New Legal Information Online April 2013, featuring JP Boyd on Family Law

Featured Resource::

This week is Law Week, and the Clicklaw team is pleased to announce that a new Clicklaw Wikibook was launched April 15: JP Boyd on Family Law. JP's popular website is now available on a wiki format - an easy-to-use and fully searchable online resource that can also be printed, downloaded or ordered as a full-sized book. Read more about this innovative new format.

New or updated common questions on Clicklaw:

I want to learn about the new BC Family Law Act

I'm in a family court case; will the new act affect me?

When there is wife abuse, what happens with parenting? 

New or updated publications from Legal Services Society:

Family Law in BC: Quick Reference Tool (PDF 13 pp ) 2013

For Your Protection: Peace Bonds and Family Law Protection Orders 3rd ed. (PDF 40 pp ) 2013

Live Safe — End Abuse Fact Sheet Series (PDF Series of 11, 2 pp each) 2013

Living Together or Living Apart: Common-Law Relationships, Marriage, Separation, and Divorce 6th ed. (PDF 109 pp ) 2013

Need Help with Your Refugee Claim? (PDF 2 pp ) 2013

New BC Family Law Act — Frequently Asked Questions (PDF 4 pp ) 2013

Parents' Rights, Kids' Rights: A Parent's Guide to Child Protection Law in BC 9th ed. (PDF 68 pp ) 2013

Surviving Relationship Violence and Abuse, 2nd ed. (PDF 116 pp ) 2013

Blog Posts:

The ABC’s of Drinking & Driving Offences  Clicklaw Blog, April 10, 2013

Is a Person's Condominium Their Castle? The Stream, Courthouse Libraries BC, February 18, 2013

Lawyer-Client Interaction: Law Society of BC’s Publications Dealing with Billing, Filing Complaints and Lawyers’ Code of Conduct Clicklaw Blog, February 25, 2013

Using CanLII in Unexpected Ways: The Expanded Edition The Stream, Courthouse Libraries BC, April 8, 2013

New Legal Information Online - February 2013

New on Clicklaw:

Defending Yourself: Theft Under $5,000 Legal Services Society [24pp PDF] 2012 (replaces the title What to Do If You Are Charged with Theft Under $5,000) Includes flow chart ‘from your criminal charge to your trial’.

Guide to the New BC Family Law Act (translated into French, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Spanish and Punjabi) Legal Services Society, [30 pp PDF] 2012.

HIV Testing Handbook: A Guide to Your Rights BC Civil Liberties Association [24 pp PDF] 2012

Order to Waive Fees Package Court Services Branch BC, 2012.

Other online resources:

Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry Executive Summary [180 pp PDF or ePub format] 2012

A National ID Card by Stealth? The BC Services Card BC Civil Liberties Association [Online report with links to resources] October 2012

Blog posts:

Client Data and Privacy Laws for Small Organizations Event Clicklaw Blog, February 3, 2013

Data Privacy Day Blogosaurus Lex, Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta, January 28, 2012. List of articles from Law Now magazine on privacy in Canada,

JESS – a virtual assistant for navigating BC Small Claims Court matters Clicklaw Blog, February 7, 2013

Last British Columbia Decision on Parental Support Released The Blog, JP Boyd’s BC Family Law Resource, February 4, 2013

Misogyny and the estate plan in the case of Werbenuk Estate (a parent cannot disinherit children on the basis of gender) The Stream, Courthouse Libraries BC, January 18, 2013

The Salvation Army’s Pro Bono Program closes its doors Elan, Legal Services Society, November 30, 2012

Tricky Legislation: Changes to Employment Insurance The Stream, Courthouse Libraries BC, January 22, 2013

New Legal Information Online - January 2013

New on Clicklaw

* Legal Help for British Columbians: I want to claim refugee status in Canada  page updated to reflect recent legislative changes. Courthouse Libraries BC, January 2013.

* Refugee Claim Flow Chart Legal Services Society, 2012.

* Small Claims BC Online Help Guide now includes a ‘virtual assistant’ to guide reviewers through the process. Justice Education Society, January 2013.

