THE CIVIL LEGAL SYSTEM IN CANADA IS BROKEN
The civil legal system in Canada is not for middle class Canadians. It is broken; expensive, antiquated, unfair and cumbersome. Over the last 10 years, I have been involved in several civil cases including one of my own that have demonstrated the great need for a new and far more affordable system in settling civil legal cases for the middle class.
One of the cases involved a friend who's house was damaged in a landslide. When the local government broke their promise to buy her property she had no recourse other than to sue. Unfortunately, the slide had depreciated the value of her property and when she received her notice of assessment from the BC Assessment Authority, was shocked to discover the property was valued for tax purposes at $85,000. And this was in a rising market when assessments for modest family homes were in the $500,000 to $750,000 valuation range.
Various quotes from law firms were in the $200,000 range for a legal case against the local government and as she had little to no equity in her home due to the slide, a second mortgage was out of the question. She did not qualify for legal aid and as she had no other means of paying for such an expensive law suit, her options were nil. Fortunately, she had several friends who took up her cause and by publicizing the case and shaming the local politicians caused the local government to settle her case, a process that took 2 years and untold hours of work.
In my next post, I will profile a civil case another friend of mine is embroiled in, a case not of her making but could end costing in her excess of $100,000 with little to no hope of recovering her costs from the plaintiff when she wins. She will win. The case has little merit and should not have even have been entertained by the courts - in my opinion.
One of the cases involved a friend who's house was damaged in a landslide. When the local government broke their promise to buy her property she had no recourse other than to sue. Unfortunately, the slide had depreciated the value of her property and when she received her notice of assessment from the BC Assessment Authority, was shocked to discover the property was valued for tax purposes at $85,000. And this was in a rising market when assessments for modest family homes were in the $500,000 to $750,000 valuation range.
Various quotes from law firms were in the $200,000 range for a legal case against the local government and as she had little to no equity in her home due to the slide, a second mortgage was out of the question. She did not qualify for legal aid and as she had no other means of paying for such an expensive law suit, her options were nil. Fortunately, she had several friends who took up her cause and by publicizing the case and shaming the local politicians caused the local government to settle her case, a process that took 2 years and untold hours of work.
In my next post, I will profile a civil case another friend of mine is embroiled in, a case not of her making but could end costing in her excess of $100,000 with little to no hope of recovering her costs from the plaintiff when she wins. She will win. The case has little merit and should not have even have been entertained by the courts - in my opinion.
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