Helpful websites for finding answers to your legal questions

FINDING GOOD LEGAL RESOURCES

Portage College Public Legal Education Program

Visit us online at for

news on upcoming FREE seminars and

events. You can also download a copy of

our Legal Resource Directory with listings

of all lawyers, courthouses, RCMP

detachments and other legal

organizations for Northeast Alberta.

About this session

One of our

program

objectives is

distributing

Public Legal

Education

Information

(PLEI).

This session will direct you to dependable sources of legal information;

Help you assess the reliability of legal information;

Explain the difference between legal information and legal advice;

and tell you where to find legal advice and representation.

Participants will also receive a copy of the PLE Northeastern Alberta Resource Directory.

Reliability of legal information

Understand

the difference

between

primary &

secondary

sources of law

Primary sources are the actual law Statues & regulations (federal/provincial)

Municipal by-laws

Court decisions

Court forms

Secondary sources explain the laws and the legal process

Websites, pamphlets, textbooks, directories etc.

Reliability of legal information

Reliability

check

Where is its Jurisdiction? Does it apply in your area/province?

For example, it’s an Ontario law it doesn’t apply in Alberta, or if it’s a U.S. law, it doesn’t apply in Canada.

Is it Current?

Look for the date of publication. Laws change.

What is it’s Source?

Was the information produced or reviewed by legal experts?

The difference between legal information and legal advice

Legal Advice

Is…

True legal advice forms an agreement

between an attorney and his/her client

based on a particular legal matter the

client is experiencing.

The difference between legal information and legal advice

Legal Advice

Is Not…

Content from websites, pamphlets,

friends or family DOES NOT constitute

legal advice.

The difference between legal information and legal advice

What Legal

Advice Is

In a nutshell, legal advice has the following characteristics:

Requires legal knowledge, skill, education and judgment

Applies specific law to a particular set of circumstances

Affects someone's legal rights or responsibilities

Creates rights and responsibilities in the advice-giver

The difference between legal information and legal advice

What Legal

Advice Is

Legal information (such as information posted on a website) is

general in nature while legal advice proposes a

specific course of action a client should take.

For instance, it's the difference between telling

someone what to do (legal advice) as opposed to

how to do it (legal information).

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Where can you access legal advice?

Legal Aid Alberta provides lawyers at an affordable cost for people who need assistance for certain criminal or civil matters and don't have the resources to

hire a lawyer.

The Law Society of Alberta Referral Service can refer you to a lawyer who will provide you with 30 minutes of free legal advice. The referral

service can be reached at 1-800-661-1095 (in Alberta

only) or 228-1722 in Calgary.

Student Legal Services in Edmonton at 780-492-2226 and Calgary Legal Guidance at 403-

234-9266 may be able to provide you with free legal

advice.

Where can you access legal advice?

The Edmonton Community Legal Centre is a non-profit organization

offering free legal advice and representation for low-income Albertans with specific civil law issues (no family or criminal law)

To see if you qualify for assistance and to book an appointment, call

the ECLC at 780-702-1725. Appointments can be done over the

phone.

Law Information Centres (LInC) provide people representing

themselves in court or in a legal matter with assistance in completing court forms and understanding court

procedures, access to legal information, cases and precedents, information about alternatives to court such as mediation, and legal advice options. Call Ph: 780-644-

8217 for more information.

Youth Criminal Defence Office (Legal Aid)

Immediate legal advice for youth under arrest – 24 hours/7 days a week. Between the hours of 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the call will

be forwarded to a call centre answering service. The call

answering service at (780) 422-8383 will contact the on-call

lawyer.

Finding Sources of Legal Information

Offline

This Resource Directory is a listing of legal resources for North Eastern Alberta.

It is published every two years with grant funding from the Alberta Law Foundation.

Available through our office or can be downloaded at PLEonline.ca (save to smartphone, tablet or computer)

Listings include provincial services, Legal services in Alberta, lawyer listings, RCMP and Victim Services, community services, Aboriginal communities & resources, and PLEI resources.

Online

Traffic

Employment

Family

Court

Aboriginal

Youth

Alberta Courts - www.albertacourts.ab.ca

Log on to the Alberta Courts website to find comprehensive information on Court of Appeal, Court of Queen’s Bench, Provincial Court and Resolution & Court Administration Services. Find out about topics such as:

being on a jury

how to get an emergency protection order

how to get an order to help my child on drugs

how to get a divorce

how to get a divorce certificate

how to get a marriage licence

how to get child support

how to mediate a family law matter

Alberta Justice and Solicitor General -

www.justice.alberta.ca

www.justice.alberta.ca provides Information

about Alberta's justice system, its major

participants and links to publications.

This site offers comprehensive information on

Aboriginal justice, civil matters, courts,

employment, families, fines enforcement, human

rights and diversity, laws & legislation, safe

communities initiatives, will and estates, and

more.

Alberta Law, Justice & Citizens' Rights -

www.services.gov.ab.ca/Living

Log on to www.services.gov.ab.ca/Living then

choose the Alberta Law, Justice & Citizens' Rights

tab at bottom of page to access a

comprehensive listing (one stop hub) of Alberta

and Federal links to

o Programs and Services

o Online Services

o Financial Resources

o Forms

o Publication

o Legislation

o Licensing & Registration

Bearpaw Legal Education & Resource Centre -

www.bearpaweducation.ca

The BearPaw website provides public legal education

and information specifically designed by and for

Aboriginal people, focusing on areas of the law that

are of special significance to Aboriginal people.

