Episodes
-
Advance Voting and No-Fault ICBC Insurance
An 11% drop in advance voting sounds simple until you ask the uncomfortable question: who stayed home, and what does that change on election night? We start by unpacking the newest Elections BC advance poll totals, then zoom out to what we learned last election when early voters and election-day...
-
No-Fault ICBC Insurance Under Fire
No-fault auto insurance is sold as the simple answer: fewer lawsuits, faster benefits, lower premiums. But what happens when the crash is not a fender bender, and someone’s life is permanently changed? We walk through why BC’s ICBC no-fault model has erupted into a provincial election fight, and...
-
Safe Supply On Trial
A criminal trafficking charge sounds straightforward until you look at what’s happening on the ground in British Columbia’s overdose crisis. We dig into a BC Supreme Court decision sparked by the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF), a group that received Vancouver Coastal Health funding for drug...
-
Should Government Be Able To Rewrite The Rules For The Law Society?
Government changing the rules for how lawyers are regulated sounds technical until you ask one blunt question: can a legal system stay fair if the bar is not independent from the state? We dig into British Columbia’s Bill 21 (the Legal Professions Act) and the ongoing court challenge over whether...
-
Fairness On Cross-Examination
One missing question can be the whole appeal, and that’s where we start. We walk through a B.C. Court of Appeal decision arising from a judge-alone second-degree murder trial where the accused admits indignity to human remains but denies murder, claiming an accidental death during consensual sex...
-
When Judges Meet Generative AI
A judge relying on AI that invents case law is the stuff of nightmares, but it already happened, and Quebec’s courts are responding. We walk through brand-new guidance aimed at keeping generative AI out of the core judicial function while still acknowledging that the tools are everywhere. The key...
-
Why Victoria Sees So Many Out Of Province Warrants
Someone can’t outrun the Criminal Code by crossing a provincial line, so why does it sometimes feel that way in Victoria? We dig into the real mechanics of out-of-province warrants in British Columbia, including when a warrant applies Canada-wide and when it needs a local endorsement under…
more -
Equal Leave, Unequal Impact
“Everyone gets the same benefit” sounds like the definition of fairness until you look at who gets squeezed when the rules change. We start with a Surrey teachers’ parental leave top-up dispute that has taken a surprising turn: adoptive parents argue that equal top-up pay can still be...
-
Forced Treatment And The Charter
A government can detain someone for mental health reasons, but can it also force treatment without first asking a harder question: are they actually capable of deciding for themselves? We walk through a major British Columbia decision on involuntary treatment under the Mental Health Act, where…
more -
Defamation And The Law Society
One word can change everything when it comes from a legal regulator. We dig into the BC Law Society’s mandatory Indigenous education course, the controversy over how it described the Kamloops Residential School site, and why some lawyers pushed to add a qualifier like “potential” when claims have...
-
Bill C-14 And What Bail Can Not Fix
Bail has become the go-to explanation for everything people hate about crime and disorder, but the law is more stubborn than the politics. We sit down with Michael Mulligan to sort out what Bill C-14 actually does, what it cannot do because of the Charter, and why the presumption of innocence and...
-
From UBC Sticker Defamation To GST Liability To Work From Home Rights
A campus sticker dispute, a GST mistake that snowballs for years, and a pre-COVID work-from-home fight all end up in the BC Court of Appeal, and the common thread is proof. We walk through a defamation claim tied to “I Heart Hamas” stickers attributed to a UBC social justice group and explain the...
-
When Police Records Disappear
A province says a police misconduct record is sealed and destroyed. The Supreme Court of Canada says a fair trial can’t work that way. We walk through a major ruling on criminal disclosure and why it matters when the credibility of an investigating officer is on the line, especially where past...
-
Aboriginal Title And The Future Of Private Land
A court ruling can change more than a headline, it can change how safe you feel about the basics: owning property and trusting the people who handle your money. We walk through a remarkable British Columbia Aboriginal title dispute connected to lands in Richmond and the Cowichan Tribes, where a...
-
When Governments Write The Rules To Sue
A province suing over opioids is one thing. A province passing a statute that makes it easier for itself to sue, then launching a sweeping class action on that foundation, is something else entirely. We walk through British Columbia’s opioid litigation strategy, the allegations about marketing…
more -
What Counts As A Right When There’s Nowhere To Sleep
A city changes a bylaw, two parks get added to a no-camping list, and suddenly the real question isn’t “is this fair?” but “who has the legal power to decide?” We walk through a fresh BC Supreme Court decision on Victoria’s park camping restrictions, including why the court treats the amendment…
more -
Punitive Damages For Political Firing
A public servant gives three decades to the province, then gets fired without cause on the very day a government is about to fall. The BC Supreme Court doesn’t just disagree with how it was handled, it finds the termination was politically motivated and meant to turn a non-partisan employee into…
more -
When Poker Winnings Become Taxable
A million-dollar poker run sounds like the ultimate loophole, until the CRA decides it looks like a job. We talk with criminal defence lawyer Michael Mulligan about a Supreme Court of Canada leave decision that leaves standing a key ruling on poker winnings and Canadian income tax, and the real...
