Table of Contents

Featured Articles: Law for Entrepreneurs
Special Report: Poverty and Homelessness
Departments
Columns

Featured Articles: Law for Entrepreneurs

Steps to Starting a Business in Alberta
Khadija Zeeshan
Understanding the forms and practical steps for starting a business.
Tax Advice for Starting a Business.
Caitlin Butler
Tax Advice for Starting a Business.
Calgary Lawyer and Entrepreneur Donna Gee Gets Things Done
Brian Seaman
Donna persevered through law school and set up a firm as a single-mother battling cancer.
Protecting Your Invention: Tips from an Intellectual Property Lawyer
Francisco Marquez-Stricker
Leveraging your invention is often just as hard, if not harder, than coming up with the invention.
How to Deal with Bankruptcy as a Small Business Owner
J. Doug Hoyes
Six points to help you understand the process of bankruptcy of a business better.
10 Common Mistakes When Launching a New Business
Vandana Taxali
Many new businesses place legal concerns on the back burner due to time and cost constraints.

Special Report: Poverty and Homelessness

Charter of Rights and Homeless Persons
Linda McKay-Panos
Much work needs to be done if we seek to rely on the Charter for a right to adequate housing.
Greater Electoral Access for the Homeless
Anna Kopec, IRPP
Homeless people should be encouraged to vote and given equal opportunity to do so.
Low Income Ontarians More Prone to Debt Problems
J. Doug Hoyes
Generally, someone files for bankruptcy when something catastrophic happens.

Table of Contents

Featured Articles: Children in the Justice System
Special Report: Tax Reform
Departments
Columns

Featured Articles: Children in the Justice System

Finding the Best Ways Forward: Report on the Symposium on Children’s Participation in Justice Processes
John-Paul Boyd
Report on the National Symposium on Children’s Participation in Justice Processes.
Children Witnesses in Criminal Courts: Recognizing Competence and Assessing Credibility
Nicholas Bala
Ending the myth of unreliability of children witnesses in criminal court.
Youth Criminal Justice Act: An Overview
Charles Davison
Understanding how the law responds to young persons who commit criminal offences.
Infants and Family Law: Advice for Parents
Evelyn Wotherspoon and Sonja Lusignan
Pre-verbal children can have lawyers appointed for them with or without parental consent.
The State of Mental Health Treatment for Youth in the Justice System
Lisa Kasper
Improved access to mental health resources benefits both the youth and the general public.
Voices of Children in Parenting Coordination
Francine Cyr and Catherine Quigley
Should children be given a voice in parenting coordination?

Special Report: Tax Reform

Reforming Our Tax System
Chris Sprysak
What Prime Minister Trudeau can learn from the Carter Commission (and his father).
Time for Tax Reform
Michael Dolson
Many assumptions underlying our current tax system appear to be outdated.
The Politicized Complexity of the Canadian Income Tax Act
Matthew Peddie
Tax exemptions, deductions, and credits have become extremely prevalent in Canada.

Table of Contents

Featured Articles: Top 5 Legal Questions
Special Report: Access to Justice
Departments
Columns
 
 

Featured Articles: Top 5 Legal Questions

What Do I Have to Tell the Police if They Stop Me?
Charles Davison
It depends on why they’re asking you to stop and what you’re doing at that moment.
What Do I Do With My Tenancy if I’ve Lost My Job?
Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta
Laws for tenants in Alberta if their employment ends.
Police Records Checks – What Can They Disclose?
Heather Forester
Understanding how information in a screening tool may be a barrier to equal opportunity.
What You Should Do if You are Injured in a Car Accident
Donald L. McFarlane
A handy list of steps to take if you are in a motor vehicle collision.
Can I Leave Someone Out of My Will?
Donna L. Gee
The difference between those who you can cut out of your will and those you can’t.

Special Report: Access to Justice

Defending the Court Challenges Program
Carissima Mathen and Kyle Kirkup
A powerful symbol of commitment to Canada’s Constitution
Public Interest Law Clinic at the University of Calgary
Christine Laing and Drew Yewchuk
The forces shaping access to justice are shaping the future of legal practice and education.
Supreme Court of Canada Endorses A New Approach to Self-Represented Litigants
Sean Sutherland and Cassie Richards
Strict application of court rules against a self-represented litigant may lead to injustice.

Table of Contents

Featured Articles: Wills and Estates
Special Report: The Senate
Departments
Columns

Featured Articles: Wills and Estates

“Have You Heard the One About The Canadian Who Died Without a Will?”
Kathy Hawkesworth
Harness “will power”; light-hearted twist on a serious topic with five excuses and rebuttals.
People Always Told Me, Be Careful What you Do: Wills and Dependency Legislation
Fred R. Fenwick QC and Andrea MacLean
Struggles and balancing of interests inherent in Alberta’s wills and dependency legislation.

