Going through a separation or a divorce is a stressful and emotionally draining process, especially if children are involved. In family law, custody and access are commonly litigated issues. Custody is the right to make decisions on behalf of a child, and to have care and control of the child. Access is the right to communicate and spend time with the child and may include the right to obtain information about a child.
For the majority of Canadians, incapacity planning, either for ourselves or our loved ones, is often a subject that we like to avoid thinking about. However, the unfortunate ramifications of the absence of forethought is that we can eventually find ourselves in critical situations when our loved ones can no longer make their own decisions. Alternatively, even where there are Powers of Attorney in place, disputes or issues can arise which render these documents problematic. In both of these situations where we are faced with needing to take care of an incapacitated individual, often times a guardian needs to be appointed.
Contrary to what most of us would like to believe, door-to-door scammers are still active in our communities. Door-to-door scams are often targeted at elderly and vulnerable people, who can be easily pressured into signing sales agreements. Common scams include false claims about the quality of municipal drinking water and next-day installation of various water treatment systems under the guise of a government program. These water treatment scams also falsely promise consumers rebates for their water bills or that the government will pay for the installation of new equipment. Victims instead face increasing hydro bills and liens registered against their property for non-payment.
The immediate thoughts when some people are arrested and charged with impaired driving are usually “So much for a clean driving record”, “Shouldn’t be too bad, no one was hurt” or even “It’s okay, I’ll just have to drive with an interlock device installed for a while”. The truth of the matter in Canada is that impaired driving offenses are much more than mere traffic offenses; they are crimes punishable under the Criminal Code and carry very serious repercussions upon conviction.