Free help with life or health insurance complaints
By OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance Did you know you can turn to the
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October 2021 Events
Bookmark this post! It will be updated as more events are announced. You can also get frequent updates via our Twitter. Have a suggestion? Email us.
Educating & Helping the Public
Free or low cost events for the general public to understand and use the law. Follow the links to see cost & registration info. All times in Pacific Time unless stated otherwise. See disclaimer
Oct 1-3 | Oct 4-10 | Oct 11-17 | Oct 18-24 | Oct 25-31
Looking for events for intermediaries? Jump to the next section.
October 4-10, 2021
- Making a Will in BC: Town Hall Edition (Webinar)
by People’s Law School- What: Are your questions about wills holding you back from making or updating yours? Maybe you have questions about how to pick an executor. Maybe you and your partner can’t agree on who will care for your children if the unthinkable happens. Maybe you’re worried about the cost and want to know if a DIY will kit is right for you. If you want answers to your questions, you’ll want to tune in to this free webinar.
- When: Tuesday, October 5th, 2021 Noon to 1:00 PM
- Cost: Free
- Nidus Personal Planning Events (Webinars)
by Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry- What: Choose to plan. Getting your affairs in order gives you peace of mind and takes the burden off family and friends. It’s easy when you know the steps to take. October is Personal Planning Month, and Nidus has a series of webinars to choose from.
- When: Click to view the list of webinars.
- Cost: Free
- Access to Environmental Justice: How West Coast Environmental Law can help (Webinar)
by West Coast Environmental Law- What: Are you impacted by an environmental issue, and unsure about how it interacts with the law? Are you looking for legal support to address threats to land, air or water in your territory? Join this 1-hour webinar to learn more about WCEL’s free legal services, and the support available to you through their network of dedicated environmental lawyers across the province.
- When: Wednesday, October 6th, 2021 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
- Cost: Free
October 11-17, 2021
- Nidus Personal Planning Events (Webinars)
by Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry- What: Choose to plan. Getting your affairs in order gives you peace of mind and takes the burden off family and friends. It’s easy when you know the steps to take. October is Personal Planning Month, and Nidus has a series of webinars to choose from.
- When: Click to view the list of webinars.
- Cost: Free
- Digital Literacy: Types of Devices and Accessing the BC Vaccine Cards (Webinar)
by Seniors First BC- What: This 60-minute workshop provides an overview of common devices, some useful tools and definitions when browsing online, and information about how to access the BC Vaccine Cards using these devices. This is the first part of a 4-month digital literacy webinar series
- When: Thursday, October 14th, 2021 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Cost: Free
October 18-24, 2021
- Nidus Personal Planning Events (Webinars)
by Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry- What: Choose to plan. Getting your affairs in order gives you peace of mind and takes the burden off family and friends. It’s easy when you know the steps to take. October is Personal Planning Month, and Nidus has a series of webinars to choose from.
- When: Click to view the list of webinars.
- Cost: Free
- Supernatural beings and Sacred Places (Webinar)
by Centre for Law and the Environment UBC; UBC Sustainability Initiative; Centre for Democratic and Environmental Rights- What: Panelists will speak to Indigenous peoples’ efforts to enact or revitalize laws that respect and protect the ancestors and supernatural beings embodied in sacred places in their territories.
- When: Monday, October 18th, 2021 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
- Cost: Free
- RDSP Information Session Level 2 (Webinar)
by Plan Institute- What: Advanced RDSP workshop for those who already have an RDSP or are deciding where to open their RDSP and want to deepen their knowledge and learn how to maximize growth. This workshop includes more complicated financial information and attendees should already understand RDSP basics and review our glossary of terms before attending this workshop.
- When: Tuesday, October 19th, 2021 7:00 PM to 8:45 PM
- Cost: Free
- Ask an Expert – The Registered Disability Savings Plan (Webinar)
by Plan Institute- What: October is RDSP Awareness Month, and we want everyone to be talking about the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)! Join us to learn more about the RDSP and ask any questions that you have.
- When: Wednesday, October 20th, 2021 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Cost: Free
October 25-31, 2021
- Legal Lunch and Learn: Unions 101 (Webinar)
by Pacific Legal Education and Outreach Society (PLEO)- What: In an age of precarity, many workers are looking to secure their livelihoods. Organizing a union is one way to do this. In this session, join Janna Crown, Associate at Moore Edgar Lyster LLP to demystify what a union is and to explore the potential impacts, benefits, and drawbacks of unionizing at non-profits.