-
Camp Thunderbird Gate Fight And A 15-Year Lawsuit Over A Supposed Public Road
A locked gate at a kids’ camp sounds like a small-town nuisance until you trace it back to 1935 and forward to a trial date in 2027. We dig into a Greater Victoria dispute where companies say a historic public road, sometimes labelled Settlers Road or Glints Lake Road, should let them pass…
more -
The Supreme Court Of Canada Just Opened A New Door To Sue Your Ex
A single Supreme Court of Canada decision can quietly change the ground rules for thousands of breakups, and this one just did. We unpack the Court’s creation of a new tort tied to intimate partner violence, described in terms of coercive control and coercive and controlling conduct, and we dig...
-
If Nobody Agreed Then Why Pay Anything
One email reply can feel harmless until it turns into a $17,500 invoice. We start with a recruiter placement fee fight that asks a deceptively simple question: when do you actually have a contract? A law firm agrees to work with an external recruiter, receives resumes, interviews a candidate, and...
-
A Kickboxing Tragedy And The Cat Ate My Ticket
One decision can change a life, and another can quietly lock you into a guilty plea. We start with a heartbreaking civil claim tied to a mixed martial arts tournament and a kickboxing bout that leaves a 26-year-old UBC chemistry graduate in a permanent vegetative state. Because the event took…
more -
Lack of Jails Threatens Trials and BCNDP vs Constitutional Requirements
A court system can have the best rules on paper and still grind to a halt when there is nowhere to hold people. We start with a fresh BC Supreme Court practice direction aimed at a problem that’s been building quietly across the province: accused people denied bail in communities with no...
-
Secret Informant, Secret Court
A court decision appears online with almost everything blacked out: no registry, no lawyers, no location, no hearing date, and even the judge’s name is removed. All we’re left with is a disturbing question at the heart of Canadian criminal law: can someone become a confidential police informant...
-
Aboriginal Title On Nootka Island
A court can end up deciding the fate of an island by looking at the scars on cedar trees and counting the rings inside them. We dig into a new British Columbia Court of Appeal decision on Aboriginal title for Nootka Island off Vancouver Island, where the key legal question is what “sufficient…
more -
Star Players Stay Home & Police Dog Chase to Doggy Daycare
Messi-sized hype, premium ticket prices, then a last-minute announcement that the stars aren’t coming. We walk through the Vancouver Whitecaps class action that followed, including the consumer protection and contract claims that were pleaded and the court process that protects thousands of…
more -
British Columbia And Alberta Clash On How To Regulate Lawyers
Two neighbouring provinces are running a live experiment on professional regulation, and the results could shape how Canadians think about law societies, licensing bodies, and government power. We walk through British Columbia’s Legal Professions Act changes, including the shift in what the Law...
-
BC Law Society Defamation Claim and Boat Storage After Death
A hyperlink and headline can change the stakes of a professional disagreement. We talk through a Victoria-based defamation lawsuit against the Law Society of British Columbia after a lawyer proposes changing mandatory Indigenous cultural competency training language about the Kamloops residential...
-
Sentencing For Indiginty to Human Remains and Tribunal System Fix
Someone dies, and the person beside them makes a choice that shocks everyone: no call for help, no report, just a body hidden away. We unpack a BC Provincial Court sentencing decision under Criminal Code section 182, the offence of offering an indignity to a dead body or human remains, and why…
more -
When “Not Now” Still Means “Maybe Later” For Private Property and ICBC Hit and Run Requirements
A stolen truck blows a stop sign at 4 a.m., the driver vanishes into the dark, and ICBC says the injured victims didn’t take “all reasonable steps” to find who hit them. We dig into the Court of Appeal’s reversal and why the phrase reasonable must mean proportionate to the facts, not an endless...
-
Trespass By Water, Insurance Duties, And Late Amendments To A Civil Claim
A hose can start a lawsuit—and a precedent can end one. We dive into two fresh BC court decisions that show how civil law balances fairness, timing, and finality. First, we break down a neighbourhood flooding dispute where homeowners sought to amend their notice of civil claim to add trespass by...
-
AI Facial Recognition Company Violates Privacy Law, Drone Interference, And DIY Silencers
Your face might already live in a searchable database—and BC’s courts just drew a sharp line around what companies can do with it. We break down a major ruling that upholds the privacy commissioner’s order against Clearview AI, unpack why “publicly available” doesn’t mean “free to scrape,” and...
-
When Wiretaps Cross The Line
A live wiretap, a lawyer on the line, and a rule that said “stop listening”—which police ignored. We dive into a rare Supreme Court of Canada decision where constitutional safeguards, solicitor-client privilege, and the search for truth collide. The stakes are real: can a lawyer use privileged...
