This October we are excited to see the return of our pilot program, The Law Library Hub.
First offered in February 2020, the Hub was a drop-in program to provide legal information and assistance to members of the public who were struggling with dealing with the courts. Since then, the program changed as pandemic restrictions affected in-person meetings. Currently the Hub will be operating on an alternating schedule of in-person and virtual appointments.
Under the supervision of a practising lawyer, law students will be available to provide assistance in the Great Library at the Winnipeg Courthouse on Wednesday mornings between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Appointments can be booked using the form available here.
Bill 45 The Budget Implementation and Tax Statutes Amendment Act, 2022 – “This Bill implements various tax and other measures announced in the 2022 Manitoba Budget. Additional amendments implement and support the summary budget and make various amendments to tax legislation.”
Bill 46 The Highway Traffic Amendment Act – “This Bill amends The Highway Traffic Act to give peace officers specific authority to close highways due to road conditions, visibility and other emergency situations. The amendments also give traffic authorities the specific authority to close roads for emergencies and road work. Driving on a closed highway is made an offence.”
Bill 241 The Drivers and Vehicles Amendment Act (Licence Plates for MMIWG2S Awareness) – ” permits an organization to apply to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to make a licence plate available that includes the abbreviation “MMIWG2S”, meaning missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. The plate must also bear a graphic depicting a red hand or a red dress.”
Bill 211 The Manitoba Hydro Amendment Act (Referendum Before Privatization of Subsidiary) – amends The Manitoba Hydro Act. Currently, the government may introduce a bill to privatize Manitoba Hydro only after a referendum has been held in which the majority of voters have approved the privatization. The amendment clarifies that the referendum requirement also applies to the privatization of any subsidiary of Manitoba Hydro.
Bill 244 The Protecting Youth in Sports Act – A sports organization or association that receives government funding, a school division or an independent school must ensure that every coach: completes training in the prevention of sexual abuse, harassment, abuse and bullying in sport before commencing coaching youths; and undertakes not to host a young athlete in the coach’s home without prior permission of the athlete’s parent and, in the case of a student participating in an extra-curricular athletic activity, the principal of the student’s school.
September 30th will be the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day of reflection on the history and legacy of the residential school system, honouring the survivors, family members and communities affected. This year the Manitoba courts will not be sitting as per last year’s notice, and the courthouse will also be closed. The library will be open, providing service either by phone or email.
If you wish to learn more about Indigenous Laws and history, the Library has texts and resources available both in print and online.
The Missing Children Project Stephanie Jansen Thousands of Aboriginal children are missing or unaccounted for. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission wants to know what happened to them.
“The Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) is a provincial organization with a twenty-year history of providing services to Indian Residential School Survivors. The Indian Residential School Survivors Society began in 1994 as a working committee of the First Nations Summit. We were known as the Residential School Project, housed out of and as a part of the BC First Nations Summit. Our work was primarily to assist Survivors with the litigation process pertaining to Residential School abuses. In more recent years our work has expanded to include assisting the descendants of Survivors and implementing Community education measures (Indigenous & Non-Indigenous).”
“Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself. It brought together former students and their families from the Secwepemc, Tsilhqot’in, Southern Dakelh and St’at’imc Nations along with the Cariboo Regional District, the Mayors and municipalities, School Districts and civic organizations in the Cariboo Region. “The events were designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Chief Justice Murray Sinclair challenged all of the participants to keep the reconciliation process alive, as a result of the realization that every former student had similar stories.”
A new King means a lot of change for the legal community. The names and titles of a monarch are ingrained in the statutes of Manitoba since it was established. They have been adapted as needed, starting with the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba.
The History of the Court of Queen’s Bench act.
There are probably only a few people around today that remember when it used to be called the King’s Bench, but the court has seen its share of name changes in its history. When the courts were first established in Manitoba, Queen Victoria was sovereign.
Originally, in 1871, the court was actually to be the called “The Supreme Court”:
1871 34 Vict Cap. 2
But that didn’t last long. The very next year the court was changed to reflect the role of the Queen, and already there were provisions should a King ascended to the throne.
1872 35 Vict Cap 3
The 1880 consolidation Chapter 31 stayed that way –
until the reign of Edward VII substituted the new title in 1901.
The 1902 consolidation would add some clarification to ongoing cases still in the King’s, or Queen’s, name.
And with the rise of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 the title would change again.
1952 S.M. Ch. 13
While it’s still called “The Queen’s Bench Act” (C.C.S.M. c. C280) today, the provision for naming remains. Maybe some extra paperwork could have been saved in the last 150 years had they just stuck with “Supreme Court.”
Queen’s Counsel to King’s Counsel
Another piece of legislation to be updated involves the practice of appointing Queen’s Counsel. The practice was enacted in Manitoba in 1909 with King Edward.
1909 SM C.28 (9 Ed. VII cap. 28)
The practice would continue with TheLaw society Act, 1954 RSM Ch. 139.
One last small change to keep in mind is the change in the neutral citations for decisions. The most recent decisions from the King’s Bench have already adopted the MBKB citation.
The Manitoba Law Library would like to acknowledge with gratitude that we are situated on Treaty One Territory, the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree and Dakota peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Printing and Photocopying
If you need to use the library’s printing and photocopying services you will need to create an account. See us at the front desk for assistance.
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