Blog posts and journal articles:

* Enduring Power of Attorney: Not for Health Care Nidus Blog January 3, 2013

* Litigants' Rights and Responsibilities JP Boyd’s BC Family Law Resource the Blog November 18, 2012

* New immigration publications and legal aid lawyer services Legal Services Society Elan Blog December 20, 2012

* New legislation changes Canada’s refugee claim process Legal Services Society Elan Blog December 19, 2012

* Privacy and Cloud Computing  Law Now January/February 2013 [journal article]

* Law Now January/February 2013  Feature Articles: Your Canada, Your Constitution; Special Report: Developments in Internet Law [69 pp PDF]

New Legal Information Online - December 2012

New on Clicklaw:

* British Columbia Newcomers' Guide to Resources and Services Available in 11 languages. WelcomeBC [126 pp PDF] 2012 edition. Website includes current Find a Settlement Service Agency Near You.

* Guide to the New BC Family Law Act  Legal Services Society [30 pp PDF]  2012

* How to get an order to waive fees (family court)  Legal Services Society [web] 2012

* Making a Complaint Against the Police BC Civil Liberties Association [2 pp PDF] 2012

* Representing Yourself in a Criminal Trial  Legal Services Society, [34 pp PDF] 6th ed. 2012

Articles from the current LawNow:

* American and Canadian Election Laws 

* Democracy After Post-Conflict Elections – Are we there yet?  

* Running for Office: A Candidate’s Journey 

* Electoral Finance Rules at Home and Around the World  

* Privacy Law in Canada 

* Intrusion on Seclusion: The Tort of Invasion of Privacy

* Privacy Issues in Criminal Law 

* The Complexities of Privacy and Social Networking Sites 

* The Law of Embellished Credentials 

Finding court records online
The following is not a new resource, but the question of how to search court records has come up recently:
* Accessing Court Documents Online from Court Services Online (CSO) Justice Education Society 2008
Includes a series of videos and PDF’s:

1. Overview of Court Services Online [7:32 min video or 14 pp PDF]

2. Using E-Search to find Court Records [13 pp PDF] 

• Introduction to Using E-search and the Court Services Online Front Page 0.05 min
• Searching for Civil Court Info 4:44 min
• Making Payments and Searching for Results by Party Name 1:43 min
• Viewing the Case Basics and the Parties Involved  2:32 min
• Viewing Details of Documents Filed, The Terms of Order, and Hearings and Results  3:05 min
• Getting File Summary Reports, Purchasing Documents Online, Finding out about Legal Terms and Where to get more Assistance 4:21 min 

3. How to search a PDF document 3:35 min or 1 p PDF

Other new web resources and blog posts: 

* 2012 a big year for information rights  BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) December 13, 2012

* Bill 34: The Limitation Act Courthouse Libraries BC, October 29, 2012

* Mediate BC Launches Program Addressing Support for Adult Children JP Boyd's BC Family Law Resource The Blog, December 6, 2012
* Wills, Estates and Succession Act  Courthouse Libraries BC, October 29, 2012

New Legal Information Online October 2012

New on Clicklaw:
* Benefits for grandparents and other relatives raising children  Legal Services Society [pamphlet] 2011

* Communicating with Creditors  Credit  Counselling Society [webpages or 8 pp PDF] undated

* Forming a Private Company  Canadian Bar Association BC Branch [Dial-a-Law Script], 2012

* Going to the Canada Pension Plan Disability Review Tribunal BC Coalition of People with Disabilities [70 pp PDF] 2012

* Insurance Benefits and Compensation for Accident Victims Canadian Bar Association BC Branch, [Dial-a-Law Script] 2012

* Starting a Small Business Canadian Bar Association BC Branch [Dial-a-Law Script] 2012

* Understanding the Extended Family Program Legal Services Society [fact sheet] 2012

Relationship abuse fact sheets from Legal Services Society now available online in five more languages: Chinese (simplified and traditional), Farsi, Punjabi, and Spanish:

* Criminal Court Process
* Getting Help from the Police or RCMP 
* Safety Planning 

Blog posts on criminal law from the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta's Blogosaurus Lex:

* Changes to citizen’s arrest July 31 2012
* How about now? Now, is assisted suicide legal? August 16, 2012
* Bill C-26 attempts to make sense of self-defence August 23, 2012
* On Drunk Driving and the Constitution August 15, 2012
* The Supreme Court of Canada and the Case of Baby M September 21, 2012

Other Blog Posts:

* How to Find Good Legal Information Online  Blogosaurus Lex, Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta [Includes Video, 4:15 min.] September 13, 2012

* Litigant's Bill of Rights BC Family Law Resource Blog, September 20, 2012

* My day in BC’s First Nations Court Legal Services Society Newsletter Elan, September 13, 2012

* Update for Your Guide to the Refugee Claim Process Legal Services Society Newsletter Elan, October 4, 2012

Other new web resources:

