Category: New on Clicklaw

“What’s the legal limit in BC?”

As of September 20, 2010, there are serious consequences if you’re caught driving with a blood-alcohol content between 0.05 and 0.08. These include steep fines, having your licence suspended, and even losing your car. Administrative sanctions will apply if:

• You are caught driving with a blood-alcohol content between 0.05 and 0.08, or
• You are caught driving with a blood-alcohol content above 0.08, or
• You refuse to provide a breath sample.

For a brief summary of the changes to the law, check out the Drinking and Driving Dial-a-Law factsheet on Clicklaw (scroll towards the bottom).

For more detail see this information on Clicklaw from the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles.

And for those of you who are looking for even more detail, the amending legislation is the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2010, S.B.C. 2010, c. 14. The sections that come into force on September 20, 2010 are sections 2, 3, 6, 7(c), 10 to 12, 14, 15(b) to (e), 19, 24, 25 and 28.

So if you’re planning to have a drink, remember these new rules. Better yet, just call a cab.

A woman on a temporary student visa comes to Canada to study. During her time here, she has a baby with her new boyfriend. But the boyfriend becomes abusive – she wants to leave him and return with her child to her original country. Can she do this? What are her legal rights? As a service provider, how would you begin to direct her to the help she needs?

One of Clicklaw’s newer contributors, the YWCA Vancouver, tackles this complex issue with a project funded by the Law Foundation of BC called the Mothers Without Status Legal Project. “Mothers without status” refers to single women with children living in Canada, who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents. Many of these women have fled their relationship because of abuse.

During the course of this project, staff interviewed almost two dozen women in this type of situation to get a full picture of the multiple challenges they face. As a result of these interviews, the YWCA identified the need for a new resource, and published a booklet called Mothers Without Status: Practical information for service providers working with women who have no legal status. This 26-page booklet provides practical legal information on how service providers can help these women to navigate the immigration and family law systems in Canada.

The YWCA will be publishing the full results of their research project within the next few months – look for it on Clicklaw in the Reform & Research section.