BCLI issues Report on a Franchise Act for BC

31 March 2014—The British Columbia Law Institute recommends that British Columbia become the sixth province to enact franchise legislation. BCLI issued its Report on a Franchise Act for British Columbia today. The report analyzes franchise legislation in force in Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere, and contains a detailed legislative proposal with commentary. It was preceded by a consultation paper issued by BCLI early in 2013 to seek public input. The recommendations in the report were reached Read more…

BCLI Recommends Reforms to Encourage Settlements of Complex Litigation

Vancouver, 17 December 2013—In a report published today the British Columbia Law Institute is calling for legislation that will improve the civil-justice system by removing a roadblock to settling complex, multiparty litigation. “When a person suffers damages or a monetary loss at the hands of more than one wrongdoer, often the quickest and simplest way to deal with the dispute is to settle with some of the wrongdoers,” explained BCLI chair Tino Di Bella. “But Read more…

BCLI Forms Strata Property Law Project Committee

Vancouver, 27 November 2013—The British Columbia Law Institute has formed a new project committee to assist it in carrying out its Strata Property Law—Phase Two Project. “This project committee brings together a diverse range of experts in the strata-property field,” commented committee chair Patrick Williams, “to tackle some of the most pressing issues in strata-property law in British Columbia.” The members of the project committee are:  Patrick Williams—Chair      Clark Wilson LLP Larry Buttress      Read more…

BCLI and CCEL Release Report on Assisted Living in BC

2 October 2013—The British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL) have jointly issued a Report on Assisted Living in British Columbia containing 50 recommendations for reform of the legal and regulatory framework for assisted living in B.C.   Issuance of the report coincides with the tenth anniversary of the founding of CCEL. “The existing legal framework for assisted living was created in the very early stages of development of this Read more…

BCLI Calls for Reforms to Law of Mental Capacity

In its just-published Report on Common-Law Tests of Capacity the British Columbia Law Institute is recommending several reforms to how the law determines whether a person has the mental capacity to carry out a given transaction and to some of the consequences that flow from a finding that a person lacks this mental capacity.  “The common law generally does a good job of providing tools to assess mental capacity,” said committee chair Andrew MacKay, “but Read more…