* Patriots and De-taxers  Courthouse Libraries BC Asked and Answered revised October 2, 2012

* To Move or Not to Move – that is the Question (Separation Agreements)  LawNow magazine article, September 1, 2012

* Community and Disability Law Program Brochure  Community Legal Assistance Society,   2009

* HIV Testing & Your Rights Handbook  BC Civil Liberties Association [28 pp PDF] 2012

New Legal Information Online July 2012, Including Update on New Family Law Act

New on Clicklaw:

* Adults and Consent to Medical Care Canadian Bar Association BC Branch 2011

* Artists Legal Outreach  [lists 4 online resources]

* Cooperative Housing: Members' Rights and Duties Canadian Bar Association BC Branch 2011

* Elder Law, Elder Abuse & Seniors' Rights Canadian Bar Association BC Branch 2012

* Court rules, forms and self-help guides to court procedures Clicklaw [flowchart to resources]

* Genetic Privacy and Discrimination BC Civil Liberties Association [56 pp PDF] 2012

* Guide for Manufactured Home Park Landlords & Tenants in British Columbia BC Residential Tenancy Branch [50 pp PDF) 2011

* Police Involved Deaths: The Need for Reform BC Civil Liberties Association [105 pp PDF] 2010

* Separation Agreements: Your Right to Fairness West Coast LEAF  [14 pp PDF] 2012

* Troubling Assessments: Custody and Access Reports and their Equality Implications for BC Women   West Coast LEAF  [62 pp PDF] June 2012

New from the Clicklaw Blog:

* Do you have bed bugs? How about mold? February 2012

* Electronic Devices Privacy at the Canadian Border  May 2012

* Resolving Disputes (Before They Escalate to an Administrative Law Tribunal) June 2012

New from Courthouse Libraries BC:

* Changes to Drunk Driving Law In Force [Asked and Answered] June 2012

* Is there a law in B.C. that makes it illegal to kill a sasquatch?  [Asked and Answered]  October 2011

* Making Sense of the New Criminal Omnibus Bill [blog post] May 2012

From Legal Services Society Newsletter Elan: 

The new BC Family Law Act
The Ministry of Justice has announced that the new Family Law Act will come into force on March 18, 2013. This act will have wide-reaching effects on family law in BC. To help you prepare for the changes, Legal Services Society has published a continuing series of entries explaining the new act. 

* Property and debt division options for unmarried spouses   

* Making agreements to stay out of court  

* Care of and time with children (Part 1)  

* Care of and time with children (Part 2) 

* Children's property  

* Child support 

* Giving notice before moving with children 

* Helpful information about the new Family Law Act from the Ministry of Justice 

More new online legal information:

* Abuse in Same-Sex Relationships BC Association of Specialized Victim Assistance and Counselling Programs & Qmunity  [2 pp PDF] undated

* Canadian Identity Theft Support Centre [online resource]

* Executor’s Toolbox Coastal Elder Law Corporation [online resource]

* Facts for Garage Sale Vendors Health Canada [online resource] 2012

* If the Media Calls: A Guide for Crime Victims & Survivors Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime [online resource]

* Improved Annual Reporting by Not-for-Profit Organizations Chartered Accountants of Canada [44 pp] 2011

* Human Rights Handbook for First Nations Canadian Human Rights Commission  [62pp PDF or HTML] undated

* The Little Black Book Of Scams Competition Bureau Canada [19 pp PDF]  2012  

* Pot: What is the law? Justice for Children and Youth [online resource] June 2012

* Sponsoring your family  (Frequently asked questions) Citizenship and Immigration Canada [web page] March 2012

* Transgender People and Relationship Abuse BC Association of Specialized Victim Assistance and Counselling Programs & Qmunity [2 pp PDF] undated

Canadian and BC Libraries Protest Cuts to Community Internet Access Programs

Library organizations across Canada are responding with concern to the federal government's recent cuts to the Community Access Program (CAP). The Program has provided funds for libraries to provide free or low-cost internet access, as well as training and technical support.

Statements have been released from the Canadian Library Association, and the BC Library Association regarding the negative impact of these cuts on the public, particularly low income, vulnerable and rural citizens. A breakdown of the $515,000 cuts to BC libraries is also available.

LawMatters consultation with BC public librarians confirms that libraries are heavily used for access to the ever-growing amounts of government information, court forms and registration to programs only available online.

An article in the Tyee by Miachael Geist discusses the fact that the cuts will increase the digital divide between those who have access to the Internet, and those who do not.