September 2019 Events (BC-Wide, Online)

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  • Immigration Pathways to Permanent Residence for Temporary Foreign Workers
    • Tuesday, September 3 (6:00 pm – 8:30 pm)
    • Vancouver – 5575 Boundary Road (MOSAIC Boundary)
    • Registration is required.
    • This free workshop will provide information about different pathways to becoming a Permanent Resident in Canada
  • Canadian Citizenship Preparation (review class)
    • Saturday, September 7 (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – VPL Mount Pleasant Branch
    • Registration is required.
    • This free review workshop will help with preparing for Canadian citizenship.
  • Canadian Citizenship Preparation (English with Mandarin support)
    • Friday, September 20 – (5:30 pm – 8:30 pm)
    • Burnaby – VPL Tommy Douglas Branch
    • Registration is required.
    • This free workshop will help with preparing for Canadian citizenship.
  • Canadian Citizenship Preparation
    • Tuesday September 24 & Wednesday September 25 – (10:00 am – 1:00 pm)
    • Surrey – 200A – 7134 King George Boulevard (MOSAIC Surrey)
    • Registration is required.
    • This free two-day workshop will help with preparing for Canadian citizenship.
  • MOSAIC Annual General Meeting
    • Wednesday September 25 – (5:30 pm – 8:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – 5575 Boundary Road (MOSAIC Boundary)
    • Registration is required.
    • This free event is open to the public. The keynote speaker will be Community and Refugee Advocate and City of Victoria Councillor Sharmarke Dubow.
  • Canadian Citizenship Preparation (English with Mandarin support)
    • Friday September 27 – (5:30 pm – 8:30 pm)
    • Vancouver – VPL Tommy Douglas Branch
    • Registration is required.
    • This free workshop will help with preparing for Canadian citizenship.

  • Pro Bono Going Public: Advice-A-Thon
    • Wednesday, September 4 (10:00 am – 2:00 pm)
    • Surrey – City Hall Plaza
    • Free drop-in event for low and modest income individuals, including homeless people who may otherwise have limited access to traditional free legal advice clinics.
  • Pro Bono Going Public: Advice-A-Thon (two Vancouver dates & locations)
    • Friday, September 6 (10:00 am – 4:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – Victory Square Park
    • Friday, September 13 (10:00 am – 4:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – Vancouver Art Gallery, North Plaza
    • Free drop-in event for low and modest income individuals, including homeless people who may otherwise have limited access to traditional free legal advice clinics.
  • Pro Bono Going Public: Advice-A-Thon
    • Tuesday, September 10 (10:00 am – 2:00 pm)
    • Kelowna – City Park, Rose Garden
    • Free drop-in event for low and modest income individuals, including homeless people who may otherwise have limited access to traditional free legal advice clinics.
  • Pro Bono Going Public: Advice-A-Thon
    • Tuesday, September 17 (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm)
    • BC-Wide – Telephone Clinic
    • Free telephone event for low and modest income individuals, province-wide.
  • Everything a Society Needs to Know About the CRT
    • Monday, September 9 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm)
    • Kelowna – 620 Leon Ave (KCR Community Resources)
    • Cost: $35 per person
    • This workshop will help societies prepare for changes under the New Societies Act, in particular dispute resolution with the CRT.
  • Recordkeeping and Privacy for Non Profits
    • Wednesday, September 18 (9:30 am – 11:30 am)
    • Vancouver – 100-938 Howe St. (Alliance for Arts and Culture)
    • Cost: $50 per person
    • Learn how to keep your organization PIPA and CASL compliant.
  • Everything a Society Needs to Know About the CRT
    • Wednesday, September 18 (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – 100-938 Howe St. (Alliance for Arts and Culture)
    • Cost: $50 per person
    • This workshop will help societies prepare for changes under the New Societies Act, in particular dispute resolution with the CRT.
  • Recordkeeping and Privacy for Non Profits
    • Tuesday, September 24 (3:00 pm – 5:00 pm)
    • Skidegate – #2 Second Beach Rd. (Haida Heritage House at Kay Llnagaay)
    • Cost: $25 – $75 (sliding scale)
    • Learn how to keep your organization PIPA and CASL compliant.

Free workshops for older adults:

  • Workshop on Government Benefits for Older Adults
    • Monday, September 9 – (2:30 am – 3:30 pm)
    • Surrey – Surrey Library – Strawberry Hill Branch
    • This free workshop will cover federal and provincial government benefits for seniors – including Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, Canada Pension Plan, Fair Pharmacare, BC Senior Supplement, Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters.
  • Workshop on Government Benefits for Older Adults
    • Wednesday, September 18 – (10:00 am – 12:00 pm)
    • Surrey – 13455-76 Avenue (DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society)
    • This free workshop will cover federal and provincial government benefits for seniors – including Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, Canada Pension Plan, Fair Pharmacare, BC Senior Supplement, Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters.
  • SFU End of Life Matters and Marketplace 2019
    • Saturday, September 21 – (10:00 am – 3:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – SFU Vancouver Campus Harbour Centre
    • This free event will provide information about the practicalities of end of life and develop a personal understanding of dying and its meaning for living.
  • Understanding the Societies Act Part I: Legal Basics For BC Societies
    • Thursday, September 12 (5:00 pm – 8:30 pm)
    • Vancouver – 1183 Melville St.
    • Cost: Member- $95.00; Non-member- $110.00
    • This workshop reviews the key foundations of the Act and how it affects the ongoing work of your board and organization. This Part 1 workshop will focus specifically on key governance and legal compliance issues.
  • Board Chair Breakfast Series
    • Tuesday, September 24 (7:30 am – 9:00 am)
    • Vancouver – 555 Seymour Street (BCIT Downtown Campus)
    • Cost: $60 per person
    • This workshop for nonprofit board chairs will teach how to guide your board through employment related liabilities.This is the second of a three-part series.

