BC LawMatters

New Legal Information Online and Legislative Alerts

2012-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

* Changes to the pardons program Elan Blog post, January 11, 2012
* Sexting and the law Justice For Children and Youth Blog post, November 1, 2011

New on Clicklaw
* Aboriginal Harvesting Rights: If You've Been Charged with a Harvesting Offence Legal Services Society [20 pp PDF] 2011
* Discharge from Bankruptcy Justice Education Society [21 pp PDF] 2011 Includes forms.
* Epilepsy and the Law: What are the legal rights of a person with epilepsy in British Columbia? Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson's Centre [114 pp] PDFA
* Guide to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement Legal Services Society [28 pp] 2011
* A Guide to Wills and Estates on Reserve Legal Services Society [3 pp PDF]
* How to Appeal An Order Made in Small Claims Court Justice Education Society [29 pp PDF] July 2011
* How to prepare for a meeting with a family duty counsel lawyer Legal Services Society [Fact Sheet] 2011
* Indian Residential Schools Settlement: The Independent Assessment Process and the Common Experience Payment Legal Services Society [Fact Sheet] 2011
* Moving Toward a Surveillance Society: Proposals to Expand "Lawful Access" in Canada BC Civil Liberties Association [79 pp PDF] 2012
* Resources for newcomers to BC from People’s Law School: Paying Taxes [12 pp PDF]; Driving in BC [12 pp PDF]; Consumer Law [16 pp PDF] all produced in 2011.

Service Disruption Notice: Duty Counsel service withdrawals January – April 2012
Duty Counsel are the lawyers that help people representing themselves at court, most commonly in criminal and family cases. The B.C. Trial Lawyers Association has announced that “Duty Counsel service withdrawals will be conducted as a four-part escalating series, with counsel standing down for the first week of January, two weeks in February, three weeks in March and all of April.”

Legislative Alerts
* BC Family Law Act, 2011 (BC) , Courthouse Libraries BC, Asked and Answered, December 13, 2011. The new law passed November 24, 2011, and is expected to come into force approximately 12 to 18 months later.
* Drunk Driving Law (BC), Courthouse Libraries BC, Asked & Answered, January 12, 2012 . Latest challenges to impaired driving law.
* New Child Support Tables in Effect December 31 JP Boyd’s BC Family Law Resource Blog December 31, 2011

New Legal Information Online Update September 29

2011-09-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

New from the Clicklaw Blog:
* Clicklaw and the Just a Click Away initiative describes the report of a recent conference and series of webinars on how technology can be used to deliver legal education and information to the public in Canada.
* Find legal help in your community on Clicklaw explains how to use the Clicklaw HelpMap to find local resources.
* New Common Questions on Clicklaw There are now over 130 common questions with answers using Clicklaw resources.

New Resources on Clicklaw
* Refugee Hearing Preparation: A Guide for Refugee claimants Salsbury Community Society, [14 pp PDF] 2010
* Small Town Justice: A Report on the RCMP in Northern and Rural British Columbia BC Civil Liberties Association, [107 pp PDF] 2011

Recently added to Legal Services Society's Family Law in BC website:
Three new fact sheets:
* Can you and your children move to another city when you share child custody and your ex doesn't agree with the move?
* Frequently asked technical questions about the Supreme Court family forms
* What if your ex is harassing you through the courts?

Six new FAQs:
* At what age can children choose which parent they get to live with?
* What financial help can I get to support my nephew who is living with me temporarily?
* How can I argue my case to get my former common-law partner to pay the amount of child support our children are entitled to? He left the relationship to “start over” and changed his job from full-time to part-time so he could go back to school to learn a new job and feel less stressed while studying.
* What can I do about a collection agency that’s harassing me about my former partner’s debt?
* My former common-law partner pays child support for our daughter, who lives with me and stays with him every second weekend. Now he wants her to stay every weekend, but I don’t agree with that. We both want what’s best for our daughter, but just can’t seem to agree on this, no matter how much we discuss it. What can we do?
* What is court harassment?

Other new web resources:
* Filing Checklist for Registered Charities Operating in British Columbia
* Come to Canada Citizenship and Immigration Canada has created a web tool that is meant to help users learn how they might visit, study, or live in Canada.
* Parental Support in British Columbia JP Boyd’s BC Family Law Blog September 20, 2011

New Legal Information Online Update July 25, including Aboriginal Law titles

2011-07-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

* Court Mediation Program – Small Claims web page, Mediate BC Society, 2011

* Debt and Consumer Law Video MOSAICBC [approx. 9 min.] July 2011. Available in Vietnamese, Spanish, Punjabi, Korean, Chinese Traditional and Simplified, Arabic and English . This video provides information on five Debt and Consumer Law issues including:
- Bogus Schools and Diplomas
- Credit Card Debt
- Sponsorship Debt
- Travel Loan Debt for Convention Refugees
- Unethical Immigration Consultants

* Divorce & Your Credit Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada [9 pp PDF] n.d. See other titles at the Debt Learning Centre

* Government of BC
- has a new home page, with a browsing feature for services, forms and ministries, and a new service finder map for government services. Caution: this site appears to be a work in progress, so some features may lack in-depth information.
- The Ministry of Social Development (formerly the Ministry of Housing and Social Development) has a new online manual of policy, procedures and program information about eligibility for ministry employment and assistance programs. Regularly updated.

* Differences between Representation Agreements and Adult Guardianship video, [13 min.] Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry, 2010

* House Party Justice for Children and Youth Ontario [PDF 10pp] Spring 2011. Written for teens, this title gives a number of scenarios and related information about federal, and some Ontario law.

* Minimum Wage Fact Sheet web page, BC Ministry of Labour Employment Standards Branch, April 2011. Reflects recent legislative changes such as elimination of training wage and the increase in minimum wage rate. Available in Chinese (Traditional), French, Punjabi, Spanish and Tagalog and English.

* Oaths web page, Courthouse Libraries BC, revised June 2011

* Sands, Earl Personal Insolvency Guide BankruptcyCanada.com [87 pp free ebook or PDF] May 2011

* Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Financial Consumer web page, Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, 2011

* New or updated from Legal Services Society:
- If Your Sponsor Abuses You factsheet [2 pp PDF] 2011
- Family duty counsel: How can they help? Elan newsletter article April 5, 2011
- Men Abused by their Partners factsheet [2 pp PDF] 2011
- Updates to Can't Pay Your Mortgage? What You Can Do If You're Facing Foreclosure [4 pp PDF] March 2011
- Updates to Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance [14 pp PDF] November 2010

* Aboriginal Law from Legal Services Society:
- Aboriginal Harvesting Rights: If You've Been Charged with a Harvesting Offence Criminal Factsheet Series [2 pp PDF] 2011
- Gladue Primer [152 pp PDF] Legal Services Society 2011
- A Guide to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement [28 pp PDF] 2011
- Legal Services Society launched a new Aboriginal section on their website, dedicated to issues that are important to Aboriginal people. June 13, 2011

* New Service:
The Distance Mediation Family Project is for people undergoing separation or divorce and are hoping to resolve differences without going to court, but distance or conflict make it hard to talk in person. People can use the tools such as videoconferencing, phone or email with the assistance of trained mediators.

Spotlight on New Online Multilingual Legal Resources

2011-07-13T02:48:00.000-07:00

The number of online legal resources available in additional languages as well as English has recently increased:

* The Clicklaw home page provides links to website information in Chinese simplified and traditional, Punjabi, Korean, and Farsi (Persian), as well as to a page of Clicklaw resources in those languages and Arabic, French, Hindi, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

* Courtinformation.Ca website explains the BC Court Information Program for Immigrants and offers legal information in Chinese, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Hindi and Spanish.

* ImmigrantLegal.Ca, BC's Immigrant Legal Toolkit website. Includes a service directory, fact sheets, forms, FAQs, and instructional videos on such areas of law as employment standards, resident tenancy, family law and domestic violence. The resources are available in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi (Persian), French, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish, Vietnamese and other languages.

* The Justice Education Society now offers the following titles:
- Online Parenting After Separation course, in Mandarin and Punjabi
- Families Change: A Guide to Separation & Divorce, in French
- Your Human Rights videos in Mandarin and Punjabi
- Youth and Gangs Resources videos and factsheets in Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish and Punjabi.

* The Legal Services Society now has Your Guide to the Refugee Claim Process and If Your Child Is Taken: Your Rights As a Parent available in French.

* The Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre has added:
- Tenant Survival Guide in Spanish and Traditional Chinese
- Landlord Guide in Traditional Chinese and Punjabi
- Tenant and Landlord Guide for Newcomers to BC in Chinese Simplified, French, Korean and Persian
- Five Ways to Protect Yourself as a Tenant Fact Sheet in Arabic, Burmese, Chinese Simplified and Traditional, Filipino, French, Japanese, Karen, Kinyarawanda, Kirundi, Korean, Oromo, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Swahili, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.
- Tenant Info for Renters in BC in Arabic, Burmese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, and Spanish.
- Translated Tenancy Agreement Forms [scroll to bottom] in Punjabi, Chinese Simplified and Traditional
- 5 Ways to Protect Yourself When Renting Video in Arabic, Burmese, Cantonese, French, Japanese, Kinyarawanda, Kirundi, Korean, Mandarin, Oromo, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Spanish, Swahili, Tigrinya and Vietnamese.
- Are Tenant-Landlord Laws Different in BC and (Mexico, Korea, India, the Phillipines, China)?
fact sheets (respectively in Spanish, Korean, Punjabi, Filipino, Chinese Simplified)

Each year, LawMatters updates a list of Multilingual Legal Information Titles available at many public libraries.

Community Legal Information Forum in Duncan

2011-07-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Representatives from local community groups, as well as the local Law Courts registry, and Courthouse Libraries BC/LawMatters staff, met at the Cowichan Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library in Duncan on May 10. Public librarians Melanie Reaveley and Monica Finn welcomed staff members from Seniors Support and Resources Society, Legal Services Society, Cowichan Intercultural Society, Ready to Rent (Victoria), The Salvation Army, Vancouver Island Health Authority and Cowichan Women Against Violence.

Participants exchanged information about their services, and discussed what would increase access to justice for their clients. Some of the ideas included: more in-person help for Supreme Court matters; workshops on wills, powers of attorney, executorship and representation agreements as well as family law; co-sponsor a workshop on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren with Parent Support Services; court tours and better court information signage for the public. Appreciative comments included "let's do this twice a year, or quarterly" and "great job gathering groups together!"

New Legal Information Online Update April 19, 2011

2011-04-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

* Alcohol and the Law (Overview, Background and Teaching Resources) SFU Centre for Education, Law and Society and the Justice Education Society, February 1, 2011

* Are You Aboriginal? Do You Have a Bail Hearing? Are You Being Sentenced for a Crime? Do You Know About First Nations Court? Legal Services Society, 2011

* Child Abduction Cases and the Courts JP Boyd's Family Law Resource Blog, February 11, 2011

* Child Protection Process in British Columbia flowchart Legal Services Society, 2010

* Contempt of Parliament? What does that even mean? Blogosaurus Lex, Alberta Legal Resource Centre, April 13, 2011

* Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act (Video and Transcripts) Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2011

* How to Appeal Your Conviction Legal Services Society, updated insert 2011

* How to Appeal Your Sentence Legal Services Society, updated insert 2011

* Indian Act Amendment Bill c-3; How to apply for Indian Status Indian and Northern Affairs Canada 2011
Describes who is eligible to register as an Indian following the 2011 amendments to the Indian Act as a result of Bill C-3 Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act.

* Introduction to Family Law Dial a Law, CBA/BC Branch, December 2010

* Live Safe — End Abuse Fact Sheet Series, Legal Services Society, 2011
Titles include: Criminal Court Process; Custody, Guardianship, and Access; Getting Help from the Police or RCMP; Protection Orders; Safety Planning; Staying in the Family Home on Reserve; What Is Abuse?; What to Do About Money.

* Violence Against Women In Relationships Policy BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, [93 pp PDF] December 2010

* Waiving Filing Fees in BC Small Claims Court Community Legal Assistance Society, 2011

* Warehouse Liens Dial a Law, CBA/BC Branch, October 2010

New Legal Information Online Update January 2011

2011-02-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

New from Clicklaw:
* New Family Law Service and Family Law Self-help Guides (from Legal Services Society), Clicklaw Blog, January 4 , 2011. For more on Legal Services Society's new and revised publications, see their newsletter Elan, November 2010.
* HelpMap Enhancements Clicklaw Blog, November 22, 2010
* Court Information Program for Immigrants Justice Education Society

From the Government of BC:
* JusticeBC is the B.C. government’s new web-based gateway for British Columbians who want information about the criminal justice system and resources.
* Freedom Of Information requests for records from government ministries have been centralized through the Ministry of Citizen's Services, see "information access operations – request process."

