Written by Calvin Ediger Recently the Canadian Bar Association released a report on the impact of COVID-19 on the legal profession in Canada. In general, the report found that the effect of the pandemic was to accelerate the adoption of technology in the legal field, while not necessarily considering the risks and drawbacks that came […]
News: Canadian Bar Association Report on the Impact of COVID-19 Read More »
Written by Calvin Ediger On January 18th, 2022 Statistics Canada released an article in its Juristat publication entitled Experiences of Serious Problems or Disputes in the Canadian Provinces. The article briefly summarizes the findings of the 2021 Canadian Legal Problems Survey which asked respondents if they had experienced a serious legal problem over the preceding three years. The survey’s purpose
Statistics Canada Releases Results of Legal issues Survey Read More »
By Darcia Senft The Law Society of Manitoba is pleased to announce that it is launching its “Regulatory Sandbox” pilot project. The objective of our Sandbox initiative is to improve access to justice by improving access to legal advice and assistance. Individuals, business and organizations with an interest in providing legal services that assist those
The Law Society of Manitoba’s New Access to Justice Initiative Read More »
By Eric Epp Recently, in Anderson v Alberta, the Supreme Court refined the test for impecuniosity when determining whether to award advance costs in litigation pursued in the public interest. This is to be given special consideration when it involves First Nations claims in order to pursue reconciliation. The new test allows for impecuniosity to be
By Calvin Ediger Legal clinics provide an important avenue for access to justice initiatives across Canada. Recently the Department of Justice released a report studying the impacts of Covid-19 upon legal clinics across the country. The study focused mainly on clinics that provided services tied to federal jurisdiction, “criminal law, marriage and divorce, immigration and
By Natasha Brown As one of the two Manitoba representatives on the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters (“Action Committee”), I attended the Summit which took place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from May 25 – May 27 2022. The first day of the Summit was held at the Wanuskewin Educational Centre
Action Committee Summit 2022 Read More »
Written by Gerard Kennedy Effective January 1, 2018, many amendments were made to the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Rules (the “QB Rules”), designed to resolve cases more proportionately, and thus more in accordance with access to justice. One of these, Rule 2.04 of the QB Rules, has rarely been used. But after the Manitoba Court of Appeal
Rule 2.04: An Underutilized Rule in Manitoba Civil Procedure? Read More »
Written by Gerard Kennedy Legislatures frequently seek to prevent meritless litigation from consuming court time. But how far can they go without restricting access to the courts, with such access to the courts being, at least to come extent, a constitutional right. A recent case out of Ontario analyzed the constitutionality of one gatekeeping initiative
Gatekeeping on Access to the Courts: A Double-Edged Sword for Access to Justice Read More »
Written by Gerard Kennedy Limitations periods are a double-edged sword from an access to justice perspective. On the one hand, they encourage: At the same time, limitations periods, at some level, suggest that there are occasions when it is too late to “do the right thing”. As such, complicated law has arisen, to account for
Limitations Law Changes Read More »