Round Two: Blended Families and Estate Planning
Mandy England
Issues commonly arise when estate planning for blended families.
Inheritance Issues in Bankruptcy
Doug Hoyes
When someone files for bankruptcy, he/she surrenders all non-exempt assets including inheritances.
Death and Taxes: When the Certainties Collide
Christie Hoem-McNall and Hugh Neilson
As the cliché goes, the only certainties in life are death and taxes. When the former occurs, the Personal Representative of the Estate must address the latter.
Setting Up Wills and Trusts
Doug Surtees and Amanda S.A. Doucette
To understand your choices in estate planning, it is essential to understand the difference between a will and a trust.
Mental Capacity Has Different Meanings in Different Contexts
Donna L. Gee
Capacity in a will-making is not the same as the capacity to make decisions concerning personal care, health and managing one’s financial affairs.

Special Report: The Senate

A Renewed Senate That Works for Canadians
Senator Peter Harder
Remodelling the Senate to build a more independent institution.
The Senate Reference: Supreme Court of Canada Outlines Constitutional Road to Reform
Katherine Creelman
Parliament finds out how it can change or abolish the Senate.
An Insider’s Look at Senate Committees
Marjun Parcasio
The work of Senate Committees is often undervalued and overlooked.

 Table of Contents

Featured Articles: Aboriginal Children
Special Report: Innovations in Legal Services
Departments
Columns
 

Featured Articles: Aboriginal Children

Aboriginal Child Protection and Dual Citizenship: Membership has its Benefits
Troy Hunter
Aboriginal children often have dual citizenship in one or more Indian bands. This complicates things!
The Missing Children Project
Stephanie Jansen
Thousands of Aboriginal children are missing or unaccounted for. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission wants to know what happened to them.
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Decision and the Jordan Principle
Edward Apolonio
How long must Aboriginal Children wait to receive funding equal to other Canadian children?
Envisioning an Indigenous Jurisdictional Process
Janice Makokis
Onion Lake Cree Nation is undertaking an Indigenous law-making and governing process.
The “Sixties Scoop”: A Dark Chapter in Canadian History
Rachel Shabalin
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has delivered a decision on the devastating effects of the ‘60s Scoop of Aboriginal children

Special Report: Innovations in Legal Services

Technology, the Legal System and Legal Services
Lois Gander Q.C.
Changes in technology have made it possible to think in entirely new ways of addressing the law, legal information and legal services.
Exploring New Frontiers for the Delivery of Legal Services in Canada
Amer Mustaq
Canadian lawyers are learning that they can’t practice law in the same old ways.
Current Trends in Technology for the Provision of Legal Information
Scarlett Chan
There is a lot going on in the interface of law and technology. Let’s explore what’s out there.

 Table of Contents

Featured Articles: Transgender Issues
Special Report: Canada’s Judiciary
Departments
Columns

Featured Articles: Transgender Issues

It’s Time to Enshrine the Rights and Protections of Transgender Canadians
Senator Grant Mitchell
A Bill presently before the Senate of Canada will deliver long-awaited protections for Canada’s transgender community.
Transgender Protection in Provincial Human Rights Codes
Peter Bowal and Sydney Smith

Supporting Transgender People in the Workplace
Melissa Luhtanen
In Alberta employers must protect against discrimination and harassment based on gender identity.
Canada is Working to Create Inclusive  Environments for Transgender Athletes
Rachel Corbett
A guidance document by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport sets out an overall philosophy of full inclusion in developmental and recreational sport.

Special Report: Canada’s Judiciary

Scrutinizing the Bench:  Judicial Appointments in Canada, and England and Wales
Marjun Parcasio
Canada’s judicial system is modelled on the United Kingdoms’ but there are differences in how we select our judges.
Continuing Education for Canadian Judges through the National Judicial Institute
Adele Kent
Canadian Judges  work hard to keep abreast of developments in the law, hone their courtroom skills and deepen their understanding of the people who come before them. They also share their expertise with judges around the world.
The Appointment of Supreme Court of Canada Justice Malcolm Rowe
Drew Yewchuk
Recently, a Question and Answer session introduced newly selected Justice Malcolm Rowe to invited participants, and through them, to the Canadian public.
When Will We See an Aboriginal Justice on the Supreme Court of Canada?
Matthew Wolfson
Canada’s aboriginal people are still without Supreme Court of Canada representation.