Client Bulletins 2020

December 2020

23Dec
2020

Ministry of Health Not Required to Disclose Location of COVID Cases

A decision last week by BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Michael McEvoy, confirms that the positive duty to disclose information...

November 2020

26Nov
2020

Mandatory Face Coverings in Indoor Public Spaces

On November 24, 2020, the Province passed Ministerial Order No. M425/2020 requiring face coverings to be worn in “indoor public spaces” as...

October 2020

02Oct
2020

Approving Officer Liability

The B.C. Supreme Court has recently confirmed (Goy v. Sechelt (District) 2020 BCSC 1242) that a subdivision approving officer exercising...

July 2020

22Jul
2020

Variance Application Process under the Employment Standards Act Streamlined for Extensions to COVID-19 Temporary Layoffs

In our previous bulletins dated June 26, 2020 and July 2, 2020, we addressed the provincial government’s extension to the permissible...

16Jul
2020

City of Surrey Appoints Ethics Commissioner

The City of Surrey has taken the bold move of creating an Office of Ethics Commissioner for the benefit of its Mayor and Council, and its...

02Jul
2020

COVID-19 Related Temporary Layoffs Extended - Update

In our recent blog post entitled “COVID-19 Related Temporary Layoffs Extended”, we discussed the provincial government’s June 25, 2020...

June 2020

26Jun
2020

COVID-19 Related Temporary Layoffs Extended

On June 25, 2020, the provincial government announced that temporary layoffs related to COVID-19 can now extend to a maximum of 24 weeks,...

19Jun
2020

Province Narrows Previous Relaxations To Local Government Meeting Requirements

On June 17, 2020, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General made Local Government Meetings and Bylaw Process (COVID-19) Order No....

11Jun
2020

Labour Board Clarifies Temporary Layoff Notice Obligations

Does an employer breach s. 54 of the Labour Code when it temporarily lays off bargaining unit employees? Under s. 54, an employer must...

05Jun
2020

Minimum Wage Increased to $14.60

As of June 1, 2020, the hourly minimum wage rate in British Columbia was increased to $14.60 per hour. All local government employees must...

02Jun
2020

Pam Costanzo joins Young, Anderson

We are very excited to announce that Pam Costanzo has joined Young, Anderson effective June 1, 2020. Pam attended law school after...

May 2020

21May
2020

Province Announces Municipal Financing and Tax Collection Measures in Response to Covid-19 Pandemic

On May 15, 2020, the Province issued Ministerial Order 0159 to assist local governments and ratepayers who may be facing financial...

20May
2020

WorkSafeBC Directs All Employers to Prepare a COVID-19 Safety Plan

As BC makes its first tentative steps to reopen parts of the economy, and to establish the new normal in light of COVID-19, WorkSafeBC has...

19May
2020

Vavilov and Municipalities: There Really is a New Boss

After the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65, the standard of...

15May
2020

Working from Home – Employer Responsibilities

Although the province has announced plans to reopen businesses in a phased approach, many local government employees will be working from...

08May
2020

Presumption for COVID-19 WorkSafeBC Claims

WorkSafeBC announced on April 30th that COVID-19 will be added to the list of “occupational diseases” in Schedule 1 of the Workers...

07May
2020

Benefits Available For Laid Off Local Government Employees

With so many employees out of work during this COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of benefits and financial programs are continuously...

06May
2020

New Extension to COVID-19 Related Temporary Layoffs

On May 4, 2020, the provincial government passed Order in Council No. 219, which adds an “Exclusions during COVID-19 emergency” section to...

05May
2020

Electronic Public Hearings, The Islands Trust and Improvement Districts

On May 1, 2020, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General issued Ministerial Order M139...

April 2020

30Apr
2020

Cyberattacks on the rise with COVID-19

Cybercrime is on the rise as we all grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and local governments are not immune to this...

23Apr
2020

Chief Justice Of BC Now Granted Discretion To Modify Court Rules

Ministerial Order 121/2020, the latest order of Minister Mike Farnworth made under s. 10(1) of the Emergency Program Act, grants the Chief...

23Apr
2020

Bylaw Enforcement Officers Now Authorized to Issue Tickets for the Unauthorized Resale of Essential Goods and Supplies and Price “Gouging”

This update is to provide local governments with information on recently granted novel powers to enforce provincial orders under the...

22Apr
2020

Electronic Attendance at Corporate Meetings

On April 21, 2020 the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General issued an order under section 10 (1) of the Emergency Program Act...

06Apr
2020

Ministerial Order M094 – Protection of Liability

On April 2, 2020, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General issued an order under section 10 of the Emergency Program Act...

02Apr
2020

Property Assessment Appeal Board Extends Appeal Deadline to June 1

On April 2, 2020, the Property Assessment Appeal Board (PAAB) exercised its jurisdiction under Ministerial Order M086 to extend the...

02Apr
2020

Province Issues Guidance Document for Enforcement of Public Health Orders

Many local governments continue to seek clarity around enforcing the Province’s social distancing recommendations in the face of the...

March 2020

30Mar
2020

Province suspends limitation periods for court actions and more

In the latest response to legal implications of the pandemic emergency, the BC government has suspended all limitation periods for court...

27Mar
2020

Ministerial Order M084: Part 2

Yesterday, the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General made several orders under section 10 of the Emergency Program Act that...

27Mar
2020

Province allows disclosure of personal information outside Canada so local governments can continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency

Local governments can now temporarily use remote working tools such as video conferencing services to help maintain their operations during...

26Mar
2020

Province Clarifies Role Of Bylaws Enforcement Officers During COVID-19 Emergency

On March 26, 2020 the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General made several orders under section 10 of the Emergency Program Act...

26Mar
2020

Province Suspends Local States of Emergency

In an effort to ensure coordination between all levels of government in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Province’s Minister of...

26Mar
2020

Relaxation Of Meeting Rules During COVID-19 Pandemic

Today the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General made three orders under section 10 of the Emergency Program Act that affect local...

26Mar
2020

Ministerial Orders Under the Emergency Program Act

All local governments should be aware of the following three Ministerial Orders made by the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General...

24Mar
2020

Changes to the Employment Standards Act in response to the Covid-19 Crisis

On Monday March 23, 2020, the provincial government held an emergency sitting of the legislature in response to the COVID-19 public health...

20Mar
2020

COVID-19 - Provincial Options For Modifying Meeting Rules

Pandemics and the need for “social distancing” were not at top of mind when the meeting rules in the Local Government Act and Community...

19Mar
2020

Revenue Anticipation Borrowing - Being Prepared

This is generally the time when local governments are busy finalizing consultation with the public in relation to their financial plan and...

18Mar
2020

Extension of Time for Responding to Freedom of Information Requests

The public health emergency in British Columbia has prompted clients to ask us about their responsibility under the Freedom of Information...

17Mar
2020

Here To Serve You - Young, Anderson Response to COVID-19

Young, Anderson is committed to ensuring the health and safety of every member of our team, their families and our clients. We want to...

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