Highlights from the Spring 2016 Legislative Session

28 June 2016—In May 2016, the 40th Parliament of the BC Legislature completed its 5th Session. The legislative assembly passed 24 bills. In this blog post, you’ll find a brief summary of the laws that were enacted. Two acts are particularly relevant to the work of BCLI and CCEL. Leading up to the promulgation of the Miscellaneous Statutes (Signed Statements) Amendment Act, 2016, the BC Legislature recognized BCLI’s efforts in assisting with reform of the Read more…

BCLI director Thomas Spraggs wins 2016 CBABC Innovative Workplace Award

  We are pleased to announce that Thomas Spraggs, who was recently re-appointed to the BCLI Board of Directors, received the 2016 CBABC Innovative Workplace Award. Mr. Spraggs is the Principal of Spraggs & Company Injury Lawyers. According to the CBABC website, the award is in recognition of Mr. Spraggs’s “creative thinking and leadership in developing innovative strategy and its workplace implementation.” In recognizing Mr. Spraggs, the CBABC highlight his prioritization of team-based collaboration resulting Read more…

Alberta court strikes down “pointless” fines levied against strata-lot owner

In Condominium Corporation No 072 9313 (Trails of Mill Creek) v Schultz, 2016 ABQB 338, a master of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench refused to enforce a condominium corporation’s repeated fines against an owner who was in breach of the condominium’s bylaw against underage occupants. The case contains some interesting comments on the use of fines as a means to control owners’ behavior, procedural fairness and the need to give reasons in enforcing bylaws, Read more…

CCEL in the Media: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2016

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched on June 15, 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations.  It is a day for communities around the world to voice opposition, share information and spread awareness about the abuse and neglect of older adults. The Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL) proudly celebrates WEAAD and was pleased to speak about the Elder Abuse Read more…

Newfoundland and Labrador condominium corporation fails to meet standard of honesty and good faith in imposing conditions on approval

Summer Services Ltd v Karwood Commercial Condominium Corp, 2016 CanLII 34954, a recent decision of the trial division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, illustrates how a condominium corporation’s board of directors (the equivalent of a BC strata council) may fail to meet its statutory duties of honesty and good faith in responding to an owner’s request to approve a modification to a condominium unit (BC strata lot). The court found that it is Read more…