc, has interviewed people with lived experience, investment professionals, lawyers, academics and community agencies in British Columbia, Ontario, the United States and internationally. The research and Read more…

BCLI forms project committee to review pension division under part 6 of the Family Law Act

The British Columbia Law Institute has formed a new project committee to assist it in carrying out its Pension Division Review Project. The committee will review part 6 of the Family Law Act, the Division of Pensions Regulation, and allied legislation and will help BCLI to form recommendations to reform the law. The members of the project committee are: Colin Galinski—Chair   Galinski Pension and Benefits Law Corp. Cynthia Callahan-Maureen      BC Ministry of Finance Stephen Read more…

A closer look at the Report on Governance Issues for Stratas: Should the Strata Property Act limit the number of proxy appointments that a person may hold?

This post is the part of a series highlighting key recommendations in the Report on Governance Issues for Stratas. For other entries in the series, click here. Brief description of the issue One of the perennial complaints about strata-property proxy legislation is that it has encouraged what one law-reform body colourfully referred to as “proxy farming,” which is “where an individual or small group of owners gather large numbers of proxy votes in order to Read more…

Spotlight on common property, land titles, and fundamental changes for stratas: Should the Strata Property Act require a resolution passed by an 80-percent vote to approve an amalgamation agreement?

BCLI is running a public consultation (closing date: 28 February 2019) on common property, land titles, and fundamental changes for stratas. It is asking for public input into its proposed changes to the Strata Property Act and Strata Property Regulation. For information on how to participate in the consultation please visit the Strata Property Law Project—Phase Two webpage. This post is part of a series that spotlights issues discussed in the Consultation Paper on Common Property, Read more…