In the Fall of 2018, the BC Provincial Government will introduce a new speculation tax on residential property. This tax will target foreign and domestic speculators who pay little or no income tax in BC as well as satellite families (families who pay little income tax in BC and have high worldwide income). The BC…
Read More
An owner sued the strata corporation and the strata corporations’ property manager alleging she suffered injuries as a result of inhaling toxic paint fumes when a painting company engaged by the strata corporation repainted the common property hallways and stairways in both of the strata buildings: Wingrave v. Pure Painters Inc. ,2018 BCSC 58. The owner’s…
Read More
One of the less desirable parts of being an employer involves sometimes being forced to terminate staff members. While awkward and often painful termination meetings cannot be avoided, a potential claim for damages for wrongful dismissal can generally be sidestepped with a few simply preemptive steps. Employers are well advised to understand their obligations to…
Read More
To resolve one of the challenges that booming Kelowna faces - the need for more housing - the City of Kelowna has been interested in bringing new housing concepts to Kelowna’s core downtown neighborhoods. One such concept is the new urban residential zoning, or RU7 zoning. RU7 zoning offers an opportunity for increased density in…
Read MoreOne of the values that our firm prides itself on is giving back to the community, something we do in a number of different ways. One example of our community commitment is our participation in the Partners for Life program at Canadian Blood Services, a voluntary program for organizations and businesses to donate blood. By…
Read More
We've all been there, sitting in our car in a left turning lane waiting impatiently for the never ending traffic to pass or the light to turn yellow so that we can finally make our left turn. We've possibly even waited through a couple sets of light changes before we finally get to the front…
Read More
When you're involved in a motor vehicle accident, thoughts of shock and fear may be racing through your mind. It can be hard to remember all the necessary actions you need to take in the event you, or someone around you is involved in a motor vehicle accident. We've compiled a car accident checklist that…
Read More
Most of us learned to look both ways before crossing the street. This simple advice couldn't have been more applicable than during my recent trip to New York. Needless to say, I was somewhat surprised at the incredible speeds, and NASCAR maneuvers used by the taxicabs down the main streets of Manhattan without a care…
Read More
As has been discussed in previous postings, all employee/employer relationships are defined by an employment contract. Sometimes these contracts are written out, however, many employment contracts are implied. Simply put, this means that the terms, conditions and dynamics of the employment relationship are based on experience and on the reasonable expectations of the employee and…
Read More
As you may know, the buyer of an interest in real estate in BC must pay property transfer tax on the closing date of the purchase totaling 1% of the first $200,000.00, and 2% on the remainder of the fair market value of the property purchased (up to $2,000,000.00). Property transfer tax is payable at…
Read More