From MOSAIC BC:
* Multilingual Legal Publications (formerly Multilingolegal) provides resources and searching help in other languages
* Lower Mainland Family Relations And The Law Workshops in Arabic, Spanish, French and Russian

New BC Supreme Court Rules were introduced July 2010, and several resources have been written or revised:
* How to Use the New Supreme Court Family Forms [video] Legal Services Society, 2010
* Court Forms for Judicial Review Community Legal Assistance Society, 2010
* Representing Yourself in a Judicial Review Community Legal Assistance Society, 2010.
* Representing Yourself in a Judicial Review - If You’re Being Evicted Community Legal Assistance Society, 2010
* Supreme Court BC Guidebooks for Representing Yourself Justice Education Society, 2010. 22 guides explain the steps involved in BC Supreme Court civil law matters.
*Where Can I Find the Old Supreme Court Rules and Forms? Courthouse Libraries BC, The Stream blog post November 18, 210

Canadian Sites:
*LawNet.ca Canadian portal of links to law-related information and educational resources, reorganized and expanded from the former Access to Justice Network (ACJNet) website.
*I am A Residential School Survivor. I Was Sexually Abused. How Can I Get Justice For The Wrong That Was Done To Me? Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation of Ontario Lists frequently asked questions about the Independent Assessment Process (IAP) and includes topics such as what kinds of sexual abuse is covered, the amount of compensation available, and the deadline for filing a claim.

New Legal Information Online Update November 9

2010-11-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

* Amendments to the Citizenship Regulations and Updated Guidelines Regarding the Citizenship Test Citizenship and Immigration Canada Oct. 13, 2010

New on Clicklaw:
* Do You Need Free Legal Advice? (Brochure) Available in 11 languages. Access Pro Bono Society of BC

* Five Ways to Protect Yourself as a Landlord (Fact Sheet) Available in 5 languages.Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC)

* From Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry:
- Enduring Power of Attorney Fact Sheet
- What's in a Registry?
- Personal Information Record
- Representation Agreements as a Legal Tool for Supported Decision-Making: Bruce's Story (Videos) Part 1 and Part 2

* From Legal Services Society's Family Law in BC website:
- How to get a final family order in Provincial Court if you agree
- How to deal with a committal hearing (because you've fallen behind in your support payments)
- Old Rules/New Rules in Supreme Court

Legal blogs:
* Your Right to Breastfeed in Canada Shannon Salter’s Rights and Remedies Sept 22, 2010

* On the importance of PLE (Public Legal Education) for youth… Displays a 9 minute video from a U.K. organization. Alberta Legal Resource Centre Blogosaurus Lex Oct. 12, 2010

* From JP Boyd’s BC Family Law Resource Blog:
- CBC Reports Continuing Government Concern with Fraudulent Marriages: Sham, wow. Nov. 8, 2010
- The Ins and Outs of Separation... Part III:The Whens [date of separation] Nov. 5, 2010

Courtenay Branch Library Legal Information Community Forum

2010-11-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Mari Martin, Manager of the Courtenay Branch Public Library, hosted a lively Legal Information Community Forum on October 5th. Representatives from Wachiay Friendship Centre, RCMP Victim Services, Family Justice Services, Comox Military Family Resource Centre, Service BC, Comox Valley Women's Resource Centre, Courtenay Library, Native Courtworkers and Counselling Association of BC, and Salvation Army Pro Bono Service attended.

After each participant described the services their agency offers, the forum discussion included the barriers clients face, such as literacy and privacy issues when accessing legal information from a variety of resources.

The group was keen to see follow-up from the meeting, such as bringing speakers to the library to provide community workshops on topics such as Drinking and Driving Charges, Residential Tenancy and Power of Attorney. Speakers from the from the People's Law School speaker service, and the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre were suggested. Ongoing community interagency meetings were also recommended.

Evaluation responses included appreciations:

Useful to see the faces of agencies I frequently make referrals to.
Opportunity to network and become more informed.
Updates re current services/resources.
The informal, round-table atmosphere made it very easy to retain the information!
Overview of website Clicklaw.

Suggestions to improve public access to legal resources:

More 1- 1 help
More coordination of resources
Training of retired or disabled professionals to work as volunteer advocates in their preferred field.

We continue to plan more legal information forums: write to jfreeman@courthouselibrary.ca if you would like a forum in your community.

Thanks to Courtenay Library Customer Services Librarian Jason Kuffler for the photos below!

New Legal Information Online Update September 30

2010-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

* Posts from the Clicklaw Blog:

• Shoplifting and Scary Letters September 28, 2010

• Finding Probate Forms Online September 22, 2010

• New BC Law on Impaired Driving September 20, 2010

* From the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities: CPP Disability Benefits Program Re-opens. Also see CPP Disability Information and Assistance Series of print resources.

* BC Representative for Children and Youth Annual Report April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010 [64 pp PDF]

* From JP Boyd's BC Family Resource Blog: Court Services Online Drops Criminal Fees Court Services Online has dropped the fee charged to access its full criminal proceedings database.

*New on Legal Services Society's Family Law in BC website:

• Six new translations of a publication: Living Together or Living Apart: Common-law Relationships, Marriage, Separation, and Divorce (in Arabic, Chinese [traditional], Farsi [Persian], French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese)

• One new frequently asked question: We've just separated, and we have two children, who live with my husband. How can I figure out how much child support I need to pay him?

• Links to five sample completed Provincial Court forms added to the Sample completed court forms page.

• One new fact sheet: Information for people with family law cases (child support orders) in Kelowna Provincial Court

• One reviewed and updated self-help guide: How to change a family order in Provincial Court if you cannot agree

• One new link to the Ministry of Children and Family Development's Extended Family Program added to the Child protection/removal, Grandparents/Relatives, and Youth links.

• Legislation / court rules links to the acts or regulations concerning family law issues.

Law Display at the Williams Lake Library

2010-09-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Tracy Dunlop is the Branch Assistant for the Williams Lake Branch of Cariboo Regional Library, and a former student of the Community Library Training Program Legal Information Sources online course. Tracy wrote to LawMatters about a recent the legal information display at her Branch:

"I was very pleased with how well it was received. I ordered a large number of handouts earlier and for the entire month of August had the display. Items went out everyday, and I even did up handouts that had the law contacts on it. Unfortunately most of our handouts are usually kept in an area with other community handouts against a far wall that are not seen much, so it was nice to get them right out near the front door.

I really enjoyed the course you facilitated through BC Libraries and the webinars, and if you are doing it again, you have another member of our staff who will be taking the 8 week course.

I am now in my third year of my library tech (part-time) and have recently become the Branch Assistant for the Williams Lake Branch."

Nice work, Tracy, and thanks to Drew Jackson of Courthouse Libraries BC for taking pictures during his recent holiday in the Cariboo Chilcotin area!

New Legal Information Online Update

2010-08-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

* Mothers Without Legal Status in Canada - Information for Service Providers YWCA Vancouver, 2009

* LawMatters Law Books for Libraries Update [scroll down to Law Books for Libraries] August 2010. Includes titles on collaborative divorce, estate planning, and condominium ownership.

* New from the Legal Services Society Family Law in BC website:

- How to Use the New Supreme Court Family Forms video and transcript

- How to serve documents when the other party is avoiding service or not available

- How to deal with a Judicial Case Conference

Legal Blogs:
* When Are You Legally Required to Support Your Parents? Rights & Remedies, August 9, 2010

* A Question about Copyright on the Internet Blogosaurus Lex, August 4, 2010.

* New Fillable Court Forms: Questions and Answers, Tips and Tricks The Stream, July 30, 2010

New Legal Information Online Update

2010-07-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

* Resources for new Supreme Court Rules and Forms:
- Justice Education Society has updated and expanded its Supreme Court Self-Help Guidebook series, and launched a new website, SupremeCourtBC.ca .

- Clicklaw has added these common questions:
8Where can I find the new court rules and forms for Supreme Court cases?
8Can I fill in the new court forms online?
8I'm trying to prepare a case under the new Supreme Court rules
8My Supreme Court case started before July 1, 2010. Will the new rules affect me?

Other new online resources:
* People’s Law School released Human Trafficking in Canada 2nd ed. [16 pp] June 2010

* A useful list describing Justice Education Society's series of websites was published in Legal Services Society's May 2010 Elan newsletter.

* Paternity Issues is an online guide at JP Boyd's BC Family Law Resource. For other common questions, see the How Do I? page.

* G20 protests and the power of regulations, from the Alberta Legal Resource Centre's Blogosaurus Lex blog - scroll down to posts from June 25 and June 30, although there are many interesting posts on this blog!

*Updated Resources for Libraries and Community Groups from LawMatters [scroll down to Toolkits and Resources]:
8 BC Toll Free Phone Numbers Legal Information and Advice Referral List [June 2010]
8 LawMatters Reading Guides [March 2010]
8 Multilingual Legal Information Titles [March 2010]
8 Separation and Divorce in BC Research Guide template [June 2010]

Legal Information Community Forum in Nanaimo

2010-06-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

On May 27th, Customer Services Librarian Valerie Grace of the Nanaimo Harbourfront Branch of Vancouver Island Regional Library hosted a very successful forum of community groups who work with legal information. Representatives attended from Haven Transition House and Community Victim Services, Nanaimo Region John Howard Society, Immigrant Welcome Centre, Legal Services Society Local Agent and Aboriginal Community Legal Worker, Nanaimo & Area Resource Services for Families, Nanaimo Citizen Advocacy Association, Nanaimo Justice Access Centre, Povnet, and the Nanaimo Courthouse Library.

Comments from participants included:

Thank you for hosting and to those who participated - it re-affirms for me the need for civil law services for those who do not have funds for a lawyer.
The networking is very useful, and learning what other agencies do.
Meeting other community groups with the same interests is helpful.
It would be good to meet regularly, for example twice a year, and have email contact to announce changes.

Courthouse Libraries Community Outreach Manager Drew Jackson also attended to provide an introduction to the website Clicklaw, and put together a slide show of the event:

If you would like to host a legal information forum in your community, please contact LawMatters Coordinator Janet Freeman at jfreeman@courthouselibrary.ca

New Legal Information Online Update

2010-05-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

* Artists' Legal Outreach is a group of volunteer lawyers and law students in Vancouver committed to working with artists and arts organizations. Their legal information index provides resources such as Artist Management Agreements and Artist Studio Guidelines.

* The Assaulted Women's Helpline of Toronto released the Survivor's Guide to Freedom from Violence video. This Canadian video resource educates the public, trains professionals and provides guidance for women working towards violence-free lives. [high definition, 25 minutes] April 2010

* BC Coalition of People with Disabilities has two helpsheets now available in Chinese (traditional) :
- The Persons with Disabilities Benefit Application [12 pp PDF ] 2010
- Checklist for the Persons with Disabilities Benefit [6 pp PDF] 2010
See the list of BC Coalition of People with Disabilities Helpsheets.

* BC Ministry of Housing and Social Development Online Resource lists all procedures and program information for eligibility for ministry employment and assistance programs and provides a table of contents PDF with all topics linked to web pages. Updated: April 8, 2010

* Clicklaw blog post May 11: Passing of the Torch: LawLINK and Electronic Law Library have been retired and now redirect visitors to Clicklaw.

* Courthouse Libraries BC blog post May 13: Research Tool: Asked & Answered, Now with Popular Case Names describes Courthouse Libraries web pages that provide a database of starting points for legal research on a large number of legal information queries.

* Irwin Law recently launched the Canadian Online Legal Dictionary which contains words and phrases defined in glossaries of Canadian law books published by Irwin Law.

* Legaltree.ca is a collaborative forum by Canadian lawyers of research resources, and includes a page of links to BC bylaws.

BC Library Association Award and other Winners!

2010-04-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Law Foundation of BC received the Keith Sacré Library Champion Award at the annual awards event of the BC Library Association in Penticton on April 24th.

Nominated by Surrey Public Library, the award is presented to an individual, organization or business that has a record of support of libraries, literacy, public access to information and the overall aims and objectives of libraries.

The award reads “In recognition of the long-term support for providing public legal information to the residents of BC, and in particular for the Courthouse Libraries BC project, LawMatters.” Mary Mouat, Chair of the Law Foundation's Board of Governors, accepted the award on behalf of the Law Foundation of BC.

Also at the BCLA conference, Courthouse Libraries BC [CLBC] displayed our new legal information campaign for the public, LawStartBC, which describes LawMatters, Clicklaw, the Clicklaw HelpMap and CLBC Reference Services. Congratulations to the librarians who completed the LawStartBC crossword puzzle and received a coveted CLBC water bottle!
- Indira Wickremasinghe, Rossland Public Library
- Jane Curry, Vancouver Public Library
- Judy Foucher, Greenwood Public Library
- Ana Rosa Blue, WorkSafeBC
For a nice collection of photos from the BCLA conference, visit the Clicklaw facebook page.

And finally, winners of the Amazon gift certificate draw of the 2010 Legal Reference Survey participants were:
- Granisle Public Library
- Port Kells Branch of Surrey Public Library
- Science and Business Department of Vancouver Public Library
- Gibsons and District Public Library
Thanks to the 135 library locations that took part in the survey, we had a 98% return of the surveys! We are just finalizing the report which compares legal reference use in 2009 and 2010.

