Community Legal Assistance Society
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Community Legal Assistance Society
''Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS)'', which previously went by the name ''Vancouver Community Legal Assistance Society (V-CLAS)'', is a non-governmental organization in British Columbia, Canada which provides legal services to low- and moderate-income persons in the areas of mental health law, human rights law, and poverty law. Founded in 1971, CLAS is often referred to as Canada's first community law office. CLAS operates a BC Human Rights Clinic, a Mental Health Law Program, and a poverty law-focused Community Law Program. History CLAS was founded by future British Columbia premier Mike Harcourt. In the summer of 1971, it opened its first office at 527 East Broadway in Vancouver. Its staff have been considered leaders in the field of disability and human rights law and the Supreme Court of Canada has noted how frequently CLAS represents accused persons with mental health issues. CLAS is billed as seeking to advance access to justice through the use of innovative legal ...
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Non-government Organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in humanitarianism or the social sciences; they can also include clubs and associations that provide services to their members and others. Surveys indicate that NGOs have a high degree of public trust, which can make them a useful proxy for the concerns of society and stakeholders. However, NGOs can also be lobby groups for corporations, such as the World Economic Forum. NGOs are distinguished from international and intergovernmental organizations (''IOs'') in that the latter are more directly involved with sovereign states and their governments. The term as it is used today was first introduced in Article 71 of the newly-formed United Nations' Charter in 1945. While there is no fixed or formal definition for what NGOs are, they are general ...
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Supreme Court Of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal Appeal, appellate courts. The Supreme Court is bijural, hearing cases from two major legal traditions (common law and Civil law (legal system), civil law) and bilingual, hearing cases in both Official bilingualism in Canada, official languages of Canada (English language, English and French language, French). The effects of any judicial decision on the common law, on the interpretation of statutes, or on any other application of law, can, in effect, be nullified by legislation, unless the particular decision of the court in question involves applicatio ...
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Law Society Of British Columbia
The Law Society of British Columbia is the regulatory body for lawyers in British Columbia, Canada. Purpose The society's primary mandate under the ''Legal Profession Act'' is to uphold and protect the public interest in the administration of justice by preserving and protecting the rights and freedoms of all persons, ensuring the independence, integrity, honour and competence of lawyers, establishing standards and programs for the education, professional responsibility and competence of BC lawyers. The society is also mandated to regulate the practice of law, and support and assist lawyers, articled students and lawyers of other jurisdictions who are permitted to practise law in British Columbia in fulfilling their duties in the practice of law. Governance structure The Law Society is overseen by a board of governors known as Benchers, composed of 25 lawyers elected by the registrants of the Law Society, up to six Benchers who are not lawyers and who are appointed by the gov ...
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Legal Services Society
Legal Aid BC (formerly the Legal Services Society) is the legal aid provider in British Columbia, Canada. Services are available for family, immigration, and criminal law matters and include legal information, advice, or representation, depending on the client’s legal problem. Legal Aid BC is a non-profit organization governed by a nine-member board of directors. While the provincial government is its primary funder, the society remains independent of government. It also receives funding from other sources, including the Law Foundation of British Columbia and the Notary Foundation of British Columbia. Provincial funding has declined over the past two decades, significantly impacting the Society's services and operations (see below). Former Attorney-General of Ontario The Attorney General of Ontario is the chief legal adviser to His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario and, by extension, the Government of Ontario. The Attorney General is a senior member of the Executive Co ...
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Class Action
A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action originated in the United States and is still predominantly a US phenomenon, but Canada, as well as several European countries with civil law, have made changes in recent years to allow consumer organizations to bring claims on behalf of consumers. Description In a typical class action, a plaintiff sues a defendant or a number of defendants on behalf of a group, or class, of absent parties. This differs from a traditional lawsuit, where one party sues another party, and all of the parties are present in court. Although standards differ between states and countries, class actions are most common where the allegations usually involve at least 40 people who the same defendant has injured in the same way. Instead of each damaged person brin ...
