KEEPING YOU LEGALLY INFORMED

We have clients from all over the country. Each province and territory has been scrambling to try to find ways to meaningfully respond to the COVID19 pandemic that is effectively shutting down the country. The responses of each jurisdiction, and each level of court within that jurisdiction, have been similar but differ in details. In general, the courts have shut down non-essential services and are trying to put into place measures to keep both court staff and the community at large safe. Below is a summary of what we [...]

COVID19 has resulted in a shutdown of the courts with the exception of "essential functions". Family law cases such as divorces and separations, support and maintenance, and parenting time and decision making are now adjourned for months. But here at Gunn Law Group, we may be able to resolve your issues even before your next date arises. Our family lawyers are trained mediators who believe in the power of alternative dispute resolution. We get more done out of court (faster and less expensively) than you could do in court. Through [...]

Alberta has long been one of the few Canadian provinces which treat unmarried couples differently than married couples when it comes to the division of property upon the end of the relationship. As of January 1, 2020, that is no longer the case. On January 1, 2020, Alberta’s Matrimonial Property Act (“MPA”), which applied only to married couples, was renamed the Family Property Act (“FPA”) and, along with that name change came the inclusion within the FPA of “adult interdependent partners”, as well as significant modifications to the law that [...]

The changes the federal government made on December 18, 2018 are arguably the most radical changes since 1969, when breath-testing for alcohol on a large scale became possible and the offence of “over 80” made its debut in the Criminal Code. For the first time, police can require a motorist, under pain of prosecution, to provide a sample of breath into a screening device without having any reason to believe the person is under the influence of alcohol or even suspect the person has consumed alcohol. The request can be [...]

I was sitting in court on Friday, waiting for the Court of Queen's Bench Appearance Court to start when the presiding justice, Chief Justice Moreau, played a recording for everyone. The recording outlined, in French and English, how everyone has the right to have their trials conducted in either of the official languages. This was new! Some people in court appeared surprised but this is just the latest positive change we are seeing for language rights in Alberta. In an 18 page decision, R v Vaillancourt (written in French [...]

This time last year we were trying to anticipate what the new Criminal Code amendments to the laws on impaired driving would mean for our clients. Our lawyers have been kept very busy since the new laws took effect on December 18, 2018. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the amendments, Gunn Law Group is taking this time to look back at how the amendments have played out and what we may expect in the future. The introduction of mandatory alcohol screening (referred to as the MAS demand) [...]