New Legal Information Online Update

2010-04-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

New/improved websites:

* Charity Central is designed to help Canada's Registered Charities understand their responsibilities under the Income Tax Act.

* Clicklaw.ca improvements:
- over 200 new resources added to the Solve Problems section
- easier to find resources languages other than English
- over 100 “common questions” on the site, featuring resources that are good starting points for information on common legal problems
- a blog highlighting new resources on the Clicklaw homepage.
- Clicklaw is now on Facebook and Twitter!

* ImmigrantLegal.ca provides free legal information, education and resources to newcomers to Canada and the people working with them. Includes information on employment standards and residential tenancy, as well as a series of videos from training sessions for helpers.

* Support Worker Central includes employment standards resources for B.C. support workers who help people with disabilities.

* Voluntary Sector Knowledge Network includes sections on Starting a Non Profit, Governance and Government Relations.

* Legal aid offices have recently been added to New Westminster and Langley. Updated information is available at Where to find a legal aid office.

New/revised publications:

* Legislation Made Easy, 3rd Edition, by Gail Nash. Crown Publications, March 2010

* Free copies of Legal Help For British Columbians; A Guide to Help Non-legal Professionals Make Legal Referrals for Clients is available from the People’s Law School; see their online order form.

From Legal Services Society:

* Consumer Law and Credit/Debt Law 3rd Edition [209 pp PDF] October 2009

* Sponsorship Breakdown 3rd edition [42 pp PDF] November 2009

* Surviving Relationship Violence and Abuse [89 pp PDF] February 2010

* Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance 21st edition [146 pp PDF] February 2010

Legal Blogs:

* Cameras in court? Blogosaurus Lex, Alberta Legal Resource Centre, March 24th, 2010

* Remarrying After a Void Marriage BC Family Law Blog April 5, 2010

New Legal Information Online Update

2010-03-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

* New Online Search Tool from Citizenship and Immigration Canada: Finding Newcomer Services in Your Area (from CLEONet News March 2, 2010)

* New or revised information from Legal Services Society:

- Getting Initial Orders for Custody, Guardianship, Access, and Support in Provincial (Family) Court [Flow Chart] October 2009

- Living Together or Living Apart: Common-Law Relationships, Marriage, Separation, and Divorce 3rd ed [56pp PDF] December 2009

- Understanding Aboriginal Delegated Agencies [2pp PDF] November 2009

* New from Battered Women's Support Services:

- When Battered Women Are Arrested - A resource for front-line workers [6 pp PDF] March 2010

- When Battered Women Are Arrested - A resource for women [8pp PDF] March 2010

E-Government Services And Public Libraries

2010-03-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

The American Library Association recently published A Perfect Storm Brewing: Budget Cuts Threaten Library Services at Time of Increased Demand [11 pp PDF] January 2010. The report included this statistic:

"[From 2007 to 2009] There was a 23 percent jump in libraries reporting they provide ssistance to patrons applying for or accessing e-government services" p. 5

Further discussion on this topic may be found in another ALA report: U.S. Public Libraries and E-Government Services (8 pp PDF] June 2009:

"Increasingly, government agencies refer individuals specifically to their local public libraries for assistance and access to the Internet for citizen-government interactions, but often fail to provide support to libraries in meeting this service need." p. 2

This finding is echoed by many BC public librarians. In particular, Deb Thomas, Deputy Chief & Branch Manager of the Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch, Burnaby Public Library recently stated on a listserv discussion:

"This is not a new issue! I was dealing with it in Nelson over the last decade. As government offices reduce and centralize, many areas that were previously served by live bodies in physical buildings are reduced to phone, Internet or driving a long distance to get the services they need. We had many people coming in to apply for jobs online - big rough-handed logger types who had never used a computer before - or apply for various government services or find information on those services. Here in South Burnaby, it's visas and MSP. Yet few government agencies will formally recognize - with funding - the burden they've placed on public libraries. "

To add to the 'perfect storm' in BC, current economic difficulties have resulted in reduced government funding; provincial government grants to BC public libraries were cut 22% in August of 2009.

New Legal Information Online Update

2010-02-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

New on the Clicklaw Blog:

* Clicklaw HelpMap continues to grow with 78 services offered in over 750 locations across BC! Recently, the Legal Services Society added their Provincial Court Family Duty Counsel and Supreme Court Family Duty Counsel programs to the map. [February 16, 2010]

* Top 10 Most Visited Common Questions on Clicklaw [February 4, 2010]

New or revised publications from Legal Services Society:

* Can't Pay Your Mortgage? What You Can Do If You're Facing Foreclosure 3rd edition [26 pp PDF] July 2009

* Find Out How to Use the Law: Family Law in BC website bookmark December 2009

* If You Can’t Get a Lawyer for Your Criminal Trial: How to Make A Rowbotham Application 2nd edition [21pp PDF] November 2009. This publication is intended for people facing serious and complex criminal charges who have been denied legal aid but cannot afford a lawyer. It explains why, how, and when to ask the judge to appoint a free lawyer, and includes a checklist of points to cover in court and copies of the necessary court forms.

* If You Can’t Pay Your Court Fine on Time [2pp PDF] February 2009

Other new titles/articles/websites:

* Access to legal aid facing challenges by Mike Simmons, Kelowna Capital News, February 5, 2010.

* BC Workers' Compensation Legal Kit by Jonathan Dykstra and Erika Eineigel, 2010. Helps workers by giving step-by-step guidance regarding injury appeals. Instructions, templates, real-life samples, and precedent letters included. $47.00

* Povnet has redesigned their website which includes a new feature of Government Information, organized by region and by issue.

LawMatters Training Follow-Up Survey Report

2010-01-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

The LawMatters Training Follow-Up Survey Final Report (PDF, 32 pp, December 2009) was recently published on the LawMatters website. The report summarizes the findings of a survey of 70 public library staff who attended the LawMatters Legal Reference Introductory Training in 2008-2009. Two interesting findings:

* Public librarians answer a lot of legal questions: half of those surveyed get at least one legal question per week.

* The LawMatters training significantly raised the confidence of public librarians to handle legal questions, and that confidence increase didn't fade, even 1-2 years after the training was provided:

Medium or High Confidence Level of Public Librarians:
Before training: 42%
Immediately after training: 83%
1-2 years after training: 89% [adapted from p.17]

Librarians also reported on trends in legal reference topics:

"... funding cuts had limited information sources for citizens, potentially leading to more use of free library services. Two librarians noted that unrepresented litigants are bringing more legal reference questions to the library.

Five library staff said that legal documents or court forms are often difficult for patrons to understand, copy or print out. Many questions also require reference to case law and historical reference materials.

Three librarians noted that answers to simple legal reference questions can now be answered on the internet, meaning that librarians are now asked more complex questions. " [p.11]

New Legal Information Online Update

2010-01-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

New on the Clicklaw website:

* 5 Ways to Protect Yourself When Renting (Video) Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, 2009. The video is available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Arabic, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Punjabi, Farsi (Persian), Spanish and Vietnamese.

* If You Are Charged with a Crime (Brochure) Legal Services Society, November 2009. Also available in French.

* You Owe Money and Someone Owes You Money (Videos) People's Law School, January 2010. Animations of a character experiencing debt collection problems. The videos are accompanied by fact sheets You Owe Money and Someone Owes You Money.

Other new titles:

* Immigration Law for Temporary Foreign Workers in English and Immigration Law for Temporary Foreign Workers in Spanish [Powerpoint presentations 35 pp ] are available from the IM-POWER-ED website, which is a community-based legal education and facilitation project for temporary foreign workers.

* Justice for All? [video 8:49 min] from Access to Justice.ca describes the legal aid cutbacks in BC.

* Protesters’ Guide to the Law of Civil Disobedience in British Columbia – Olympic Edition by Vancouver lawyer Leo McGrady, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada . [45 pp PDF] November 2009

* West Coast Environmental Law has a new site which contains links to their publications, newsletter, blog and media releases.

Video: Clicklaw HelpMap Top 5 List

2010-01-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

New from the Clicklaw team on the Clicklaw Blog this week:

A 5 minute video posted on YouTube has been created to give a flavour for what the new Clicklaw HelpMap offers. The top 5 things you can do on the HelpMap are:

* You can search by community in British Columbia for someone who can help with legal problems.
* You can locate a result on the map (where we’re integrating with Google Maps).
* You can narrow your results down in a few different ways — by topic (e.g., show me only “Family law” services) or by type of help (e.g., show me only services that provide “legal advocacy, advice or representation”).
* You can start your search by clicking on a topic and narrow down from there.
* You can find services that are provided in languages other than English (by starting with a community in BC and narrowing down by language).

The team would like to hear your feedback on the Clicklaw HelpMap. Please consider taking our 3-minute Clicklaw feedback survey online, posting a comment on the Clicklaw blog, or contacting the editors at editor@clicklaw.bc.ca.

Two New Titles From the LawMatters Project

2010-01-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to present the following titles produced for BC public libraries, but available to anyone to download:

Legal Help for British Columbians: A Guide to Help Non-legal Professionals Make Legal Referrals for Clients by Cliff Thorstenson of the Nicola Valley Advocacy Centre. [60 pp PDF] 2009. The Guide updates the 2008 Legal Help for Rural British Columbians legal guide, and print copies will be distributed to all BC public and courthouse libraries in January.

Legal Information Reading Guides [17 pp PDF] October 2009. 206 titles from Law Books for Libraries arranged by subject headings.

New Feature On The Clicklaw Website: HelpMap

2009-12-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

New on the Clicklaw Blog this week:

A HelpMap was recently added to the Clicklaw website. Integrated with Google Maps, HelpMap assists the public in finding those who can provide assistance with legal problems in their community. It also assists service providers who are making referrals for clients who have legal issues. HelpMap includes information about legal services provided by groups including:

- pro bono clinics, community legal clinics, and legal aid offices
- court registries
- courthouse libraries
- organizations with community legal advocates
- Native Courtworkers
- free and low cost legal services
- other law-related helping services

Many more services will be added to HelpMap in the future. If you have any feedback about the new HelpMap, you can post a comment on the blog post of December 22nd, or email editor@clicklaw.bc.ca.

Incidence of legal problems surveys

2009-12-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

As the LawMatters project prepares for the second annual legal reference survey of selected BC public libraries [see blog posts of March 5 and September 10, 2009], it is interesting to see which legal topics are reported as most often experienced in other jurisdictions, and how frequently people experience legal problems.

The following are excerpts from Civil Legal Needs Research Report by Carol McEown for the Law Foundation of BC, 2nd Edition [39 pp PDF] March 2009. The report summarizes research from several provincial, national and international studies:

Results of legal needs studies
Citizens experience legal problems in the course of their daily lives. Many of these problems are seen to be difficult to resolve and have serious consequences. Canadian civil legal needs studies suggest that over 1,500,000 adults in BC will experience one or more serious legal problems in a three-year period.
Consumer, debt, and employment problems occur more frequently than other problems and people will most likely try to resolve these problems themselves or, in the case of employment problems, look to their union or a government agency to help.

Housing issues and neighbour problems rank third in the BC survey and second in the 2008 Canadian Study.

Family, wills, and personal injury cases also occur frequently. People most often seek legal assistance for family law problems, wills and threat of legal action.

People with low incomes and/or who are otherwise disadvantaged tend to experience more problems than average, especially in the areas of debt, family law, housing, income assistance, and mental health. If they are unable to find help, they tend to experience more serious consequences and have further problems that can result in a downward spiral.

[excerpts from pp 31 - 32]

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-12-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

New on Clicklaw website:

* Brydges Line wallet card, Legal Services Society, 2009. Help for individuals who are in police custody, arrested, or detained and want to speak to a lawyer free of charge.

* Dealing with a Problem Roommate factsheet, Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, 2009

* PATHWAYS: The Family Law Diagnostic Tool interactive website, The Law Centre, 2009

Other new titles:

* Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship study guide, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, [83 pp PDF] November 2009

* Native Land Claims and Treaties in BC Law Connection, SFU Centre for Education, Law & Society and Justice Education Society, November 2009

* Privacy Rights in the Digital Age Transitions, from the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities. Contains articles on E-Health and privacy issues. Fall 2009

* What Every Renter Needs to Know series of 3 videos from Residential Tenancy Branch of BC Ministry of Housing and Social Development. Topics include Beginning of the Tenancy, Security and Pet Damage Deposits and Ending the Tenancy. 2009

* What is an Aboriginal delegated agency? Frequently asked question from Family Law in BC website, Legal Services Society, December 2009

* From JP Boyd's Family Law in BC website: New Rules 101 , an overview of new BC Supreme Court family law rules; Blog posts include 'Website Begins Integration of New Rules', December 7, 2009 and 'Section 15 Reports', December 3, 2009.