The BearPaw Digital Library provides open access to

a wide range of legal education materials,

information relating to social justice issues, and other

content relevant to the Aboriginal community. The

library features videos, factsheets, articles, web links,

feedback options, and more.

Canadian Legal FAQs - www.law-faqs.org

Laws made by the federal government apply

across Canada, while provincial laws only

apply in a particular province.

Canadian Legal FAQs are organized by

information that applies nationally or to

Alberta. The FAQs can also be accessed by

topic.

This page links to both National and Alberta

information.

CanLII - www.canlii.org

This website provides access to court judgments,

tribunal decisions, statutes and regulations from

all Canadian jurisdictions.

CanLII is a non-profit organization managed by

the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

CanLII's goal is to make Canadian law

accessible for free on the Internet.

Searching this database is FREE and easy.

Alberta Employment Standards –

www.work.alberta.ca

Employment Standards are minimum standards of employment for

employers and employees in the workplace. In Alberta, our

employment standards are contained in the Employment Standards

Code and the Employment Standards Regulation.

Log on to the Alberta Job, Skills, Training & Labour website to learn

about

Employment Standards Code

Employment Standards Regulation

Fact Sheets

Submit a Complaint

Check Your Complaint Status

Family Law Questions & Answers -

www.legalaid.ab.ca

Find answers to questions about:

Family Law Basics

Common-Law Relationships/Adult Interdependent

Relationships

Ending an Adult Interdependent Relationship or

Marriage

Division of Matrimonial Property

Division of Property between Unmarried Couples

Children and Guardians

Consent to Travel (with child)

Grandparents Rights

Family Violence

Alberta Human Rights Commission –

www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca

The Alberta Human Rights Commission has a

two-fold mandate:

to foster equality

to reduce discrimination

It fulfills this mandate through public education

initiatives and the resolution and settlement of

complaints of discrimination.

Visit this website to find publications on Human

Rights in the workplace, the Complaint Process,

Information & Resources for Aboriginal Peoples,

youth and minorities.

John Howard Society of Alberta -

www.johnhoward.ab.ca

The John Howard Society of Alberta is a non-

profit agency concerned with the problem of

crime and its prevention. They provide free

resources, activities and lesson plans for

teachers on subjects such as:

Alcohol & Drugs

Bullying & Cyberbullying

Family Violence

Gangs

Newcomers

Youth and the Law in the Digital Age

Youth Criminal Justice Act

Justice Canada - www.justice.gc.ca

Justice Canada is the online source of the

consolidated Acts and regulations of Canada.

The consolidations are generally updated every

two weeks.

Frequently accessed Acts: Access to Information Act

Canada Elections Act

Canada Labour Code

Copyright Act

Criminal Code

Divorce Act

Financial Administration Act

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

Income Tax Act

Pension Act

Privacy Act

Youth Criminal Justice Act

LawCentral Alberta - www.lawcentralalberta.ca

www.lawcentralalberta.ca offers an online

collection of links to legal information and

education. A website of the Legal Resource Centre,

LawCentral- Alberta is all about linking Albertans

to legal information, education and help.

Be sure to visit the LawCentral Canada site for

federal information and resources (link is on the

Alberta site and there is a francophone site as

well) and A-Link which offers a glossary of legal

terms.

Laws for Landlords & Tenants -

www.landlordandtenant.org

The Landlord and Tenant website

offers information on laws, rights &

responsibilities of landlords and

tenants in Alberta.

There are helpful publications and

podcasts available for download.

Legal Avenue - www.LegalAve.ca

This new website contains resources about family law.

This includes information about marriage and divorce,

adoption, elder care, domestic violence, and child

support.

Future developments will include updates to the family

law content and expansion to include information on

other areas of law.

LegalAve is not only intended for Albertans looking for

legal information, it also helps service providers make

effective referrals and stay current about the programs

and services of other organizations

Parole Board of Canada - www.pbc-clcc.gc

The Parole Board of Canada (PBC), as part of the

criminal justice system, makes independent, quality

conditional release and record suspension decisions

and clemency recommendations.

The Board contributes to the protection of society by

facilitating as appropriate, the timely reintegration

of offenders as law-abiding citizens.

Find information on:

Parole

Record Suspensions (formerly Pardons)

Victims of Crime

PLEASE NOTE: This is the primary source for info on Record Suspensions.

Do not confuse it with websites that want you to pay for their services.

There is no guarantee that you will receive a pardon through 3rd

parties. Only the PBC can grant record suspensions.

Safe Roads Alberta - www.saferoads.com

Safe Roads is a program of The

Alberta Office of Traffic Safety,

Alberta Transportation and

provides education and information

on traffic laws and safety to help

prevent motor vehicle collisions,

build safer roads, establish and

enforce traffic laws.

Alberta Youth Law - www.youthlaw.ca

YouthLaw is a website of the Children's Legal &

Educational Resource Centre (CLERC). CLERC provides

free legal services to children and youth who have

nowhere else to go for legal support.

This website is a public legal information tool and

provides information to young people with respect to

Alberta civil law.

The website also provides young people with the

opportunity to “Ask a Lawyer a Question” directly by

email.

Visit us at www.PLEonline.ca

Partners in

providing Public

Legal Education:

We hope you find these resources useful and please get in touch with us should you require help finding specific resources.

P.O. Box 417, 9531 – 94 AvenueLac La Biche, AB T0A 2C0

Phone: 780.623.5680 or 1.866.623.5551 (toll free) ext. 5680

General E-mail inquiries can be sent to public.legal@portagecollege.ca