-
Why B.C. Casinos Demand Bank Receipts For Big Buy‑Ins
Big wins, bigger rules, and the fine print that shapes how money and data move in British Columbia. We start with the sourced cash condition that kicks in when casino buy‑ins exceed $10,000 and follow a frequent winner who challenged the requirement as unfair. The court weighed his argument…
more -
Truth, Credibility, And Criminal Records
A courtroom isn’t a referendum on character, and we dig into why that principle matters. We break down the Supreme Court of Canada’s updated guidance on Corbett applications—the rules that govern when an accused’s criminal record can be used to challenge credibility. We talk plainly about the...
-
Residue And Red Flags
A will that looks proper on paper can still fall apart under real scrutiny. We walk through a striking Court of Appeal decision where a 92‑year‑old’s revised will took 18 nieces and nephews from life‑changing inheritances to token gifts, while siblings stood to gain over a million each. The key...
-
Habitat for Humanity Saved, Fitness for Trial and Foreign Buyer Tax
What happens when a charity’s promise of affordable homeownership collides with tenancy law, a defendant’s faith collides with courtroom rules, and a tiny ownership share collides with a big tax bill? We dig into three BC Court of Appeal storylines that ripple through daily life, showing how…
more -
Inside The Injunction: Stopping Bulk Pseudo‑Legal Mail To A BC Court Registry
A small BC registry faced an outsized problem: one litigant’s avalanche of quasi‑legal letters and “certificates” that looked official enough to demand hours or days of staff time to sort, scan, and check. We trace how the Attorney General sought an injunction and how the court landed on a…
more -
When Free Expression Ends And Misconduct Begins At A Canadian University
Courtrooms, campus corridors, mountain slopes, and border tarmacs: we connect them through three rulings that change how you navigate rights, rules, and risk. We start with a Vancouver Island University protest case where banners, ladders, and megaphones escalated into disruptions of exams. The...
-
How Canada’s New Justice Bill Could Reshape Courts, Sentencing, And Digital Harms
A 76-page justice overhaul just landed, and we’re diving into what actually changes for victims, accused persons, and the people who keep our courts running. We break down how Bill C-16 reframes parts of criminal law—naming femicide as a route to first-degree murder, tackling AI-generated…
more -
How To Lose A Job In 10 Words Or Less
A single sentence can change a career. We open with a real-world case: a shuttle driver on SFU property tells a flagger she’s “unbelievably beautiful” and suggests modelling. Security documents the exchange, the university issues a campus ban, and the employer fires him. He then pushes for the...
-
Wills, Words, And What Counts
A signed page beside a will. A daughter who gave up her life to care for her parents. A court is asked to decide whether a single sheet of paper can rewrite an estate. We dig into a recent BC Supreme Court ruling to unpack how WESA’s formal requirements and the curative power of section 58…
more -
When A Guest Won’t Leave
A single sentence in the Criminal Code can decide whether you can legally remove someone from your home—or whether you’re suddenly the one at risk of an assault charge. We break down a fresh BC Supreme Court ruling that reads purpose into Parliament’s 2011 reforms on self-defence and defence of...
-
How A Judge’s Questions Crossed The Line And Triggered A New Trial
Ever wondered when a judge’s questions stop clarifying and start tilting the scales? We dive into a BC sexual assault case where the trial judge’s heavy-handed interventions—pages of pointed questioning, steering how evidence was led, and relying on answers personally elicited—pushed the process...
-
When Your Outfit Is “Red To Hide Blood,” You’ve Made Bad Choices
A 20-year online feud that began on a community website ended with a meticulously planned attack inside a BC courtroom—red clothes to hide blood, a packed suitcase, a knife and a hammer, and alcohol for courage. We walk through how the trial judge weighed mental health evidence against extensive...
-
Bail Myths, Real Fixes
Think “bail reform” will clean up street disorder? We take a hard look at what Bill C‑14 really changes and why it targets the wrong problem. From the presumption of innocence to the right to remain silent, we trace how symbolic tweaks and reverse onus proposals collide with Charter protections...
-
When Indigenous Identity Emerges After Sentencing
A guilty plea, a forgotten past, and a courtroom test of how identity meets justice. We open with a 2011 assault case resolved by a joint submission: an 18‑month conditional sentence after the accused conceded his force exceeded self‑defence. Years later, he discovered his father was Indigenous…
more -
From Picton’s Farm to the Coroner
A notorious criminal case and a sweeping policy change collide in one packed hour, and the throughline is unmistakable: how law balances dignity, proof, and practical consequences. We start by unpacking the latest development in the Robert Picton matter: with the RCMP ending their investigation…
more -
Sugar, Support, and Frankie
A seven‑month marriage sparked on a sugar‑arrangement site, a $12,000/month support bid, and a dog named Frankie—this one has layers. We open with a candid walk‑through of interim spousal support: what it’s for, how courts weigh “capacity to pay,” and why selling capital assets to fund an opulent...
-
When Does Someone Become an Agent of the State?
Where do your constitutional protections begin and end? The dividing line between private actions and state authority forms the heart of a fascinating BC Court of Appeal decision that clarifies when ordinary citizens become "agents of the police." The case centers on Loomis Courier employees who,...
About this show
Legal news and issues with lawyer Michael Mulligan on CFAX 1070 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Hosted by
Michael Mulligan
Categories