* From Cleonet: Bylaws, letters patent, and constitutions Audio interview, Charity Village, November 30, 2009
When an organization in Canada seeks incorporation, it is necessary for them to have a consitution, bylaws, and letters patent in place. This podcast explains each of these terms, describes what types of information must be included in each document, and suggests where organizations can go for more information on preparing them.

Squamish Public Library Hosts Community Legal Information Forum

2009-10-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Picture: networking at the forum

Another very successful community legal information forum was held on October 21st. Hosted and chaired by Squamish Public Library reference librarian Marie Palmer, the event included representatives from Service BC, Squamish Helping Hands shelter, RCMP Community Policing, Squamish Chamber of Commerce, Quest University, Sea-to-Sky Community Services, Seniors Connections, Howe Sound Women's Centre, Squamish Council, Povnet, Legal Services Society and LawMatters. Participants discussed local services, and the gaps in local legal resources, and it was agreed that regular meetings of community groups as well as a local directory of services would be good follow-up results of this meeting.

Evaluation comments included appreciation for:

"Knowing the library will be spearheading all legal resources links for Squamish"

"Connecting in person with individuals - the opportunity to gather resources and do round-table introductions - the Clicklaw website sounds great!"

And some suggestions:

"Maybe have a longer break for one-on-one networking."
"Provide more information to lawyers and law firms re services available."

We plan to hold legal information forums around the province; if you would like a forum in your community, please contact jfreeman@courthouselibrary.ca .

Training Opportunities in Legal Information

2009-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-10-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

* MOSAIC has launched a newly designed website which includes a client involvement page to empower immigrants and refugees with personal stories and services.

* Criminal Justice Reform Projects: Vancouver's Downtown Community Court web page includes information on the the community court's first year of operation. September 18, 2009

* Employment Law articles by lawyer Robert Yeager from Business in Vancouver magazine

* new publications from Legal Services Society:

- No Contact Orders Explained [2 pp PDF] updated July 2009

- What You Need to Know About Fraud Charges and Social Assistance [1 p PDF] August 2009

- If You Can't Get a Lawyer for Your Criminal Trial [21 pp PDF] May 2009

- new on Legal Services Society's Family Law in BC website:

--What's New in Family Law: Appeals to the Court of Appeal regarding the interjurisdictional abduction of children September 10, 2009

Two frequently asked questions:
--Can Immigration Canada ask me for proof that my past common-law relationship is over before I can sponsor my new husband?

-- Am I married if we live common law long enough?

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-09-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

* From Legal Services Society:
- How Does a Court Order Affect Me? [2 pp PDF] June 2009
- How can you prove you are separated if you and your spouse still live together? [fact sheet on Family Law in BC website] August 2009

*New resources from the Clicklaw blog :
- The UBC Law Students Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) Manual , 2009 version, was added to Clicklaw on September 16. The Manual contains 23 chapters of legal topics, plus one chapter of referral resources.

- The BC Centre for Elder Advocacy & Support (BC CEAS) launched a new website in July which features their services such as the Seniors Help and Information Line, the Elder Law Clinic and an online Ask a Legal Question service. BC CEAS publications are also listed on Clicklaw, and include Fact Sheets on Abuse of Older Adults, Reporting Crimes to the Police and What Happens When You Make a Report, Where to Get Legal Help, Giving Other People Authority to Help You Manage Your Affairs, and Identity Theft: Now What Do I Do?

- People’s Law School added a series of animated videos and factsheets to Clicklaw in September. The series explores problems that arise with credit cards with the following video titles: What’s a Credit Card?, It’s Not Free Money!, Call the Company!, and Ask For Help! The four fact sheet titles are: What is a Credit Card?, What Does a Credit Card Cost?, Lost or Stolen Cards and Chargebacks , and What to Do When You Are in Debt.

* From lawyer blogs:
- The Non-Lawyer Agent: Can My Friend Represent Me In Court? , Shannon Salter's Rights & Remedies blog August 14, 2009.
- What Custody and Guardianship Really Mean, JP Boyd's Family Law Resource Blog August 7, 2009

* New resources on Ontario's Cleonet.ca include:
- Abuse is Wrong Department of Justice Canada [30 pp PDF] 2009
- Claiming Refugee Status in Canada Because of Gender-Related Violence [web page Q & A] Ontario Women's Justice Network, July, 2008

LawMatters Project News: Evaluation Report and CLTP Online Course

2009-09-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

* A recent report, LawMatters Summary of Activities and Evaluation Findings (9 pp, August 2009) is now listed on the LawMatters site [scroll down to Evaluation Reports]. The report includes training activities and results from the 2009 legal reference survey held in public libraries. Legal topics was one of the survey categories, and the findings showed that the most frequently asked legal questions in libraries consisted of real estate and housing issues, followed by family law, wills and estates, and immigration issues. Another survey will be conducted in January 2010 to compare the incidence and type of legal questions libraries receive.

* The LawMatters online course “Legal Information Sources” is available to any public library staff, and is offered in partnership with the Public Library Services Branch. There are still a few spaces left in the eight week course that starts in October 2009, and further information is available at the Community Library Training Program page. We hope to offer more online training options in the future, in the form of screencasts, podcasts and slide-share presentations.

Patron Story: Researching Case Law at the Public Library

2009-09-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

The following story was sent to us from Jenny Fry [clearly a super-librarian!] at Surrey Public Library:

"An animated gentleman named Billy approached me at the Information Desk last night, clutching a bunch of papers. He was going to court in the morning to make a Charter argument and dispute a ticket because the statute of limitations had expired for the Crown to bring this matter to court. He wanted an example of a similar case.

I went to the Surrey Public Library website – Information Online – Popular Websites – Law & legislation – and I chose CANLII. I selected the BC database, and typed: 'charter argument'.

I got a list of cases, looked for the keywords that most closely matched Billy’s situation and found 2 relevant cases within a couple minutes. I printed them off for him and he was absolutely thrilled and thoroughly appreciative.

So, thanks for making it quite easy for me to fill an urgent legal information request from a desperate patron, who had no chance of finding this information on his own – the court told him to go to the public library to get what he needed and he is computer-illiterate. He was profoundly grateful and his repeated thank-yous lasted almost as long as it took for me to find those two cases to answer his question."

And thank you Jenny, for sharing this story. We welcome any stories that show the impact of accessible legal information. It would be interesting to know if your patron was successful in presenting his case in court, but that may be a story for another day!

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-08-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

* Changeville, from the Justice Education Society, is an online world for BC children to explore legal information and feelings about divorce and separation.

* Children’s Rights is a script on Dial-A-Law that explains whether children can choose which parent to live with, children's rights if hospitalized against their will, and whether children have input in child protection cases. [5 pp] 2008

* DriveSmartBC is a web site about traffic safety in BC, authored by a retired RCMP officer. It includes information such as How to Deal with a Traffic Ticket and many FAQs about driving in BC.

* The Alberta Legal Resource Centre (LRC) now has a blog called Blogosaurus Rex which includes podcasts and commentary on current legal issues. One of the LRC's websites is Canadian Legal FAQs which published a new resource on Bankruptcy in a Q & A format. July 2009

New Family Mediation and Free Legal Advice Services

2009-07-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

* Free Family Mediation Services
Up to six hours of mediation services are now available to eligible families living in non-urban areas of British Columbia through the B.C. Mediator Roster Society’s Distance Mediation Project . The Project will use current information and communication technologies, and is expected to run for approximately six months, ending November 30, 2009.

* Free Legal Advice Event Provided By Volunteer Lawyers
In September 2009, volunteer lawyers will participate in a free legal advice-a-thon in the streets of Vancouver, Kelowna and Victoria in order to raise awareness and funds for BC's pro bono programs. The advice-a-thon will assist low and modest income people, including the homeless, with their legal problems.

* Elder Law Clinic
The first free legal advice clinic for older adults in Western Canada was opened in 2008 by the BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support . The Elder Law Clinic is located in Vancouver, and receives referrals from the Seniors Information and Help Line . BC CEAS also publishes a Legal Advocacy Brochure in nine languages.

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-07-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

* People's Law School released an updated version of Writing Your Will , 2nd ed. [8 pp PDF] April 2009

* In the past year, the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch has published two new Dial-A-Law scripts: Applying for a Temporary Order in a Family Lawsuit , January 2009 and Income Assistance: Reconsideration and Appeals , September 2008. The script Noise, Untidy Premises and Dog Control was updated with more information, to Neighbour Law September 2008.

* BC Civil Liberties Association published Privacy: Why It’s Important and How to Protect it in May 2009. The web resource includes: how to protect yourself from identity theft and from spam, phishing and spyware; when credit reporting agencies can collect and disclose information about you; and when you have to give out your Social Insurance Number.

*Legal Services Society has revised and updated two booklets: What to Do If You Are Charged with a Breach of a Court Order, [13 pp PDF] May 2009 and What to Do If You Are Charged with Assault [12 pp PDF] May 2009 . A useful list of Resources for clients with credit/debt issues was published in the latest issue of their newsletter Elan.

* Shannon Salter's Rights & Remedies blog published When does a step-parent have to pay child support? in April 2009.

* Surrey Public Library's Law, Government & Statistics page provides an extensive list of legal databases and recommended websites. Updated July 14, 2009.

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-07-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

*A news release was issued by the BC Ministry of Attorney General on July 7, 2009 announcing that new Supreme Court Civil and Family Rules have been adopted by the Province and will be fully implemented on July 1, 2010. Two attached backgrounder papers describe the new court rules, as well as the new Vancouver Justice Access Centre which offers family law services.

* Residential Tenancy Act: A Guide for Landlords & Tenants in British Columbia is available from the Guides page of the BC Residential Tenancy Branch. Available in English, Chinese Traditional, and Punjabi. (60 pp PDF) Updated version: March 2009

* The Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre has a newly updated website with:
- printed materials in 16 languages, and multilingual videos coming soon
- new frequently asked questions
- new Fact Sheets such as Finding Out Who Your Landlord Is [4 pp PDF] 2009, Dealing With a Problem Roommate [3 pp PDF] 2009 and Guide for Tenants in Non Profit Housing [8pp PDF] 2009
- current news such as New 10-Day Eviction Notice! February 09, 2009

* New on Canadian Legal FAQs: Temporary Foreign Workers is a series of fact sheets and question/answer lists that include some services in Alberta, but is written mostly for a national audience. June/July 2009

* Povnet's Online Resources lists Legal Help for Rural British Columbians [50 pp PDF ] July 2008. Prepared by lawyer Cliff Thorstenson through a grant from the Law Foundation, this guide covers common legal topics including family law, criminal law, welfare, and debt. Written for non-legally trained helping professionals, the guide includes legal services and self-help resources.

Media reports: LawMatters on CBC Radio and other stories about legal information

2009-06-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

* On April 22nd, the day of the LawMatters public launch, Courthouse Libraries BC Executive Director Johanne Blenkin was interviewed by Mark Forsythe on the Almanac program of CBC radio. Mark commented on the picture of the Radium Hot Springs legal collection on the LawMatters blog: "There it is, all on one shelf and easy to access." Johanne mentioned that many people in small towns may prefer to find legal information themselves and not have to ask for help, since confidentiality could be an issue. Johanne also stressed that the LawMatters resources in public libraries are intended to help people solve legal problems before they become serious, as well as assist people who must make a formal legal claim. She emphasized that people still need lawyers for legal advice, but having good legal information is a powerful tool when dealing with the legal system.

* Playing Jeopardy in Prince George reports on a workshop presented at a library conference June 8. Presenters were Drew Jackson of the new Clicklaw website, and Janet Freeman of the LawMatters project. We devised legal questions with answers from both Clicklaw and LawMatters resources, and even managed to stump the audience occasionally! See the blog posting for pictures of the game show format.
Another blog post titled Early word of mouth about Clicklaw includes a piece on Vancouver Public Library's Guy Cribdon, who was also interviewed on CBC radio. Guy did a great job explaining how the Clicklaw site will help the public looking for legal information.

* [Alberta's] Legal Resource Centre a boon to all; Non-profit groups find information invaluable
Edmonton Journal, June 17, 2009

* Job hunters turn to the library News from globeandmail.com, June 8, 2009. [LawMatters recommended list of Law Books for Libraries includes 15 titles on employment law]

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-06-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

* JP Boyd's Family Law Resource Blog 17 May 2009: Why you DON'T want a cohabitation agreement

* New on the Family Law in BC website of Legal Services Society, June 2009:
- One new frequently asked question: How much are the court fees for a divorce?
- One revised self-help guide: How to fill out a Supreme Court Financial Statement (Form 89)

* The Homeless Hub is a national site where community services providers, researchers, government representatives, and the general public can access and share research, stories, and best practices. Launched in 2007.

