Mediate BC’s New Website: Helping Your Clients with Mediation

by Mediate BC

On May 1st Mediate BC launched a new, redesigned version of its website. The new MediateBC.com is designed to be a user friendly way to connect members of the public with information and options to resolve conflicts using mediation and other collaborative dispute resolution processes.

Mediate BC website's home page shown on a laptop

How is this good for the clients we serve?

Your clients come to you for advice and support on a number of issues. They might also have unresolved conflict within the family, at work, or in their business which is impacting other areas of their life. Unresolved conflict is stressful, time consuming, mentally and emotionally draining, and can be expensive. Resolving conflict in a consensual manner can allow your clients to get back to business and focus on other parts of their lives.

Why should our clients know about mediation?

Mediation is a fast, affordable way to resolve disputes out of the court system. A mediator is trained to help you have a constructive conversation, and find solutions everyone can agree to. This process gives you much more control than going to court, trying to convince a judge of your point of view, and having a solution imposed on you. Mediation is informal, private and confidential so it’s much less stressful than going to court. Mediation can even improve relationships because both parties often leave with a better understanding of the other person’s perspective.

What’s on the refreshed Mediate BC Website?

To help you as you explore the site, we’ll provide a bit of a run-through with summaries of all the different sections:

This tab gives more information on what mediation is, and how it compares to other options for resolving a dispute. Here you can find answers to some commonly asked questions, like how much does mediation cost, and why you might want to choose it for resolving conflicts.

If you have a conflict around a family issue, you can find more specific information on the Family Mediation Page. This includes separation and divorce, parents and teens, elder care, and child protection mediation.

If you have a conflict in the workplace, there is a section with relevant information, including bullying and harassment, and options for workplace mediation.

Mediation can also be used for wills and estate disputes, small claims, commercial and business disputes, and community disputes such as those with strata councils and within co-ops. The Resolving Other Disputes tab has information specific to resolving those disputes.

When you want to find a mediator, we make it easy by having this link available wherever you are on the website.

If you have any questions about mediation, or would like brochures or other public education materials you are warmly invited to contact Zoe Stryd the public education coordinator at Mediate BC: 1-877-656-1300 x 106.


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New Webinar: Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning for Your Loved One with a Disability

by Plan Institute

How do you arrange your estate to support and protect your family member with a disability? This is a common question that those who have a loved-one with a disability face.

Becoming well-informed about wills, trusts and estate planning is necessary to secure the financial future of your loved one with a disability and give you peace of mind.

In response to this, we are now offering our successful Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning Workshop online to residents of British Columbia. In doing so, we’re hoping to reach individuals from all over British Columbia who may benefit from this information.

About the Webinar:

In this webinar, estate-planning attorney Brendan Pooran explains 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.

This webinar will provide participants with an introduction to the following topics:

  1. Why and how to write and update a will when there is a family member with a disability
  2. Ways in which to ensure your loved one with a disability is protected when family passes away
  3. The types of trusts available for people with disabilities, including the differences between Discretionary and Non-discretionary, Testamentary and Inter-vivos
  4. The various tax rates differences between Trusts, including recent federal changes, and their implications
  5. The roles and responsibilities of Executors and Trustees
  6. Tips for finding the right lawyer for you and your family

The webinar will also feature a live Q & A session during which a local Lawyer and a Family Expert will be available to answer your questions directly.

Who should attend:

Families/caregivers in British Columbia who have a loved-one with a disability.

Location:

Online (available to anyone in British Columbia).

For more information on this webinar, visit: https://planinstitute.ca/learning-centre/wte-webinar/

To learn more about Plan Institute, our mission and other learning opportunities for people with disabilities, their families and those who work with these individuals, please visit: https://www.planinstitute.ca

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