Free classes on the legal issues that affect daily life for the public, led by lawyers, notaries and other experts:

  • Representation Agreements
    • Thursday, September 12 (7:00 pm – 8:30 pm)
    • Burnaby – Burnaby Public Library McGill Branch
    • Registration is required
    • This free workshop will explain how representation agreements can be used by your legal representative to make major decisions on your behalf, including matters of health and person care.
  • Wills and Estates
    • Monday, September 16 (7:00 pm – 8:30 pm)
    • Burnaby – Burnaby Public Library Bob Prittie Metrotown Branch
    • Registration is required
    • This free workshop will explain the legal requirements when preparing a will, what you should include in your will, and what happens if you die without one.
  • Wills and Estates
    • Saturday, September 28 (10:30 am – 12:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – VPL Champlain Heights Branch
    • This free workshop will explain the legal requirements when preparing a will, what you should include in your will, and what happens if you die without one.
  • Planning for Incapacity: Representation Agreements and Powers of Attorney
    • Wednesday, September 18 (6:00 pm – 7:30 pm)
    • Vancouver – VPL Dunbar Branch
    • This free workshop will provide information on how to plan for incapacity using representation agreements and powers of attorney.
  • Residential Tenancy for Landlords
    • Saturday, September 28 (2:00 pm – 3:30 pm)
    • Vancouver – VPL Terry Salman Branch
    • This free workshop will help residential landlords learn their rights and obligations under BC’s Residential Tenancy Act. Rent increases, deposits, illegal entry, repairs, pets, evictions and other relevant issues will be discussed.

Professional development sessions for Amici Curiae friends, volunteers, and institutional partners:

  • Health Care Decision-Making: Rights and Responsibilities
    • Wednesday, September 18 (11:15 am – 12:00 pm)
    • Vancouver – 5151 Oak Street (VanDusen Botanical Garden)
    • This free event (Talks + Tables) features a presentation by Krista James, National Director of the Canadian Centre for Elder Law, on rights and responsibilities around health care decision-making.

For individuals with a disability and their families, friends, caregivers, and support workers:

  • Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning Workshop
    • Thursday, September 19 (11:00 am – 1:30 pm)
    • Vancouver – 312 Main St. (Vancouver Centre for Social & Economic Innovation)
    • Cost: $65 for one seat, $90 for two seats.
    • This workshop will explain how to arrange your estate, prepare a will, and the various ins and outs of setting up a trust specifically for your relative or loved-one with a disability.
  • Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning Workshop
    • Thursday, September 12 (7:00 pm – 8:15 pm)
    • Webinar
    • Cost: $25 per person
    • This workshop will explain how to arrange your estate, prepare a will, and the various ins and outs of setting up a trust specifically for your relative or loved-one with a disability.
  • Myths and Realities of Planning
    • Monday, September 23 (1:00 pm – 2:30 pm)
    • Vancouver – 1420 W. 12th Ave. (South Granville Seniors Centre)
    • In this free workshop, learn how Personal Planning is different from Estate Planning. Find out how to make your plans and where to register them.

Stay informed:

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Making Unbundled Legal Services More Accessible for British Columbians

by People’s Law School

You may have heard of  “unbundling”—a new way for people to hire and work with a lawyer. Traditionally, a person hires a lawyer to handle every part of a matter. With unbundling, a client and lawyer can pick and choose what parts the lawyer handles, and which parts the client handles. Because the lawyer only does some of the work, it can be much more affordable than hiring a lawyer in the traditional way. 

Unbundling has been legal in BC since 2008, but until now, it’s been hard to find practical information about how it works.

This spring, People’s Law School launched Unbundled Legal Services, a website that explains unbundling for the public. It’s your definitive source for user-friendly information on unbundled legal services for family cases in BC. You can also find it on Clicklaw.

Here’s what you’ll find on Unbundled Legal Services:

  • A quiz that helps people decide if unbundling is a good fit for their situation
  • A link to list of lawyers who offer unbundled family law services in BC
  • Instructions on how to start working on an unbundled legal matter
  • Lots of great, practical tips for working with a lawyer 

Help up spread the word 

Unbundling is an emerging idea that needs support. If you want to tell people about unbundling, share the site with them—or order our pamphlet, free of charge, at https://www.crownpub.bc.ca/Product/Listing/17437_People-s-Law-School

For lawyers

If you’re a family lawyer, check out the following resources:

  • Unbundling Your Family Law Practice – a webinar recording. The presenters JP Boyd, Zahra Jimale and Kari Boyle provided practical tips on providing unbundled services to your clients and helped you to explore the BC Family Law Unbundling Roster, the Family Law Unbundling Toolkit, and other resources.
  • Family Law Unbundling Toolkit. Access the Family Lawyer Toolkit and get information about unbundling, helpful retainer letter templates, checklists, flowcharts, and more.

About People’s Law School

People's Law School's logo

Founded in 1972, People’s Law School is a non-profit society dedicated to making the law accessible to everyone. We provide free education and information to help people effectively deal with the legal problems of daily life.

Our resources are available in a variety of formats to meet the needs of people: on the web and other digital platforms, in booklets and longer-format publications, and through classes in communities around BC.

Stay informed:

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