* Clicklaw and Beyond: Public Legal Education and Information Materials in BC This report examines public legal education and information resources available in BC in order to identify and analyze gaps and overlaps. Courthouse Libraries BC [70 pp PDF] 2009

First LawMatters Community Forum on Legal Information Hosted by Chilliwack Public Library

2009-06-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

LawMatters project staff met with representatives from community groups at Chilliwack Public Library May 27 for the pilot event of the next phase of the LawMatters at your local public library project. The purpose of the forums is to bring together public libraries and community groups that provide legal information. We discovered that many of the forum participants had not met each other before, and were very appreciative of the opportunity to learn about each other's programs, and discuss gaps in services. Participants commented on public library legal resources they had never seen, as well as services they did not know existed. The forum included participants from transition houses, police and specialized victim services, Community Response Networks [for vulnerable seniors], Family Justice Services, Native Courtworkers, immigrant services, adult literacy, public library, and legal aid services.

We plan to hold legal information forums around the province; if you would like a forum in your community, please contact jfreeman@courthouselibrary.ca .

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-05-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

* What's new on Legal Services Society's Family Law in BC website lists additions for April and May 2009, including new factsheets and FAQ's such as:

Frequently asked questions about marriages, divorces, and annulments inside and outside Canada
Do you need any legal documents to be able to leave Canada with your child?
What to do if the other party does not respond to your application to get a court Order
Do I need any legal documents to be able to travel outside Canada with my child?
How can I turn my separation agreement into a court order?
When can I stop paying child support?
I was married in another country. Is that marriage valid here?

* Your Guide to the Refugee Claim Process available in English and Spanish, Legal Services Society [58 pp PDF] 2009

* BC Association of Community Response Networks - Stopping Adult Neglect and Abuse Together. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15th.

* News & Views on Civil Justice Reform, Issue 12, Spring 2009 [26 pp PDF] from the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice Reform contains a series of articles about the evolution of legal services to the public, including this quote:
"There are too many ambulances at the bottom of cliffs, and not enough railings at the top." from the book The End of Lawyers? Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services, by Richard Susskind [Oxford University Press, 2008].
Other articles in the News & Views issue include the role of public legal education and information, legal advice lines, and unbundling legal services.

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-04-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

* Aboriginal Parenting After Separation Toolkit for Community Workers Law Courts Education Society, 2009
accompanies Aboriginal Parenting After Separation Toolkit for Parents Law Courts Education Society, 2008

* An updated version of Being an Executor is available from People's Law School publications page. Updated April 2009 [12pp PDF]

* Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Legal Guide is available from the What's New page of Parent Support Services [200pp PDF] March 2009

* Legal Services Society now has two of their videos available in DVD format:
- Family Matters in Supreme Court: Judicial Case Conferences and Chambers Hearings [19 min.] 2004
- Making Your Case: The Family Court Process [21 min.], 2000

* Your Guide to the Refugee Claim Process Legal Services Society [51pp PDF] 2009

LawMatters Virtual Launch

2009-04-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

The LawMatters online public launch event was held on April 22nd, and combined a live web broadcast with an instant chat session. It proved to be a lively event as well as a challenge in using new technology. Above is a snapshot of the session and below are the video clips of remarks by representatives from the Law Foundation of BC and Courthouse Libraries BC:

Thank you to everyone who participated in the chat session, and special thanks go to Courthouse Libraries BC staff for their technical assistance.

LawMatters Public Launch Events and New on LawMatters Site

2009-04-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

* The LawMatters project will have its official public launch April 22 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. The event will be held online as we explore new technology of web hosting and broadcasting. Let us know your thoughts by instant chat!

* LawMatters will host display tables at both the Victoria and Vancouver Law Days, along with another Courthouse Libraries special project, Clicklaw - our new legal information site going live April 20th.

* Two new reading lists are now available on the LawMatters site: Legal Information Reading List (the recommended list arranged by subject), and Multilingual Legal Information Titles (titles available in 11 languages).

* An 8" x 11" LawMatters poster is also available for download, with the tag line "Questions About the Law? Visit your local public library for information."

Announcements: CanLII and LawLine

2009-04-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

*British Columbia Legislation is Now Available on CanLII
CanLII, the Canadian database of legislation now includes BC statutes and regulations and offers all the features of CanLII's new legislation publishing environment:
- full-text and field search
- statute noteup
- section noteup
- links between statutes and regulations
- links between cases and statutes
- RSS feeds for legislative changes
April 3, 2009.

*Changes to LawLine Advice Services
LawLINE advice services have been funded for another year and will continue until at least March 31, 2010. However, as a result of reductions to LawLINE staff, the scope of coverage for LawLINE has been redefined to tailor the service primarily to issues arising from the current economy.
Effective April 6, 2009, LawLINE advice services will be available for fewer areas of law. For a list of the categories that continue to be covered and examples of each category, see the LawLINE page of the LSS website. If you still have any of our old LawLINE promotional materials (poster, bookmark, wallet card, notepad), please discard them. If you have information about LawLINE in any of your publications or on your websites, please ensure that these are updated to reflect the changes to this service.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please e-mail LSS-Services. April 3, 2009.

Legal Information Events

2009-03-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

* On March 31, 2009, the Guildford Branch of Surrey Public Library will host a free public lecture about the rule of law, independence of lawyers and the public interest with guest speaker Gordon Turriff, QC, President of the Law Society.

* On April 28 the Central Library of Vancouver Public Library will offer two sessions of CLICKLAW : British Columbians' Newest Legal Website as part of their TechnoTuesdays sessions. (Search under Computer and Internet Training, Central Library).

* April Law Day events are now scheduled for Cowichan Valley, Fort St John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Prince George, Terrace, Tri-Cities, Vancouver and Victoria.

New Legal Information Online and New Book

2009-03-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

* MOSAIC's What's New - Publications page includes updated titles from their Public Legal Education Project for Newcomers:
- A Guide for Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications (available in Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Filipino, French, Persian, Russian, and Spanish) [10pp PDF] 2008
- Family Law [105pp PDF] 2008
- Immigration and Refugee Law [88pp PDF] 2008

* BC Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services Complaint Resolution and the BC Employment Standards Act fact sheet covers the following topics: understanding rights and responsibilities, using the self-help kit, filing a complaint, dispute resolution, investigation, education, mediation, adjudication hearings, determinations and appeals. Also available in Chinese, Filipino, French, Punjabi and Spanish. [2pp PDF] December, 2008

* Family Relations Act Consultation Report Ministry of Attorney General Justice Services Branch, Civil and Family Law Policy Office released Family Relations Act Review:Report of Public Consultations [64 pp. PDF] February 2009

* Department of Justice, Family Violence Initiative new information:
- About Family Violence in Canada provides a summary of research
- The Criminal Law and Managing Children's Behaviour [fact sheet]
- The Family Violence Initiative Youth Site provides resources for either 10 - 12 years old, or 13 years old plus

* Canada’s 40th Parliament in Crisis: What Happened, What’s Next? [podcast] On January 22, 2009 over 100 people gathered at the University of Alberta to attend a panel discussion that addressed the recent political and constitutional turmoil in the House of Commons. Presented by the Centre for Constitutional Studies, the Legal Resource Centre of Alberta, the Department of Political Science, and the Department of History & Classics, the discussion was recorded as a podcast.

* Tug of War: A Judge's Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles, and the Bitter Realities of Family Court by Harvey Brownstone, ECW Press, 2009
Written by a sitting Ontario family court judge in layman’s language, this book demystifies complex family law concepts and procedures, clearly explains how family court works, and gives parents essential alternatives to resolve their own custody battles and keep their kids out of the often damaging court system. (publisher's blurb)

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-03-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

* Updated editions of free titles of public legal information

BC Civil Liberties:
- The Arrest Handbook: A Guide to Your Rights Revised 2008
- The Citizenship Handbook: A Guide to Democratic Rights and Responsibilities Revised 2008

Legal Services Society:
- Living Together or Living Apart: Common-Law Relationships, Marriage, Separation, and Divorce 2nd edition, 2008
- Your Welfare Rights: A User’s Guide to BC Employment and Assistance - 2008 update insert to 19th revised edition, 2008

People's Law School:
- Child's Right to Love: Information for Grand parents, Relatives, and Others Close to the Child 3rd edition, 2008
- Learning About the Law 10th edition, 2008
- Working in BC: Your Legal Rights & Responsibilities 5th edition, 2009

* Other reading about legal information and the legal profession

- Pathways to Justice: The Role of Non-Legal Services Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales [Justice Issues Paper 1] June 2007, is part of a series of research papers on Access to Justice and Legal Needs.

- The New Lawyer: How Settlement is Transforming the Practice of Law , by Julie Macfarlane, UBC Press, 2008. Macfarlane contrasts the traditional "zealous advocate" role of the lawyer with an alternative dispute resolution function, explaining that new lawyers may choose either role, or a mix of the two. She outlines how this relates to issues such as the lawyer-client relationship, the role of the law, and legal negotiation norms. [as noted in Courthouse Libraries BC What's New feature Feb. 18, 2009]

- Why Attacks on Judges Deserve More Attention Letter written by Miriam Maisonville, President of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch, in response to a CTV news story about Judge Ellen Gordon. February 23, 2009.

* New Service:
Court Services Online now provides Electronic Filing of Civil Court Documents for registered users to submit electronic court documents on civil cases to BC courts, for a $7 fee. Court Services Online also offers: daily court lists; e-search of civil cases court records; view/print documents; purchase of documents online; and filing assistant. Tutorials are available on the site to explain how the services work.

LawMatters Project News

2009-03-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

* 160 BC public libraries were sent surveys in January regarding legal reference questions. We had a high rate of return on the survey, and we are eagerly anticipating the report of the survey results soon. The report will be used as a benchmark to compare to another survey in 2010, so we can compare levels of legal reference use by the public. In appreciation, we drew the names of 7 participating libraries to receive $100 Amazon.ca gift certificates, and the lucky winners were: Blue River [Thompson Nicola Regional District], Campbell River [Vancouver Island Regional Library], Hastings Branch [Vancouver Public Library], Kerrisdale Branch [Vancouver Public Library], Misson [Fraser Valley Regional Library], Parkgate Branch [North Vancouver District Public Library] and Oyama [Okanagan Regional Library] .

* The updated Law Books for Libraries: Recommended Titles for Public Libraries 2009 list is now available at the LawMatters site, and libraries should receive their 2009 grant letters this week. An updated order form for Free Titles for Libraries is also available on the site.

Events and Announcements

2009-02-26T10:07:00.001-08:00

* The Law Courts Education Society is hosting Justice in Our Times - a lecture series focused on highlighting important, current justice issues. The opening event is Aboriginal Justice in Our Times on March 3rd, 2009, 2:30pm to 4:30pm. A panel of notable speakers will use moderated discussion and audience questions to exchange thought-provoking ideas and opinions on legal issues facing the Aboriginal community. A live broadcast will be available on the internet at Justice in Our Times on March 3rd.

* Law Week 2009 takes place from April 16-26 this year with events planned across the province, including the official launch of the LawMatters at your local public library project. The theme of Law Week 2009 is Access to Justice: Public Confidence in the Justice System. From Fort St. John's to Maple Ridge, communities across the province are hosting “Law Days” and providing British Columbians with the opportunity to learn about the law, the legal profession and some of the legal institutions that form the cornerstones of our Canadian democracy.

* Online seminars on copyright law are available from Copyrightlaws.com at a discounted rate for BC Library Association members. To benefit from this discount, email: contact@copyrightlaws.com for the BCLA registration form. The following courses are being offered: Feb 23 - March 20: Developing a Copyright Policy; April 20 - May 2: (1) Copyright Education: Demystifying Copyright in your Enterprise (2) Digital Content Management and (3) Copyright Law for Canadian Librarians. The syllabi for these courses are at copyrightlaws.com .

* Telephone service at Legal Services Society – Update February 20, 2009
LSS has announced improvements in the telephone service for callers seeking legal information, advice or needing to apply for legal representation (Legal Aid applications and LawLINE). Callers now listen to fewer recorded messages and waiting times for callers have improved significantly since October. The average wait time for callers is now 6 minutes 53 seconds, but callers during peak periods may wait as long as 35 minutes. Callers should phone before 11 or after 2 if they can and use a regular phone if possible to avoid the expense of a long cell phone call.
The number for the telephone services remains the same: Vancouver and area: (604) 408-2172 Toll Free: 1-866-577-2525.

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

* The Role of the Coroner in BC is available in English, Chinese, French and Punjabi from the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General's publications page (scroll down to Coroner's Role) [2pp pdf] March 2008

* Crystal Meth: Quick Facts is available from the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General's Crystal Meth Secretariat [2pp pdf] February 2007

* The Role and Impact of Librarians in the History and Development of Public Legal Education (PLE) in Canada by Kirsten Wurmann, is a literature review and annotated bibliography published by the Legal Resource Centre of Alberta. The paper may be downloaded from their research page (scroll down to #2 on the list) [37pp pdf] May 2008

* BC lawyer blogs:

Rights & Remedies - "Articles, resources and support for enforcing your legal rights and remedies when you can't afford a lawyer" by Shannon Salter.
Current article: Can you be arrested and charged for possession of marijuana?
Also see: Pardon Me? Why you don't need a lawyer to discharge your criminal record

JP Boyd's BC Family Law Resource Blog
Current article: New Random Answers to Random Search Terms (questions on adultery)

Legal Services Society's LawLine Blog
Current article: Common-Law Relationships and Separation
Also see Shoplifting And Scary Notices and LawLine FAQ's

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-02-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

* Artists' Legal Outreach Program provides artists, arts administrators and arts organizations in all disciplines with access to resources and experienced lawyers to address arts-related legal issues

* VictimsInfo.ca: An Online Resource for Victims & Witnesses of Crime in BC Includes information on reporting a crime, police investigation, preparing for trial and what happens after sentencing.

