Articles
Did you lend your boat to someone and it was seized by Fisheries Officers when in the possession of the individual you lent it to?
Perhaps you own a boat and you lent it to someone who then went out and used it for some illegal fishing activities. As a result of their actions your boat has been seized by Fisheries Officers and may be subject to forfeiture. This may not mean the boat is lost to...
Have you recently purchased a boat and does it already have or need a Pleasure Craft License?
Every boat that is used as a pleasure craft must have a Pleasure Craft License unless it is using a motor of less than 10 horsepower or has a vessel registration. Most boats are purchased with a trailer. Often individuals purchase a boat and trailer together and...
211 Reports
– By Marlise Foster, Legal Assistant Section 211 Reports Anyone sitting in family chambers will hear the term "211 report" referred to frequently by counsel and judges. While it's easy to access section 211 of the Family Law Act to see the legal requirements for the...
Can I Propose a Separation Agreement and Still File a Claim in Provincial or Supreme Court?
– By Ira Tee, Associate Lawyer Attempting to settle all legal issues from the breakdown of a relationship out of court can be a difficult thing to do, especially when parties do not often see eye-to-eye. Proposing a settlement in the form a separation agreement before...
Can I Have Family Law Proceedings in Both Provincial and Supreme Court?
– By Ira Tee, Associate Lawyer In the stress of separation, sometimes both spouses will simultaneously file claims in both Provincial and Supreme Court without the other spouse knowing. For example, one spouse will file in Supreme Court and the other will file in...
Can I Purchase New Property While Going Through A Divorce?
– By Ira Tee, Associate Lawyer After separating, oftentimes one spouse will leave the former family residence and will live elsewhere. Sometimes, by the time it takes for a family matter to get through the courts, that spouse will have purchased a new house before a...
What Else is There to Do After I Get a Judgment?
– By Ira Tee, Associate Lawyer Clients often wonder why lawyers are still working on a file even after judgment has been pronounced. It's case over, isn't it? The truth is that while obtaining a judgment from the court may seem like the end of a case and no further...
Financial Statements 101
- By Marlise Foster, Legal Assistant Why is it so importantLawyers are often asked why a Financial Statement needs to be completed. The short answer is that it is required to be completed under the Supreme Court Family Rules as part of almost every family law case....
Alternative Ways of Resolving Disputes during COVID-19
- By On March 19, 2020, the Provincial and Supreme Court of BC have suspended all regular operations, with the exception of certain urgent small claims, family and criminal matters. The Court of Appeal similarly suspended all matters on March 18, 2020. Updated notices...
Retroactive Child Support – Michel v. Graydon, 2020 SCC 24
– By Ira Tee, Associate Lawyer Applications for retroactive child support under the Divorce Act cannot be granted unless the child beneficiary is a “child of the marriage” as defined in the Divorce Act when the application is made. This was set out in D.B.S. v....
BC No Fault Insurance: Is It All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
- By Par Sandhu, Paralegal In February of 2020 the BC Government announced plans to transition to a no fault auto insurance system. The goal of the new system is to reduce the inflated costs for ICBC, and according to Attorney General's David Eby, reduce costs to the...
Parenting Time During Covid
- By Jessica Morneau, Lawyer During this global health crisis, many of our clients are rightly concerned about the health of their children. They are coming to us with concerns regarding co-parenting arrangements and the potential impact of COVID-19 and want to...
Lost Your Job Due To Covid19? Looking To Change Child Support?
- By Par Sandhu, Paralegal During these unprecedented times, many parents have lost their jobs, experienced a decrease in earnings, or had their childcare cancelled. Further complicating matters, British Columbia courts have suspended all non-emergency sittings. So...
Selling, Purchasing, or Refinancing a Home During COVID-19
- By Paul Sekhon, Associate Lawyer A crucial part of selling, purchasing or refinancing property requires a Lawyer to meet in person with clients to verify their identities and witness the signing Land Title Survey Authority documents. During the COVID-19 pandemic,...
Accidents at School and Suing a School
By: Shanna Gill, Paralegal Many B.C. children require medical attention year round following incidents and accidents at school. These incidents and accidents can be during classroom activities, recess/lunch breaks or during field trips where a fun and exciting...
Wills & Estates
- By Marlise Foster, Legal Assistant Surveys suggests that only about 55% of residents in British Columbia (BC) have a legally valid, up to date, and signed will. In other words, about 45% of people in BC will not have a say in how their estate is distributed after...
BC Supreme Court to Resume Some Regular Court Operations
- By Shreya Bose, Associate Lawyer Criminal Matters In a Notice published on May 14, 2020, the BC Supreme Court has advised that they will resume some regular court operations with regard to Criminal matters. The court has directed that unless the court otherwise...
Uncontested vs. Contested Divorce
- By Marlise Foster, Legal Assistant When we hear the word divorce, many people immediately would think of a long, bitter and emotional battle between two parties. This is not always true. There are many instances where parties are able to part amicably. Legal...
Tips for Dealing With High Conflict Co-Parenting
- By Par Sandhu, Paralegal Typically, having a child with another person means that you will have a relationship with that person for the rest of your life. In some cases, this relationship can be very strained as you may be facing a high conflict parenting...
Supreme Court of Canada to Begin Virtual Hearings in June 2020
- By Shreya Bose, Associate Lawyer On March 16, 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada that all hearings scheduled for the months of March, April and May were adjourned in light of the health concerns around COVID-19. On April 29, 2020, the Supreme Court announced that...
