West Coast LEAF has just published a new resource, Separation Agreements: Your Right to Fairness. This plain language booklet is for anyone interested in learning more about the financial issues that arise when a couple separates. It includes tips for managing your own case, how to work well with your lawyer, and information on completing financial statements for court.

The project came out of the Rick v Brandsema case where the Supreme Court of Canada found that the parties’  separation agreement was “unconscionable”, and therefore invalid. After this case, West Coast LEAF reports that they received numerous calls from women and advocates facing the challenge of needing the courts to review unfair separation agreements. To address this need, they’ve produced this resource. It’s part of a larger project to expand women’s knowledge about their rights in family law and will also include a series of workshops for advocates and service providers in BC to educate them about separation agreements. These workshops will take place in the second half of 2012.

If you or someone you know have questions about income assistance in British Columbia, you’ll want to have a look at this updated publication from Legal Services Society. Your Welfare Rights: A Guide to BC Employment and Assistance has just been revised and reprinted.

This comprehensive guide has been around for 25 years, and includes information on Income Assistance for employable people,  Persons with Disabilities benefits, Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers benefits, and Hardship benefits. The latest edition, in purple, is written in plain language and includes practical tips throughout. It also highlights important information on Persons with Disabilities benefits. Written for people who need to apply for benefits or who are already on income assistance, the booklet explains:

• who is eligible for welfare,
• the application process,
• what benefits are available to you and your family,
•  your responsibilities while on welfare,
• how to appeal a decision, and
• where you can get more information or help.

Available online in pdf format, this booklet is regarded by many community workers and public librarians as an invaluable resources to help their clients. You can also order free print copies from Crown Publications (under Quick Links, click Legal Services Society).

Clicklaw has links to Your Welfare Rights and other useful public legal education and information resources on pensions, benefits and welfare programs.

Do you use your public library for Internet access? That could be about to change. At the beginning of April, Industry Canada announced that they have ended the funding for the Community Access Program. This program had been operating since 1995 to help connect Canadians to the Internet by funding public access computers in places such as public libraries.

The Canadian Library Association is dismayed at this announcement and released a statement in response. Industry Canada says 79% of Canadians now have Internet access at home, and many can also get online access through their smart phone. However, the Canadian Library Association points out that only 54% of households in the lowest income quartile have home Internet access, so community-based Internet access is still needed. The BC Library Association also issued a statement, describing the funding cuts as “a blow to some of the country’s most vulnerable and remote communities.”

While a few larger public libraries in BC have announced that they’ll continue to provide public access computers, there are real concerns that many libraries in smaller communities will no longer have the resources to provide public access computers.

At Courthouse Libraries BC, we’re also dismayed that funding for the CAP program has ended. We work closely with public libraries in BC through our Law Matters program. We help them to develop legal collections for the public, and provide training for librarians on using Clicklaw to answer legal information questions. Our recently released consultation report, Talking to Librarians about LawMatters: Promising Practices, confirms that people use public access computers in public libraries for many purposes, including to access legal information, to complete court forms, and to apply for federal and provincial government programs. Ending the funding for these public access computers will have a negative impact on many communities in BC and across Canada.

The Nova Scotia CAP Association has launched a campaign to save the Community Access Program, called Save CAP. They’re asking people to contact their MP to say why they value this program. We encourage you to check out their website and have your say.

The Ending Violence Association of BC and Legal Services Society have co-produced a brochure and a series of fact sheets aimed at family law lawyers and advocates whose clients may be at risk of violence.

The brochure Is Your Client Safe? A Lawyer’s Guide to Relationship Violence describes relationship violence and includes a list of signs of abuse and risk factors. The companion fact sheets include more detailed information and resources, including links to resources that are specifically aimed at lawyers:

• Is Your Client Safe? Encouraging Disclosure
• Is Your Client Safe? Relationship Violence Client Resources
• Is Your Client Safe? Relationship Violence Legal Resources
• Is Your Client Safe? Safety Planning for You and Your Staff
• Is Your Client Safe? Safety Planning for Your Client

The Ending Violence Association of BC and Legal Services Society co-hosted focus groups with family law lawyers to get a better understanding of what they would need to best help their clients. These resources are the result of that consultation. The brochure and fact sheets are available online through Clicklaw, while print copies of the brochure are available for free through Crown Publications.

[Update April 24, 2012: Please note this service was a one-day event and is no longer available. For free and low-cost legal advice services in your community, check out Clicklaw's HelpMap.]

Yes? Then get your dialing finger limbered up for this Saturday, April 21st.

As part of BC’s Law Week, the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBABC) is holding a province-wide “Dial-A-Lawyer Day” on Saturday from 10am -2 pm. Volunteer lawyers will speak with you for up to 15 minutes for free on matters concerning these law topics. 