* New on the Family Law in BC (Legal Services Society) website: multilingual resources are now listed.

* Update to Legal Services Society's When I'm 64: A Guide to Benefits and Services for People Aged 60 and Over. Read a description in the legal aid newsletter Elan or read the update and 2006 title at the publications page [8pp update plus 105pp] November 2008

* Community Crime Prevention Guide contains information about crime prevention and reduction strategies, and advice on developing community crime prevention action plans [36 pp PDF] 2008

Training Opportunities in Legal Information

2009-01-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

The following courses in legal information are available for all staff who work in public or Aboriginal libraries in BC, through the BC Public Library Services Branch :

*2 hour webinar on QP LegalEze Feb. 23, Mar. 11
*1.5 hour webinar on Family Law in BC Feb. 24th, Mar. 25th

You can register here for these webinars.

We expect to offer the 8 week online course Introduction to Legal Information Sources as part of the Community Librarian Training Program in October 2009.

A series of in-house LawMatters workshops are just now being planned in various locations. Watch for a workshop titled Legal Jeopardy for Librarians: Using Clicklaw and LawMatters to Answer Legal Reference Questions at the BCLA conference in April, and possibly the Beyond Hope conference in Prince George in June. Come test your knowledge of legal information sources in a game show format!

Some Q & A's on the new BC Laws website

2009-01-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

We received some questions from a public librarian about the new BC Laws website, and decided to share the answers from a Courthouse Libraries BC reference librarian.

Q: BC Laws vs QP LegalEze . They both seem to be up-to-date. Is there any advantage in staff using QP LegalEze over BC Laws?

A: QP LegalEze has the better search engine (this is the big advantage). BC Laws only has a current consolidation of the statutes & regulations, so does not provide older consolidations, bills, hansard and tables of legislative changes. For a complete description of the differences, see #16 of BC Laws FAQ’s .

Q. Both QP LegalEze and BC Laws have the "unofficial" version of statutes. Does this still mean printouts would be inadmissable in court?

A. It depends. Currently, the Evidence Act states that copies must be made from the bound volumes, however a judge may accept a copy of a consolidated act from an electronic source in some circumstances. Since we don’t give legal opinions we can’t say for sure what is and what is not admissible in court. You can refer people to the Supreme Court Self-Help Centre website for information regarding preparing for court. The electronic version may become official eventually, but we cannot say when.

Q. What is the easiest way of tracing back legislation? We have some early annual volumes, then the looseleaf versions of 1960 and 1970 Revised Statutes of BC.

A. It depends on how far back you want to go; QP LegalEze has some old consolidations of acts [see the Table of Contents page]. The easiest thing to do is to simply look for a consolidation before the date you are interested in, and then check the next consolidation to see if there have been any changes. If the consolidation before the date and the consolidation after the date read the same then you know it hasn’t changed and you know how it read on the date you care about. I should warn you that when you are looking at the consolidations from 1991-1996, the acts from this time period may have a different title, and the section numbers may be different from a current act. For example: The current Local Government Act was known as the Municipal Act pre 1996.

If you have compared two consolidations and notice a change, you can try looking for the amendment if it was 1996 or later. For amendments before 1996 you need to refer to the bound annual volumes. As usual, you can call Courthouse Libraries BC for help (1-800-665-2570, or 604-660-2841 Lower Mainland).

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-01-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

* Service and Staff Changes at Legal Services Society press release January 13, 2009.

* Courts of BC explains the structure of the three Courts of British Columbia, and the types of cases that are heard.

* AdminLawBC.ca provides an introduction to administrative law, a directory of tribunals, a glossary, and links to educational speakers.

* Criminal Justice Reform displays links to Criminal Justice Reform updates and projects in BC.

* Information on Custody and Access for Women with Children [28 pp PDF] is now available in six more languages: Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese from YWCA Vancouver's page Information on Women Leaving Abuse . 2008.

* Protecting Retirement Savings from Seizure by Miriam Maisonville, President of the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch. November 25, 2008.

LawMatters Evaluation Reports

2009-01-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

"... the combination of “intimidating” (legal) materials and an unfamiliar form of access (i.e. computers and web-based materials), plus a difficult emotional situation (e.g. custody/divorce/access issues) made it very difficult for some patrons to effectively access web-based materials. "

The above quote is from a LawMatters report of a focus group of public librarians held November 21, 2008. The group provided valuable feedback and ideas for future LawMatters programs. We have also published summaries of training participant assessment forms on the LawMatters site [scroll down to Evaluation Reports], which include these comments about LawMatters workshops:

"Nice review of web resources, valuable handouts. Indicated where to start and to keep a broad framework in mind.

Search strategies – (It is) always good to get a reminder of how to approach reference questions. I don’t do this type of reference question often and the subject can seem overwhelming. Hints about where to start and how to break it down are useful."

New Legal Information Online Update

2009-01-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

* The new BC Laws site is now available. It provides free public access to the current laws of BC, as well as a glossary and FAQ's. However, it does not provide a table of legislative changes, and the search function is minimal, compared to the features of QP LegalEze [available from every public and courthouse library in BC]. BC Laws does provide a listing of unofficial current consolidation of BC Statutes and Regulations, and is updated as new and amended laws come into force.

* New editions and resources at People's Law School :
- Learning About the Law: British Columbia’s Laws and Legal System 10th ed.[54pp PDF] December 2008
- Abuse Of People With Disabilities 2nd ed. [8pp PDF] December 2008
- Abuse Of People With Disabilities For Service Providers 2nd ed.[8pp PDF]December 2008
- Animal Protection Law In BC in Chinese [8pp PDF] September 2008
- Animal Protection Law In BC in Punjabi [8pp PDF] September 2008
- Animal Protection Law In BC in Spanish [8pp PDF] September 2008

* Clearing the Path to Justice is a public forum occuring January 28 2009 featuring the Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Sponsored by the Law Society of BC, the forum is put on in partnership with the Western Canada Society to Access Justice, the Legal Services Society, SUCCESS and the CBC. Location is the Wosk Centre in Vancouver, and email registration is available through the forum web page above.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-12-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

* New on the Family Law in BC (Legal Services Society) website:
- a multimedia presentation, Choosing a court. The presentation includes an interactive video to match topics with the relevant court, as well as a video scenario, fact sheet, audio clip and a new Google map option to find local courthouses. December 2008
- extended and advanced search options have been added to the basic search . December 2008

* People's Law School has updated The Child's Right to Love: Information for grandparents, relatives, and others close to the child. 3rd ed. [28pp PDF] October 2008. It can be downloaded from their publications page.

* The Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre provides a Renters' rights pamphlet (Condensed Tenant Survival Guide). [2 pp PDF] The pamphlet is now available in Portugese, as well as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Spanish and English. The pamphlet and guide can be downloaded from their guide and factsheets page. The Centre also provides a Landlord Guide [13 pp PDF] in English, Chinese and Punjabi which can be downloaded from their publications page.

* Canadian Legal FAQs new FAQs:
- Coalition Government and Prorogation of Parliament Updated December 2008
- Travelling with Children September 2008

BC Study Reveals That Untreated Legal Problems Result In Increased Health and Social Costs

2008-12-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

Ian Mulgrew's December 15th column in the Vancouver Sun is titled Legal problems plaguing poor -- but those getting help are usually satisfied

The column reports on a poll commissioned by Legal Services Society that discovered "four of five poor British Columbians have wrestled with a serious, difficult-to-resolve legal problem during the last three years", and that "legal problems have a serious impact on a person's physical and emotional health which, in turn, has a significant impact on health care and social service programs."

The full poll report may be seen at the LSS Service and Program Evaluations page [scroll down to Legal Aid]. The report also lists key sources of non-legal and legal assistance. Unfortunately, public libraries were not listed as a category for non-legal assistance.

New Title Added to Legal Information Toolkits for Public Libraries

2008-12-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

A Separation and Divorce in BC Research Guide is now available for public libraries to use as a template for their own collections and local resources. The Guide lists titles in print format, as well as websites and resources for possible local phone numbers. We plan to have more legal research guide templates available, in a variety of subjects. Thank you to all the librarians who collaborated on the development of this new resource!

A previous toolkit title has been reformatted: Legal Information and Advice BC Toll Free Referral Phone Numbers is now organized by legal subject.

Feedback welcome, and samples of how you have adapted the research guide template also very welcome. Send to jfreeman@courthouselibrary.ca

Pro Bono Free Legal Clinics in BC

2008-11-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

**When groceries and rent are day-to-day concerns, hiring a lawyer is usually out of the question. Besides, many people aren't sure what their rights are or are intimidated by the legal system.

"Yet if their problems are unaddressed, they're going to have a lot of far more serious issues develop" **

The above excerpt is from a column by Ian Mulgrew in today's Vancouver Sun that describes the good work being done by Access Justice. The organization coordinates volunteer lawyers who help low income clients throughout the province with civil and family disputes, and points out that the need is growing because of the economic downturn.

Access Justice , the Pro Bono Law of BC , and the Salvation Army Pro Bono Program are all important referral resources for low income people to speak to a lawyer in person.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-11-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

* On November 24th, it was announced that as of January 1, 2009, an up-to-date unofficial consolidation of the British Columbia Statutes and Regulations will be available free of charge through the Queen's Printer website. The site will be at http://www.bclaws.ca/ [not yet available].

* Access Justice Fall 2008 newsletter announces the launch of a new free legal clinic at SUCCESS Coquitlam for the Korean community in metro Vancouver.

* New on the Family Law in BC (Legal Services Society) website:
- Fact Sheet for Common Law Relationships: Staying Out of Court discusses mediation and collaborative family law. November 2008
Two new frequently asked questions:
- Do I have to put the name of the other parent on my baby’s birth certificate registration? November 2008
- What is collaborative family law? November 2008

New look for Courthouse Libraries BC

2008-11-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

The former BC Courthouse Library Society has a new name and logo, see the changes here

A new beta library catalogue has been soft launched, with many new features such as a google-like single search box, and word cloud, which visually suggests search term suggestions with every search. Have a look! I tried it out with the terms 'child custody' and then 'landlord tenant'. Feedback on the new catalogue is welcome, so please send in your thoughts and ideas at the survey site.

New Resources and Titles

2008-10-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

* The People’s Court is a magazine article by Alex Hutchinson that examines a case for universal legal care in Canada. The article mentions the BC civil legal aid test case, the BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre and some of the BC Civil Justice Review recommendations. [3pp PDF] The Walrus, September 2008.

* The new Justice Access Centre (JAC) in Nanaimo opened on October 30, and will help people with legal issues such as separation or divorce, income security, employment, housing, or debt. The focus of the JAC is on solving problems through out-of-court settlements, but also to better prepare those who do go to court. Another JAC is expected to open in Vancouver soon.

* New on the Family Law in BC (Legal Services Society) website:
"How to Serve Documents Outside BC" in Farsi [7 pp PDF] October 2007
Aboriginal Child Protection Fact Sheets:
- Understanding Aboriginal Community and Parents' Rights [2 pp PDF] August 2008
- Understanding Court Orders and Hearings [2 pp PDF] August 2008
- Understanding Kith and Kin Care Agreements [2 pp PDF] August 2008

* A new website for the BC Law Institute includes the BC Law Reform Group , the Canadian Centre for Elder Law and the International Law Reform Group .

* Another redesigned website has been launched recently: the Community Legal Assistance Society now includes information on their programs such as the Community and Disability Law Programs , the Mental Health Law Program and the Human Rights Clinic .

New Publication on Custody and Access from YWCA Vancouver

2008-10-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

The YWCA web page Information for Women Leaving Abuse links to the new publication "Leaving an Abusive Relationship: Information on Custody and Access for Women with Children" [28pp PDF]. The guide will soon be available in seven languages: Korean, Mandarin, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Spanish and Farsi. Written in plain language, the guide offers information on legal processes and terminology, and gives women the tools to make the best possible choices for themselves and their children. July 2008.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-10-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

* Understanding Your New Home Sales Contract Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation
* Sample Renovation Contract Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation

* An Inside Look at Family Mediation is an 8½-minute video available from Legal Services Society's Family Law in BC website. The video is excerpted from a 2-DVD set created by the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia , September 2008.

* Employment Insurance (EI) Compassionate Care Benefits information and links page on Povnet website, October 2008.

