Author: Audrey Jun

Audrey Jun is the Clicklaw Program Coordinator at Courthouse Libraries BC. She manages Clicklaw, working to connect people across the varied public legal education landscape. Audrey was called to the BC Bar in 2014 and combines backgrounds in law, public legal education, and technology.

Do you have a will?

Events, Get help using Clicklaw, The broader context
Printable PDF handouts with accessible Wills and Personal Planning Resources for all audiences

Wills are essential tools for responsible planning and are applicable to persons considered “mentally capable” and 16 or older in BC.

Completing a will is usually a relief.  If you have been thinking about a will for yourself or if you have family members who have yet to take that step, the next few weeks are an excellent time to start.

April 9-15, 2017 is Make-a-Will Week, and a number of organizations and legal professionals are coming together to donate their time and effort to help people write their will or bring an existing will up to date.

Don’t forget about Personal Planning

A will doesn’t mean you’re totally covered — if you don’t know about Representation Agreements, Enduring Powers of Attorney and other personal planning documents, you’ll want to read more about these important legal planning documents with experts like Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre and Registry.

What events are going on?

On April 22, 10am-2pm, call 604 687-3221 OR 1-800-663-1919 for a free 15 minute consultation with a lawyer

Make a Will Week is closely followed by Law Week, so there are a lot of events happening in the month of April. We covered a variety in our last post on April Events.

For example, the CBA BC is holding its province-wide Dial-a-Lawyer day on Saturday, April 22, 2017 from 10am – 2pm where anyone can call 604 687-3221 or 1-800-663-1919 for a free 15-minute consultation with a Wills and Estates Lawyer. They also cover other areas of law: Business, Employment, Family, Immigration and Tort & Motor Vehicle.

Nidus is holding online and in-person presentations about Personal Planning — legal documents for health care, personal care, financial and legal matters.

People’s Law School in collaboration with various organizations are holding many Public Legal Education Law Classes across BC on various topics, ranging from Writing a Will and Probating a Will to Strata Law.

I want to learn more about making my will. What do I read? Who do I call?

At the Wills and Personal Planning Resources page on the Courthouse Libraries BC website, there is a comprehensive list of free or nominal fee resources and services for everyone—from lawyers to people who aren’t familiar with the law. The webpage contains the full list of resources, services and events. The PDF handouts (printable, shareable) contain examples of types of help that can be found on the webpage, and contain a short bit.ly link that forwards to the webpage.

If you would like to make a suggestion for a resource, please email us.

Want to share the Wills & Personal Planning Resources page? Use this short redirect URL: http://bit.ly/CLBCwills

Stay informed:

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Apr. 2017 Events – Online & BC-wide

Events, The broader context

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.

A community-driven event about how we can achieve women’s equality in BC. Join the Single Mothers’ Alliance BC for an all-candidates debate and keynote speakers on women’s rights in BC. Ahead of the May 9 provincial general election, learn about BC political party platforms on gender equality and discuss the issues that matter to you in community roundtables. The event will end with a networking reception for all attendees.

The BC Society Act, which provides the rules for governance and incorporation of non-profits, officially proclaimed important changes on November 28, 2016. There will be a two year transition period by which time all societies in BC will have to make the switch to the new Act. This workshop will provide the information on the bylaw and policy changes necessary for your organization to effectively make the transition when the new Act is proclaimed.

Tickets are $50, or free for workshops in the Kootenays (Kaslo & Revelstoke) due to the funding and support of Columbia Basin Trust.

  • April 3-27 (Various Dates): People’s Law School presents numerous events (some in collaboration with Mediate BC) on the following topics in Burnaby, Cranbrook, Lake Cowichan, Nanaimo, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver:

Wills & Estates, MyLawBC (guided pathways), Strata Law, Restorative Justice (in collaboration with Mediate BC), Scams, Employment Law, Civil Litigation, Power of Attorney, Investment Frauds, & Effective Enquiries (in collaboration with Mediate BC)

Register here.

  • April 5 & 8 (Various Dates): BCCLA has a couple of events going on this month:logo_bccla

April 5 (7:00pm) Justice for Hassan Diab – Mr. Diab’s Canadian lawyer Don Bayne and Hasan Alam of Critical Muslim Voices speak about the 8 year nightmare of Hassan Diab. At the Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, Combined Peter and Alma Room, 350 W. Georgia St, Vancouver, BC. RSVP required.

April 8 (2:00-4:00pm) Equal Citizenship: No More Second-Class Citizens! Join us for a discussion featuring the BC Civil Liberties Association’s Executive Director, Josh Paterson, to talk about citizenship equality and your rights as a Canadian citizen. At the Welsh Hall East, West Vancouver Memorial Library (1950 Marine Dr, West Vancouver, BC). RSVP here.

Wednesday, April 5 (11:30-12:30pm) Online Webinar: Live Demo of the Personal Planning Registry. Register Online.

Wednesday, April 12 (11:30-12:30pm) Online Webinar: Planning for Health and Personal Care. Register Online.

Wednesday, April 12 (1:00-2:30pm) In-Person Presentation: Planning for incapacity and end-of-life. No Registration required. At South Granville Seniors Centre, 1420 West 12th Avenue (between Granville & Hemlock) in Vancouver. Held in lounge on 3rd floor.

Wednesday, April 26 (11:30-12:30pm) Online Webinar: Planning for Financial and Legal Matters. Register Online.

Do you have questions for the Chief Judge? About his career and experience as a Provincial Court Judge and as the Chief Judge of the Court? About his leadership and the Court’s many initiatives? About judicial appointments, judicial education, reducing delays, changes to Small Claims Court or …? Tweet your questions using #AskChiefJudge on or before April 6, 2017. “He’ll tweet you back between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Please note that the Chief Judge can’t discuss individual cases or political issues. Not available on April 6? Tweet questions to #AskChiefJudge any time before April 6!

Join the conversation with Hugh Segal, Former Senator to discuss a Guaranteed Income for people with disabilities. Free Admission – everyone welcome. Reception at 6:30pm, light refreshments will be served.

Register at: http://ow.ly/FhtG309N9Jl or call 604.299.7851

Watch as students present their App creations from LAWF 3780 – Apps for Access to Justice, and vote for your favourite! OM 3772 or http://livestream.com/tru/law

We’ll be live-streaming this event at the Vancouver Courthouse Library, 3rd floor, 800 Smithe Street, and at our Kamloops Courthouse Library, 455 Columbia Street, Room 314. Let the front desk know when you walk into the library that you’re here to watch the Battle of the Apps. If you have any questions, email training@courthouselibrary.ca.

A number of important changes to disability assistance benefits have been introduced in recent years which affect persons with disabilities (PWD) applicants and recipients including the introduction of an Annualized Earnings Exemption (AEE), several new categories of income exemptions (including gifts), and a significant asset limit increase. In this one hour webinar offered jointly by POVNet, Disability
Alliance BC and Courthouse Libraries BC, Sam Turcotte & Annette Murray of Disability Alliance BC will summarize the most important recent changes and examine how they benefit people receiving or applying for PWD benefits as well as some of the challenges and misconceptions that have arisen as a result.

Register Online.

Stay informed:

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