Achieving Justice
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Thank you. And goodbye. At least for now. It’s another Saturday morning as I settle down for the two-four hour process of column writing. A weekly process...
Police do Charter dance
Must the police be deterred from breaching our Charter rights? Are the “Charter damages” awarded by the courts a sufficient deterrent? In the recent...
Resistance is futile in arrest
Yes, you have the right to resist an unlawful arrest. But doing so is not an advisable way to enforce your rights! One problem is that you have no way of...
Can you legally resist arrest?
A police officer approaches you as you leave a clothing store, wanting to talk to you. They say they think you have some things in your bag that you...
Does Canada have a police brutality problem?
Recent videos of what appears (to the untrained eye) to be police brutality raises questions about what our rights are and how we might enforce them. We looked...
Fooled by propaganda
A viral video slamming George Floyd and denying racially profiled police violence against black people came across my Facebook feed on the weekend. It was a...
If cancelled due to COVID-19, are you owed your money back?
If COVID-19 disrupts your plans, can you get your money back? A friend registered for a race, which was cancelled because of COVID-19. Rather than a refund,...
Your obligation as a driver
It took COVID-19 girth growth to push me to a regular walking commute for the very first time in the 13 years I’ve lived walking distance from my office....
How are your dog manners?
Improved doggy manners would keep us safer, with bonus points for a more comfortable outdoors experience. I have proposed that our grossly outdated laws be...
Another vicious dog attack
Another off-leash dog has attacked, this time seriously injuring a smaller dog. The attack occurred May 4, 2020, on a trail on Conkle Mountain in Summerland....
Bitten by outdated laws
“One might think it reasonable that pet owners should simply be responsible for personal injury or property damage caused by their pets.” That...
When pet dogs attack
Regional animal control officer Wayne Belleville was quoted as saying: “I think it would be anyone’s worst nightmare; a dog ripping your face...
What happens to an ICBC injury claim when a claimant dies?
Does ICBC benefit if COVID-19 takes the life of someone with an ongoing injury claim? Yes, but really the cause of death doesn’t matter. Nor the size of...
Virus helping ICBC
Could ICBC use the mass layoffs caused by COVID-19 as an excuse not to pay income loss? There are a lot of COVID-19 losers. ICBC is one whopper of a winner. The...
ICBC and COVID
If COVID-19 prevents you from getting the care you need, can ICBC use that as an excuse to not fully compensate you for your losses? The basis for their excuse...
COVID-19 and ICBC
The pandemic presents a number of interesting legal issues China has been sued in a class action lawsuit out of Nevada alleging the Chinese government caused...
Beware ICBC classic
Diligently pursuing and following care recommendations will thwart ICBC “victim blaming” you for not doing enough to get better. But beware the...
Be diligent to beat ICBC
Doctor Paul is back for more pointers on how to best recover from car-crash injuries. Maximizing your recovery is not only best for your health, it’s...
Tips to beat ICBC
I have some pointers on how best to recover from car-crash injuries. But what would a personal injury lawyer know about medical care? It’s actually a...
Not really a 'minor' injury
What is a minor injury? Crash victims injured on or after April 1, 2019, need to know because pain and suffering compensation for a “minor” injury...