* The Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) became law in December 2007, and should become available at financial institutions in late 2008. The RDSP is a new vehicle that will assist families in planning for the long-term financial security of relatives with disabilities. See the PLAN website for an RDSP calculator and telelearning seminar.
* The new RDSP: What you need to know is a useful article published by the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities, Fall 2008.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-09-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

* Engaging Immigrant Women in the Legal System by Parminder Nizher and Daniela Escolar, Battered Women's Support Services, Vancouver. August 2008

* Canada's First Community Court opens in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
News Release
Backgrounder
Tyee article Sept 5, 2008

* Seniors Housing Directory of BC Seniors Services Society, New Westminster. Directory can be searched by type of housing, and area. August 2008

* What happens next? Information for kids about separation and divorce [64 pp. PDF] Department of Justice, Government of Canada. May 2007

* What to Do If You Are Charged with a Drinking and Driving Offence Update [21 pp PDF] On July 2, 2008, new laws on impaired driving came into effect. Order the update from Legal Services Society publications . August 2008

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-09-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

* How to arrange for substituted service (how to serve documents when the other party is avoiding service or not available) Legal Services Society, Family Law in BC website, September 2008

* The Rise and Fall of Welfare Time Limits in BC (37 pp. PDF) by Bruce Wallace and Tim Richards. Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group , June 2008

* Low Cost and Free Legal Services Canadian Bar Association/BC Branch, Dial A Law script, updated April 2008

* Doing Legal Research in Canada by Ted Tjaden on LLRX website, updated April 4, 2008

* "How to Sue the Police and Private Security in Small Claims Court" (108 pp, PDF) by David Eby and Emily Rix, download at PIVOT Legal website, 2007

LawMatters Training Update

2008-08-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

LawMatters is offering training workshops in legal reference around the province: we have scheduled September 22 for the Thompson Nicola Regional District; October 2 for Okanagan Regional Library and Penticton Public Library; and the first week of December for the Fraser Valley Regional Library. We plan to visit the North East Library Federation and present a workshop in either October this year, or the following spring. As well, we hope to host one or two LawMatters sessions at the Vancouver Courthouse Library, for lower mainland public library staff.

We also offer a webinar on QP LegalEze and an eight week online course on legal information sources as part of the Public Library Services Branch training program, for staff who work in public or Aboriginal libraries in BC:

Webinars:
* QP LegalEze October 30 and November 19
* Family Law in BC website [presenter from Legal Services Society] check here in early September for dates.

Online Course:
The eight week CLTP course in Legal Information Sources [202c] will be offered again starting October 6, 2008, registration deadline September 8.<<

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-08-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

* Animal Protection Law In BC Discusses the responsibilities that come with owning or caring for animals, explains the laws that protect animals in BC and what happens when people break these laws. (16 pp, PDF) People's Law School, July 2008

* "How to serve documents and complete an Affidavit of Service for a BC Supreme Court family law process" for people who have to serve documents outside BC. (in Chinese, Tagalog , and Vietnamese). Legal Services Society, Family Law in BC. The website also provides a new database of multilingual publications, July 2008.

* The Internet has become indispensible to the legal world Column by Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun. Recommends a list of sites for research and general legal information. August 11, 2008

* Legal Aid Can Help 6th edition. Describes the legal aid services available to people with low incomes, and sets out who might be eligible for them (and how and where to apply). Demonstrates how legal aid can resolve common legal problems through fictional examples of common legal problems. (16 pp, PDF) Legal Services Society, April 2008

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-07-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

* Family Class Sponsorship: Defaulting on an Undertaking brochures available for download in English, Chinese, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Spanish and Persian. BC Ministry of Community Services, March 2007

* New Resource: Vancouver's Battered Women’s Support Services Legal Advocacy Resource Room for women preparing to represent themselves in court on family law matters.

* New fact sheets published by the Scow Institute of Aboriginal legal information:

- Aboriginal Courts in Canada (PDF 5pp) April 2008

- Aboriginal Peoples and Intellectual Property Rights (PDF 7pp) January 2008

- Comparative Governance Structures Among Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (PDF 6pp) January 2008

- Elderlaw: Relationships and Relevance to the Needs of Aboriginal Elders (PDF 4pp) January 2008

- Matrimonial Real Property on Reserve in Canada (PDF 5pp) March 2008

- Review of Changes to the Law Related to Forestry and Aboriginal Rights and Title Updates in the law 2005 - April 2008 (PDF 11pp) 2008

More on Self-Represented Litigants

2008-07-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island released a study in June 2008 titled A Study of Self Represented Litigants in the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island (pdf, 87 pages).

Although the sample size of self represented litigants [people going to court on their own] was small, their comments indicate the kinds of information that would help them. The following answers were in response to the question "What, if any, additional information would you have found useful to help you represent yourself?" [p.51]

* Access to cases of a similar nature.
* The main thing I needed help with was how a trial/hearing goes. The etiquette and format. For instance, I wanted to call a witness to support that my son had stayed with me for longer than stated by my ex. I didn’t know that she should not be in the court to hear other evidence.
* I would have liked help with the order of events in court. (e.g. opening and closing statements, cross examination etc.).
* A glossary of legal jargon utilized by the judge.
* Potential outcomes in the case.
* How to proceed when a party misrepresents the truth under oath.
* Outline of court procedure.
* I needed to know more about the consequences of not going to court. Now I feel that I should have gone even though everyone advised me not to go.
* More on actual procedures and how to word applications, motions and variations.

There are resources in BC than can help with these questions, such as the LawMatters list of recommended titles for public libraries, the Electronic Law Library , the Courthouse Library , the BC Supreme Court Self-Help Information Centre , Lawyer Referral Service and Supreme Court Duty Counsel.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-07-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

* "Voices from the Field" Needs Mapping - Self-help Services in Rural and Remote Communities Final Report (pdf, 110 pages) Gayla Reid and John Malcolmson. Released by the Law Courts Education Society on July 2, this report summarizes the ideas of many community members, including public librarians. The report also makes recommendations for self-help services that will assist rural and remote users to resolve their civil and family justice issues.

* Video Tutorials provided by the BC Courthouse Library Society. Six short videos assist viewers with Researching Legislation and Finding Precedents.

* Pivot Legal Tenant's Rights Card for Vancouver's Downtown Eastside residents.

* Legal Services Society's LawLine Frequently Asked Questions ; also see useful information about LawLine .

* Courts of BC: Your Guide to the BC Court System provides a Teacher's Guide, Student Handouts and a Glossary .

* Small Claims Court of BC has a new website with a short video, links to forms and glossary.

* A Layman's Guide to ICBC Part 7 Benefits. Provided by the firm of Murphy Battista, this guide outlines the process to apply for car accident benefits and the type and amount of benefits available to an injured person and/or to the family of an accident victim.

Do-It-Yourself Law

2008-07-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Libraries may be experiencing more and more patrons requesting legal information to help them prepare for their court case. The June 2008 issue of the Canadian Bar Association's National magazine features an article titled "A Nightmare in Family Court" which discusses the issue of people who choose to represent themselves in family court matters. A section titled "Do-it-yourself law" states:

“There is a not insignificant group that simply doesn’t want to have a lawyer represent them and choose to make their own case,” says Robyn Elliott, a partner with MacDonald Elliott Legal Services in Halifax and chair of the CBA’s National Family Law Section. “These people feel very comfortable getting legal information from the Internet, including websites such as that run by the Department of Justice.” Elliott says that “individuals today generally feel more empowered and have more ability to do research. A surprising number of people arriving at my office already have researched and printed out the tables for child support.”

The article points out that approximately 60% of access and custody cases at the Ontario Court of Justice are started by people without a lawyer. However, this does not mention whether these people were able to use some brief legal advice from a service such as family duty counsel, pro bono free clinics or, in some provinces, a legal advice phone service such as BC's LawLine.

Sample Family Law Titles

2008-07-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

A public librarian recently asked about the contents of some of the family law titles on the recommended titles list for medium size libraries in Law Books for Libraries. The following annotations may prove useful, and sample questions are given to illustrate how you could use each title to find some helpful information:

Annotated Family Practice 2007-2008 published by Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
For patrons who cannot find their family law question in any of the Self Counsel Press titles, the Annotated Family Practice contains easy to understand annotations of the relevant family law statutes, rules and regulations, and can be useful to find family law cases.

Sample question: I’m asking for an interim custody order, and I’ve heard that the court often considers something called ‘status quo’. Where could I look up what that means?

British Columbia Family Practice Manual published by CLE
For more in depth procedural information, you can direct a patron to this title, which helps the lay litigant understand the processes involved in building and conducting a family law case and finding applicable cases. It contains forms, precedents, and checklists, and covers divorce, custody, access, guardianship, support, child protection and adoption.

Sample question: I think my ex-husband’s income has increased substantially since our child support order was put in place several years ago. What are some ways his income and assets could be traced?

Desk Order Divorce published by CLE
This title is an excellent step-by-step ‘hand-holding’ guide for patrons who are seeking an uncontested divorce, where the other party is in agreement. It is written for legal support staff, and includes annotated forms, precedents and relevant legislation.

Sample question: Is there something that could show me how to say on my divorce application that our marriage has ended because of admitted adultery?

Cohabitation: The Law In Canada published by Thomson Carswell
This guide for the legal aspects of living common-law is written for practicing lawyers in family law but is easy to read. It covers property rights, support, death, cohabitation agreements, children, pensions, tax, and same-sex cohabitation.

Sample question: I’m researching the history of same sex law in Canada, and looking for a BC case involving the disputed settling of an estate after one of the same sex common law partners died. Where could I find that case?

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-06-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

* Law Courts Education Society of BC. What is Cyberbullying? March 2008

* The B.C. Student Assistance Program is now StudentAid BC . The forms page includes Chinese and Punjabi translations of What is Student Aid?

* New on the Family Law in BC website:
One new fact sheet: Family Case Conference checklist

One new Who can help? page: Representative for Children and Youth

Three new PDF self help guides:
How to serve documents and complete an Affidavit of Service for a BC (Canada) Supreme Court family law process (in English, Punjabi, and Spanish) for people who have to serve documents outside BC.

Three new English transcripts of family law videos :
one for Ruptura del Contrato de Esponsoramiento (Sponsorship Breakdown — Spanish)
one for (Haga Su Propio Divorcio Do Your Own Divorce — Spanish)
one for Solicitudes Internas de Esponsoramiento (Inland Sponsoring Applications — Spanish)

Legal Empowerment of the Poor Report

2008-06-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Making the Law Work for Everyone, Volume I (PDF) , was released on June 3rd,2008 by The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor. The Commission is the first global initiative to focus specifically on the link between exclusion, poverty and law.

Chapter 1, Access to Justice and the Rule of Law (PDF), is the outcome of the working group chaired by Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada and currently President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg. The following is an excerpt from a discussion of legal information and education on pages 18 - 22:

"For a person with limited resources trying to get access to justice, the first (and sometimes the only) option is to decide what she can do herself. Her time may be less scarce than money. If she can find ways to solve the problem without paying legal fees that is what she will tend to prefer. So a first strategy for legal empowerment may be to enhance the possibilities for self-help in the area of access to justice. ... There is a certain tendency to equate access to justice with access to legal services, assuming that the only road to justice leads through lawyers and courts. This is rapidly changing, however, now that even the Western world discovers that many people appear in courts without legal representation and that information about legal rights and dispute resolution is an essential tool for empowerment, as well as for prevention of social strife. [pp.18 - 19.]"

Appreciations for LawMatters Project

2008-06-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

We have received a number of letters of appreciation for the project, and the following is a nice representation:

* On behalf of the Okanagan Regional Library Board and staff, I would like to thank you and the Law Foundation of British Columbia for funding the LawMatters project. Not only is the grant a wonderful thing, but we are also thankful for the staff educational courses that are a part of your overall plan.
As a regional library, we cover 23,000 square miles in the southern interior of the province. We have many small rural branches, and it can be a challenge to keep the legal collections up to date. Some of the materials ordered have already started to arrive, and they will soon be available in our branches. I know that library users in our 29 communities will use the collection a great deal.

Ted Bacigalupo, Chair
Okanagan Regional Library Board

* We wish to thank you for your talk on May 21st at New Pathways to Government and Legal Information, the workshop sponsored by the British Columbia Library Association Information Policy Committee.
We have had many positive comments from participants about how much we appreciate that the BC Courthouse Library has stepped up to the plate to initiate the LawMatters project, building on the work begun by Legal Services Society. We predict that there will be strong support from librarians at both public and academic libraries. Our experience is that people needing legal information are often under great stress, so we want to make their research experience successful. At the same time we recognize that not everyone can be a specialist in finding legal information and it is a great boon to be able to use the expertise of the BC Courthouse librarians.

Carla Graebner
Percilla Groves
for the BCLA Information Policy Committee

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-05-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

* PovNet is an online resource for advocates, people on welfare, and community groups involved in anti-poverty work. Their home page has recently been redesigned to highlight the most popular key issues of their readers, such as Applications and Forms and Find an Advocate .

* Legal Services Society provides legal aid in BC, and has also redesigned their website. One new feature is a page for community worker resources, with a link to LSS workshops and conferences.