- When: Monday, October 25th, 2021 Noon to 1:00 PM
- Cost: Free
- Elder Abuse: What is it? How do we deal with it? (Webinar)
by Seniors First BC- What: This workshop addresses the correlation between social isolation and abuse of older adults, types of abuse and people involved, and strategies to deal with abuse. We discuss the importance of staying connected to others through brainstorming community resources, and viewing a short video depicting a fictional story of social isolation and elder abuse.
- When: Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 1:00 PM 2:00 PM
- Cost: Free
- Legal Lunch and Learn: Societies Act Amendments (Webinar)
by Pacific Legal Education and Outreach Society (PLEO)- What: You may have heard of the amendment to the BC Societies Act introduced on October 6, 2021. The changes apply to many areas of non-profit operations, including bylaws, record keeping, remuneration, and more.
- When: Wednesday, October 27th, 2021 Noon to 1:00 PM
- Cost: Free
- Nidus Personal Planning Events (Webinars)
by Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry- What: Choose to plan. Getting your affairs in order gives you peace of mind and takes the burden off family and friends. It’s easy when you know the steps to take. October is Personal Planning Month, and Nidus has a series of webinars to choose from.
- When: Click to view the list of webinars.
- Cost: Free
- Human Rights in the Workplace: An Overview for Employers (Webinar)
by BC Human Rights Clinic and CLAS- What: This full-day interactive workshop is designed to assist employers, business owners, managers, human resources professionals, union leaders and members of the public to understand their rights and responsibilities under human rights law.
- When: Thursday, October 28th, 2021 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM
- Cost: $200
Learning & Community Building
Free or low cost professional development events for intermediaries, the people providing information and support to members of the public in their interactions with the legal system. We only include those that are open to non-lawyers. Also, events by organizations who help British Columbians in their interactions with the legal system. All times in Pacific Time unless stated otherwise. See disclaimer.
Oct 1-3 | Oct 4-10 | Oct 11-17 | Oct 18-24 | Oct 25-31
Looking for public legal education events? Go back to the beginning
October 11-17, 2021
- 2021 BC Transparency and Privacy (Webinar)
by BC FIPA- What: This session will focus on considerations of privacy and access to information in the current context and how the global pandemic continues to impact expectations and practices.
- When: Wednesday, October 13th, 2021 Noon to 1:00 PM
- Cost: Free
- Learn how to write an EI Appeal (Virtual info session)
by Social Security Tribunal of Canada- What: Written submissions are an important part of prepping for an EI appeal. Want to learn how to write them? Join our free, virtual info session. Space is limited to ensure meaningful participation. Contact us by Oct 5 to register.
- When: Wed, Oct 13, 1:30–3:30 EST
- Cost: Free
October 25-31, 2021
- Duty Counsel Day (National Virtual Event)
by Association of Legal Aid Plans- What: Canadians benefit from outstanding social services. We’re all familiar with our public health care, but few know about our legal services. We made a day to change that. Duty Counsel are legal aid lawyers who give free, on-the-spot legal advice in family, criminal and immigration cases for people living in Canada. On October 27, learn about Duty Counsel and tell your fellow Canadians. The power to navigate the justice system is in your hands.
- When: Wed, October 27, 2021, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM PDT
- Cost: Free
- Advancing Community-Based Access to Justice (Webinar)
by Action Committee on Access to Justice- What: This session will explore the critical work done by community-based organizations that support and assist people with their housing, immigration, health care, employment and other problems with legal dimensions.
- When: Thursday, October 28th, 2021 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
- Cost: Free
- Guidelines for Better Legal Workshops: Best Practices for Effective PLE Presentations (Webinar)
by Ontario Education Network (OJEN) and Public Legal Education Association of Canada (PLEAC)- What: In this session, experienced PLE professionals from the Ontario Justice Education Network will walk through their Guidelines for Better Legal Workshops, adding practical advice, teaching strategies, useful resources and handouts, and other insights.
- When: Thursday, October 28th, 2021 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
- Cost: Free
Disclaimer: These events are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Clicklaw team of any of the products or services of the organizations. Contact the external site for questions regarding their events.
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Free help with life or health insurance complaints
By OmbudService for Life & Health Insurance
Did you know you can turn to the OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance (OLHI) for help if your insurer denies your life or health insurance claim?
No? You’re in good company. OLHI has been around for almost twenty years, but few Canadians know we exist. That’s why OLHI has launched a public education strategy to raise awareness with partners like the BC Care Providers Association.