If you live in the Lower Mainland you can call 604.687.3221.  If you live elsewhere in BC you can call 1.800.663.1919. Go to their event listing here for more information.

Outside of Dial-A-Lawyer Day, the CBABC regularly provides a service to help connect you with the right lawyer called the Lawyer Referral Service.  Lawyers who participate in the program offer an initial consulation of up to 30 minutes at a small fee of $25 plus taxes.

If you do not need legal advice but want general information on a variety of topics on the law in BC, the CBABC also regularly offers a free  service called Dial-A-Law. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can call the listed phone numbers from anywhere in BC to listen to information prepared by lawyers, or you can read the same information online. Information is available in English, Chinese and Punjabi.

Every April the Canadian Bar Association  organizes events across Canada to celebrate the signing of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In BC, Law Week is a collaborative project organized through the partnership of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBABC), the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the Law Society of British Columbia, and the Vancouver Bar Association.

This year’s theme is Access to Justice: The Celebration of the Charter of Rights in recognition of the Charter’s 30^th birthday. From April 15-22, events such as a speech contest for students, the Dial-A-Lawyer program, and the 9^th annual CBABC Fun Run, will be held at various locations throughout BC.

Here at Clicklaw, we think it would be smashing if you joined us at the Vancouver Law Week Open House on Tuesday the 17th. A chance for the public and student groups to learn about the law and the legal system, this year’s Open House is being held outside the Vancouver Art Gallery from 10 am to 3pm. Clicklaw, alongside their friends from Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia , will be there to answer your questions and share what we do. We’d love to see you!  You will also be able to  learn specifically about Clicklaw at Law Day events in Nanaimo (on the 14th) and Victoria (on the 21st ).

To get you all primed for Law Week, check out these Clicklaw resources from CBABC:

•  Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Overview
• Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Legal Rights 
• Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Equality Rights

The rain — unending?

But, no, spring’s come. Remember?

Sunshine will follow.

Ok, so there are better poets out there, but in the spirit of National Poetry Month I decided to attempt a haiku for your, um, reading pleasure.

April is a time for poets and poetry lovers alike to celebrate the power of verse.  As many of you may know, however, art (to quote ALO) can get messy.

Want to learn more about Canadian copyright? Or what you should know when entering into a contract with a publisher? Perhaps you are submitting your work to a contest or considering self-publication?

Check out The Artists’ Legal Outreach (ALO) on Clicklaw. Made up of volunteer lawyers and law students, the ALO has resources, workshops, and clinics for all types of artists.

For more resources on entertainment & media law, start your Clicklaw search here.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and community organizations host tax preparation clinics and arrange for volunteers to prepare tax returns for eligible individuals.

Now on Clicklaw is the CRA’s listing of all volunteer tax clinics in communities across BC. You will also find information about how you can arrange an appointment, what languages you can find help in, and who is eligible to attend.

For  more information on filing your income tax, start with Clicklaw’s I need help with my income tax page or I am Aboriginal, and I need help with my income tax.

If you are newly retired, start your search here: What taxes will I have to pay now I’m retired?

Although the weather has been suggesting otherwise, today is the first day of spring. Yes, spring! . . . The time of year when thoughts turn to love, cherry blossoms,  and quite possibly, some serious home renovations.

Whether you are re-shingling your roof, replacing your eavestroughs, or converting living spaces to meet changing needs, knowing both your rights and responsibilities will help to ensure the experience turns out to your satisfaction.  Who should I hire? What should the contract include? Will the bylaws of the strata corporation for my condo allow me to make these renovations? Who can I talk to for more information?

Resources on Clicklaw can help you  find the answers to these and other questions. Begin your reading here, and start those spring renos on the right foot!

At Clicklaw, we’re delighted to announce the launch of the 3rd edition of Legal Help for British Columbians as a Clicklaw wikibook. This popular guide is a quick reference, plain-language tool for non-legal professionals whose clients or patients have urgent legal problems. Covering common legal problems faced by low income clients in BC, the Guide outlines first steps to address the problems, as well as where to go to get further information and assistance.

Highlights of the new edition include:

1. New format:  The Clicklaw wikibook format allows us to work collaboratively with a dozen contributors and reviewers from the legal community and public legal education and information community.  The new format is also easier to use and search for information in the Guide than is the case for a PDF document (previous editions of the Guide were posted on the Internet as PDF documents).
2. New sections: We’ve added 10 new common legal problems to the Guide, as well as new chapters on immigration and mental health.
3. Updated information throughout: Our group of volunteers has reviewed the entire Guide and is committed to making updates to the Clicklaw wikibook as the law and resources change.

We’re excited about our first Clicklaw wikibook and we’d love your thoughts and comments! Have a look, and let us know what you think.

More information about the Clicklaw wikibook can be found in this one page announcement and this news release.