* Planned Lifetime Advocacy (PLAN) is a not-for-profit charity created by and for families who have a relative with a disability. Their goal is "to ensure a safe and secure future for your relative with a disability and, in the process, to provide you and your loved ones with peace of mind." PLAN now offers two online workshops : Wills, Trusts and Estates Online, and Home is Where the Heart is, which explores the different home options available for a relative with a disability.

Two new resources featured on the BC Courthouse Library website's What's New section:

* The Canadian Human Rights Commission has published a list of questions and answers about section 13 (communication of hate messages by phone or Internet) of the Canadian Human Rights Act.

* The Law Society of BC has released two new Task Force Reports:
- Report of The Family Law Task Force (PDF, 25 pages). The Task Force proposed that a best practices guideline for professionalism in family law should be created.

- Report of the Unbundling of Legal Services Task Force (PDF, 51 pages). "Unbundling" refers to a situation where a lawyer provides limited scope services to a client, such as help with drafting documents, coaching or limited court appearance, rather than full representation. Unbundling of legal services can be a way for many people who represent themselves in court to get legal advice.

New Items on LawMatters Page

2008-05-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Two new items have been added to the LawMatters website:

* An update of Law Books for Libraries List of Recommended Titles, May 2008. Thirteen additional titles have been added to the core list of legal information titles for public libraries.

* A Brief Guide to Finding Court Documents has been added to the Legal Information Toolkits for Public Libraries. It gives sample questions library patrons might ask, possible responses, and tips for searching court documents.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-05-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

* BC Ministry of Attorney General, Family Justice Services. Parenting After Separation: For Your Child's Future. 2007.

* The Scow Institute recent additons of Aboriginal legal information: Five new research papers and fact sheets , April 2008.
• Comparative Governance Structures Among Aboriginal Peoples in Canada
• Elderlaw: Relationship and Relevance to the Needs of Aboriginal Elders
• Matrimonial Property on Reserve in Canada
• Intellectual Property and Aboriginal Peoples: Conflict or Compromise?
• Aboriginal Courts in Canada

Citizen’s Advice Bureaux in New Zealand

2008-04-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Shelley Brown, Reference Librarian of New Westminster Public Library:

"Hi Janet,

I was looking at older postings on the LawMatters Blog and I saw your mention of the Legal Information Access Centre in NSW, Aus. I was wondering if you were familiar with the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux in New Zealand? Often they’re housed in libraries and are a very useful way of making legal information available to the public.
Hope this information is useful!

Cheers,
Shelley "

Apparently the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux are run mostly with volunteers, and are an independent social service with a variety of funders, and use a similar model to those in England and Australia. They seem to be a good way to get legal information out to rural as well as urban centres. Thanks for the reference, Shelley!

Law Week Events Across BC

2008-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Law Week is April 14 - 20 this year, and events will be held across British Columbia in Fort St John, Kamloops, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Port Coquitlam, Vancouver and Victoria.

Surrey Public Library is hosting a series of workshops in partnership with People's Law School, on the topics of Wills and Estates , and Landlord & Tenant Law with a speaker from the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre.

Training Opportunities in Legal Information Update

2008-04-07T15:57:00.001-07:00

* LawMatters workshops will be offered at the BCLA conference April 19, as well as at the North Coast Library Federation May 2, and the Kootenay Library Federation June 12. Previous workshops were held in Nanaimo February 19 and Surrey March 5, and more workshops will be scheduled later in the year. The workshops are adaptable for each audience and topics include an overview of the LawMatters project; how to respond to a legal reference question; and how to use legal reference tools, including in-print and online legal information sources. If you are interested in a workshop for public library staff in your area, please contact janet.freeman@bccls.bc.ca .

* The following courses in legal information are available for staff who work in public or Aboriginal libraries in BC, and offered through the Public Library Services Branch:

Webinars:
QP LegalEze May 13 and June 9
Family Law in BC website May 14 and June 11 [presenter from the Legal Services Society]
Residential Tenancy Law May 26 and June 5 [presenter from the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre]

Online Course:
The eight week CLTP course in Legal Information Sources [202c]http://www.bcpl.gov.bc.ca/lsb/cltp/courses.html#202b will be offered again starting Oct 6, 2008

Legal Information Survey - with prizes!

2008-04-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

A project is now underway to build a portal website that provides one-stop access to legal education and information aimed at British Columbians. The PLEI Portal project aims to develop a site that would be a valuable tool for community workers, advocates, librarians and others working with members of the public seeking legal information and help. The project is the next generation of two websites currently used by those assisting the public with legal problems: LawLINK and the Electronic Law Library. If you have ever used either of these sites, it would be invaluable to hear your feedback via a survey that can be accessed through the project website: http://www.pleiportal.org/2008/02/25/surveying-users/.

By completing the survey, you will be entered in a draw to win one of three iPod shuffles! The draw for the first iPod shuffle takes place on Tuesday, April 15. The survey takes less than ten minutes to complete.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-04-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

BC Government Agents offices are now known as Service BC Centres. Their website lists 59 centres, and clicking on an individual office will give you a list of services available, as well as a list of statutory appointments, contact information and office hours. Service BC provides an index and links to all the services.

Updated publications from Legal Services Society: Benefits, Services, and Resources for Aboriginal Peoples, 3rd ed., October 2007; Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance, 20th ed., 2008; For Your Protection: Peace Bonds and Restraining Orders, 2nd ed., December 2007.

An example of interesting public legal information is Artists in the Black Legal Information Comics. As part of the ongoing education program of its Artists in the Black project, the Arts Law Centre of Australia has created a series of comics to address the following legal issues, relating to Indigenous artists and comunities. Topics include Contracts, Copyright, Indigenous Cultural & Intellectual Property, and Moral Rights.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-03-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

1. Report from Pivot Legal released February 20: Broken Promises - Parents Speak about B.C.’s Child Welfare System .

2. Access Justice Winter Newsletter 2008 (click on pdf link) page 3: "Q & A about Access Justice Clients".

3. Family Law in BC new video clip: "Choosing a Court" and seven new fact sheets: "Can you get custody of your younger brother or sister?" "If your parents separate, can you decide which parent you want to live with?" "Family Case Conferences in Provincial Court" "Can you sue your parents for support?" "Costs" "Do you need your parents' permission to see a doctor?" "When does child support end?"

Law Books for Libraries

2008-03-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

The LawMatters pilot project of 2007 worked with a core list of titles for the pilot libraries. That list has been updated and is now called Law Books for Libraries: Recommended Titles for Public Libraries, and is divided into an Essential List as well as a Small Library and Medium-size Library collection. The lists of titles were compiled through a consultative process with librarians from Surrey, Squamish, Vancouver Island, and Vancouver public libraries, as well as BC courthouse librarians. To view the list go to Lawmatters and scroll down to Law Books for Libraries.

Promotion of Legal Materials in Libraries: Law Week 2008 and People's Law School Speakers Program

2008-02-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Libraries wishing to promote their legal collections through collaboration with other legal services in their community can contact the following organizations regarding local events:

* Law Week April 14 - 20, 2008, organized by the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch. Several communities throughout BC organize events such as free law classes, open houses and citizenship court. For information on law week events around the province, call Nadine Penner at CBA/BC: 1-888-687-3404 or 604-646-7868,local 328 in the Lower Mainland.

* People's Law School Speakers Program offers qualified volunteer speakers to community groups in BC. Sample legal topics include Employment Standards, ICBC and Personal Injury Claims, Landlord and Tenant Law, Power of Attorney & Other Options, Scams to Avoid, Separation and Divorce, Starting a Small Business, Volunteers and the Law, Wills & Estates.

Legal Research Guides at Vancouver Public Library

2008-02-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

Vancouver Public Library has many research guides , including these legal topics:

* BC Politics

* First Nations Land Claims and Treaties in British Columbia

* Human Rights

* Immigrating to Canada

* Nonprofit Survival Kit Series - Part 1 : Establishment & Management

* Patents

Online Legal Databases in BC Public Libraries

2008-02-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

All BC public libraries now have online access to QP LegalEze , BC Vehicle Safety and Inspection Standards , and BC Codes 2006 , which includes the BC Fire Code, BC Building Code and BC Plumbing Services (Part 7 of the BC Building Code). Licensing agreement for these databases is provided through the Public Library Services Branch , and designed for "in library" use only; no remote access.

New Legal Information Online Update

2008-01-31T14:49:00.000-08:00

1. Law Courts Education Society Guides and Tipsheets for Self-Representing Litigants in Supreme Court:
*Expedited Litigation in Supreme Court – Rule 68 (updated
January 2008)
*How to prepare your civil case tip sheet
*How to behave in civil court tip sheet
*How to take notes during your civil trial tip sheet
*Taking Your Case to the Supreme Court of BC - in Cantonese
The complete list of 17 Guidebooks for Representing Yourself In Supreme Court is also available.

2. Legal Services Society Family Law in BC:
*Getting legal aid if your children are (or may be) taken away

3. BC Courthouse Library Society:
*PLEI Portal Special Project

The Myth of the Google Generation

2008-01-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

For a good summary of recent research titled "Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future", see my colleague Drew Jackson's blog PLEI Portal Project titled "Designing with the end user in mind".

Recent Titles of Online Legal Information (Janet's picks)

2008-01-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

* Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch. Dial-A-Law Script #430: Low Cost and Free Legal Services

* Changing Together... A Centre for Immigrant Women and Legal Resource Centre of Alberta: Canadian Law and Modern Day Foreign Brides

* Legal Services Society of BC. Family Law in BC: Benefits For Grandparents And Other Relatives Raising Children

* Legal Services Society of BC. Legal Aid Public Service Announcement: Legal Talk (.wmv file)

* Legal Services Society of BC. LawLine Journal: Shoplifting And Scary Notices

* Western Canada Society to Access Justice. Picture Story: Falsely Acused!

Legal Information Toolkits for Public Libraries

2008-01-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

The first guide for public library staff is a list containing toll-free phone numbers and web sites for many legal information and advice services in BC. The list is published on the LawMatters website. Future plans include a plain language guide to legal research, and a handout explaining the difference between legal information and legal advice.

Training Opportunities in Legal Information

2008-01-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

The following courses in legal information are available for staff who work in public or Aboriginal libraries in BC:

- Free webinars offered through the Public Library Services Branch:
*1 hour webinar on BC Codes (Building, Fire) Jan. 28, Feb. 7
*1.5 hour webinar on Family Law in BC Jan. 23rd, Feb. 20th, Mar. 19th
*2 hour webinar on QP LegalEze Jan. 16, Feb. 13, Mar. 12
You can register here for these webinars.

- Introduction to Legal Information Sources is an online Community Librarian Training Program course, also offered through the Public Library Services Branch. The Jan. - Feb. class is now full, and the course will be offered again in September 2008.

- There will be a series of LawMatters workshops available at a number of libraries and regional systems throughout 2008. Plans are under way for workshops with the Kootenay Library Federation, the North Central Library Federation, the North Coast Library Federation, as well as at the BCLA spring conference.

Elan: Electronic Legal Aid Newsletter for Community Workers

2007-11-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

Legal Services Society of BC issues a bi-monthly subscription newsletter called Elan [look for it in the right hand column of their home page ]. The current issue lists articles on the following topics:

Threatening "demand letters" from Ontario
Sponsors expected to pay family members' expenses
Report recommends improved legal aid services for Aboriginal people
Featured resource: Tenant Resource and Advocacy Centre

Plus a link to an amusing public service announcement.

Legal Information Access Centre in New South Wales

2007-11-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

I've been researching the topic of programs that help public libraries enhance their legal information collections, and have not found many ongoing programs in North America. There are several law libraries that provide bibliographies of recommended materials, such as the Minnesota Association of Law Libraries and the Utah State Law Library .

The most comprehensive program I've found is the Legal Information Access Centre in New South Wales (LIAC), which opened in 1990. Interestingly, this program was modelled after the Legal Services Society of BC Legal Resource Centre, which was cut in 2002 due to funding cutbacks. The LIAC site contains many useful ideas we might consider for the LawMatters project, such as the regular publication Hot Topics ; legal issues in plain language, and the coordinated pamphlet racks of legal information.

LawMatters Website Now Up

2007-11-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

LawMatters now has a website and a domain: www.bclawmatters.ca The actual URL will show the address as part of the BCCLS website Special Projects section, but both addresses will take you to the site. We have included the 3 page backgrounder to the project, as well as the Core List of Recommended Materials in Excel format. Suggestions are welcome regarding how to develop the site. Some possibilities are: highlighting of new titles and legislation; recommended weeding lists; sample legal questions and answers; templates for legal reference topic guides and training workshops.

Public Library Toolkit (US)

2007-10-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

We are looking at different ways to assist public librarians, such as providing templates for research guides on current law, and toolkits similar to this Public Library Toolkit from the American Association of Law Libraries, and this Mini Research Guide from the Council of California County Law Librarians. Comments welcome!