Who can come to OLHI for help?
OLHI is Canada’s free, independent, and impartial alternative dispute resolution service for life and health insurance consumers, all 29 million of them. Our public service is available to any Canadian whose insurance company is an OLHI member – luckily, 99 per cent of life and health insurance providers are OLHI members.
Every year, OLHI helps thousands of life and health insurance consumers with complaints about many kinds of insurance.
We offer helpful information and guide consumers through the complaints process. If they have a complaint with their insurer, we have a team of experts who can review or investigate their complaints. If we think the complaint has merit, our team will make a non-binding settlement recommendation to the insurance company.
See OLHI’s alternative dispute resolution public service in action
Watch more case study videos on YouTube:
- Mortgage relief
- OLHI clarifies insurer’s position in disability complaint
- Fulfilling a policy
- Taking care of dad
I have a complaint. What should I do?
Suppose your insurance company denies a claim, and you don’t know why or disagree with the decision. In that case, your first step is to talk to your company.
Don’t know where to start? OLHI can help. All insurance companies have a process for resolving complaints directly with their customers. They also have staff responsible for handling consumer complaints. Our website explains the process and lists all of the complaints officers for insurance companies across the country.
If you complete this process, your insurance company will send you a final position letter explaining their decision. Once you receive this letter, you can submit a complaint right on our website.
OLHI can only review your complaint if you have received a final position letter.
Want more information?
Visit OLHI online or follow us to learn more.
OLHI also wants to partner with organizations that have frontline teams that support Canadians by sharing helpful resources. If you want to educate your employees about OLHI’s public service, contact us at info@olhi.ca. We can share our public education materials, host workshops and provide content for your publications.
Find OLHI resources on Clicklaw
You can also find OLHI listings on Clicklaw.
Stay up to date with the latest in public legal education and information in British Columbia. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog.
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Clicklaw Monthly Roundup: September 2021
We share with you a monthly roundup of changes to Clicklaw’s collection. Here is a summary of updates done in September 2021.
Solve Problems
BC Ministry of Attorney General
Online FLA Assistant (New)
This website helps you fill out the forms needed to apply for family court orders. They are protection orders, parenting arrangements, child support, contact with a child, guardianship, spousal support, case management, priority parenting matters, relocation of a child, and enforcement.
BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
Hate speech and the law in British Columbia (Newly Added)
This page answers common questions about hate speech based on the laws that are applicable in BC. Includes discriminatory speech, protected characteristics under the Criminal Code and BC’s Human Rights Code, freedom of speech, defending yourself when accused, witnessing hate speech & being a victim.
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC (OIPC)
Privacy and the BC vaccine card: FAQs (New)
This two-pager tells you how the BC vaccine card and the Public Health Orders work together with the privacy laws in British Columbia. It does so by answering common questions about the implementation and protecting your privacy.
UBC Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (LSLAP)
The LSLAP Manual is used by law students handling cases at the LSLAP program legal clinics. All the chapters have been updated with the latest (2021) edition. See the full listings on Clicklaw.
HelpMap
Courthouse Libraries BC (Updated – new service hours)
Provides legal information services to the public via a network of libraries in BC courthouses. We encourage the public to call (1.800.665.2570) or email (librarian@courthouselibrary.ca) before visiting our library – we can provide many services this way and can save you time. Libraries provides access to staff expertise, the print and digital legal collections and public access computers. To arrange a visit of up to one hour, contact your local library.
Rise Women’s Legal Centre
Equality Law Clinic (New)
Free legal services in the area of replacing/applying for government ID (birth certificates), name or gender change on ID documents (incl. reclaiming Indigenous names), helping with police or human rights complaints, and notarization of documents. Volunteer lawyers and trained law students deliver all legal services, except for notarizations, which may be delivered by other qualified Rise staff. Make an appointment by online form, phone, or email.
Social Security Tribunal of Canada
Social Security Tribunal: Navigators (Newly added)
A navigator helps people who don’t have a professional representative, like a lawyer. These specialized staff guide you through the appeal process, explain the role of everyone involved, help you prepare for your hearing, and answer your questions. They cannot give you legal advice, speak for you, be your representative, be at your hearing, or refer you to a specific representative.
Common Questions
- I’ve been discriminated against (Updated)
- How long will my EI last if I get laid off? (Updated)
- All common questions about wills & estates (Updated)
- All common questions about personal planning (Updated)
Stay up to date with the latest in public legal education and information in British Columbia. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog.
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