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Ian Waddell
Ian Gardiner Waddell (November 21, 1942March 15, 2021) was a Canadian politician, author and filmmaker. He served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1993, and in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1996 to 2001. Early life and career Waddell was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 21, 1942. His family immigrated to Canada when he was five. His father, Jack, worked as an electrician; his mother, Isabel, was employed as a waitress. The family moved to the suburbs of Toronto, initially staying in Scarborough, and later moved to Etobicoke. He studied history at the University of Toronto (UT), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1963. After receiving a teaching diploma from the Ontario College of Education that same year, he taught at Western Tech in Toronto. He then returned to UT to study law, graduating with an LLB in 1967. Later he studied at the London School of Economics (LSE), from which he received a master's degree in international law. C ...
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Legislative Assembly Of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members are elected from List of British Columbia provincial electoral districts, provincial ridings and are referred to as Member of the Legislative Assembly, members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Bills passed by the legislature are given royal assent by the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, represented by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. The current Parliament is the 42nd Parliament. The most recent general election was 2020 British Columbia general election, held on October 24, 2020. Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are broadcast to cable viewers in the province by Hansard TV, Hansard Broadcasting Services. Recent parliaments Officeholders Speaker * Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia: Raj Chou ...
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Lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicitor, legal executive, or public servant — with each role having different functions and privileges. Working as a lawyer generally involves the practical application of abstract legal theories and knowledge to solve specific problems. Some lawyers also work primarily in advancing the interests of the law and legal profession. Terminology Different legal jurisdictions have different requirements in the determination of who is recognized as being a lawyer. As a result, the meaning of the term "lawyer" may vary from place to place. Some jurisdictions have two types of lawyers, barrister and solicitors, while others fuse the two. A barrister (also known as an advocate or counselor in some jurisdictions) is a lawyer who typically specia ...
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Access To Justice
Access to justice is a basic principle in rule of law which describe how citizens have equal access to the legal systems in their context. Most contexts have initiatives and programs are designed to provide legal services to populations that may otherwise have difficulty obtaining legal advice and representation. Without access to justice, people are not able to fully exercise their rights, challenge discrimination, or hold decision-makers accountable for their actions. The manner in which nations help their citizens gain access to justice vary by nation. Access to justice may be increased through properly funded and staffed legal aid organizations that provide free legal services to the poor, and through pro bono programs through which volunteer attorneys provide services and representation, or through other programs designed to help people gain. Access to justice is a broad concept that includes legal remedies in courts but also in other institutions of justice. International ini ...
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Mental Health
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health includes subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others. From the perspectives of positive psychology or holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and to create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how one defines "mental health". Some early signs related to mental health problems are sleep irritation, lack of energy, lack of appetite and thinking of harming yourself or others. Mental disorders Mental health, as defined by the Public Heal ...
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Disability
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, developmental, Intellectual disability, intellectual, mental disorder#Disability, mental, physical disability, physical, Sense, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. Disabilities can be present from birth or can be acquired during a person's lifetime. Historically, disabilities have only been recognized based on a narrow set of criteria—however, disabilities are not binary and can be present in unique characteristics depending on the individual. A disability may be readily visible, or Invisible disability, invisible in nature. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines disability as: Disabilities have been perceived differently throughout history, through a variety of different theoretical len ...
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British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, forests, lakes, mountains, inland deserts and grassy plains, and borders the province of Alberta to the east and the Yukon and Northwest Territories to the north. With an estimated population of 5.3million as of 2022, it is Canada's third-most populous province. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria and its largest city is Vancouver. Vancouver is the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada; the 2021 census recorded 2.6million people in Metro Vancouver. The first known human inhabitants of the area settled in British Columbia at least 10,000 years ago. Such groups include the Coast Salish, Tsilhqotʼin, and Haida peoples, among many others. One of the earliest British settlements in the area was Fort Victoria, established ...
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