Exciting New Online Resource Features

This month brings a few new features and additions to CanLII and HeinOnline.

CanLII has added the ability to upload your own documents to Lexbox. This new feature lets you keep all your research in one place and use CanLII’s resources like Reflex to automatically link to cited cases and legislation. You can also set up alerts and feeds based on information in your document. For those who subscribe to Clio, you can also now link to CanLII to add a timer straight to the header of every page.

While you are over on CanLII, check out this blog post that analyses how COVID-19 has affected how people are using CanLII, what they are looking for, and why that might be. It includes a really cool animated bar graph.

Over on HeinOnline, they have added a long desired search feature. Users can now search multiple selected databases at a time, right from their HeinOnline welcome page. Now, instead of searching one database at a time, you can select the ones you think will be most useful. This also includes filtering results to help narrow down queries.

HeinOnline has also continued to add new journals to its Law Journal Library, with a collection of now 2,900 titles. If you are interested more in specific authors, scroll down to their Tip of the Month to read more about their Author profile pages.

New Court Notices

Queen’s Bench

Practice Direction – Remote and Off Site Civil Trials (November 20, 2020) – This direction is provided due to the recent Code Red designation and addresses certain obstacles and limitations that affect scheduled civil trials in the Court of Queen’s Bench. Options for parties, where they have been advised that a trial is being adjourned are provided in the notice.

November 26, 2020 – Court Attire – Replaces the February 10, 2017 notice detailing requirements for wearing formal court attire.

Provincial Court

Notice – COVID -19 – Suspension and Restriction of Hearings – Legal Aid Administrative Court (November 24, 2020) – “Further to the Notices of November 10 and 13, 2020, suspending court with respect to all out of custody matters, this will confirm the Legal Aid Administrative Court on December 8, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. courtroom 402 is cancelled with respect to out of custody matters.” Individuals awaiting the appointment of counsel by Legal Aid are encouraged to contact Legal Aid. Counsel appointed to individuals are asked to contact their clients.

Legislative Update

Third Session, Forty-Second Legislature

Government Bills

Second Reading

Bill 4 The Retail Business Hours of Operation Act (Various Acts Amended or Repealed)

Bill 7 The Planning Amendment Act

Bill 9 The Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act

In Committee

Bill 42 The Remote Witnessing and Commissioning Act (Various Acts Amended)

Private Bills

First Reading

Bill 213 The Reporting of Supports for Child Survivors of Sexual Assault Act (Trained Health Professionals and Evidence Collection Kits) – This Bill requires the minister to report annually, by health authority, on the number of health professionals with special training to examine children who have been sexually assaulted and on sexual assault evidence kit inventory.

Bill 214 The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Amendment Act – In addition to screening for hearing loss, parents and guardians are offered the opportunity to have their infants tested for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

Bill 217 The Legislative Assembly Amendment and Legislative Assembly Management Commission Amendment Act – amends The Legislative Assembly Act and The Legislative Assembly Management Commission Act. The definitions “recognized opposition party” and “other opposition party” are changed to include political parties that are represented in the Assembly by two or more members, provided that the party’s candidates received at least 10% of the votes cast in the last general election. Such a party and its members are not immediately entitled to any additional funding, salaries or allowances.

In Committee

Bill 211 The Employment Standards Code Amendment Act (Unpaid Leave for Reservists)

Defeated

Bill 200 The Scrap Metal Sales Accountability Act

Bill 203 The Manitoba Hydro Amendment Act (Referendum Before Privatization of Subsidiary)

See here for the status of all current bills.

Manitoba Law Blogs Roundup

A bi-monthly round-up of blog posts from the Manitoba legal community for the months of October and November 2020

Clarke Immigration Law

Robson Crim Legal Blog

Matthew Gould Blog (Criminal Law)

Taylor McCaffrey

TDS law

Pitblado Law Blog

MLT Aikins

New Provincial Court Notices

Notice – Service of Child Protection Proceedings on Persons in Custody during Pandemic Restrictions (November 18, 2020)
“Prior to the pandemic, a process server might attend the institution to effect personal service. However with Code Red restrictions and the elimination or restriction of visitors to the Correctional Centre, this method of service is not possible.” The notice gives new options and contact information for correctional centres.

Notice – Circuit Court Sitting Replacement Dates Due to COVID-19 (November 18, 2020)
“Further to the Notice of November 10, 2020, suspending court with respect to all circuit court sittings, the following dates reflect the date the circuit should have sat within the suspended period and the date the circuit has been administratively adjourned to.”

Practice Directive – Video Appearances for Trials and Preliminary Hearings in the Provincial Court of Manitoba (November 17, 2020) – “…the Court has developed this Practice Directive to accommodate the remote attendance of a participant at trial or preliminary hearing by video, where appropriate, while maintaining the integrity of the hearing process.” The process for requesting an accused or in custody witness appear by video is provided.