Legal Information/ Legal Briefs
Legal Briefs
Until 2010, these legal briefs provide examples of judgments pertaining to everyday situations. Beginning in 2012, they deal with various topics of general interest, such as rental issues, family law, human rights, civil liability, insurance, dealings between spouses and social aid. They are intended to inform and to prevent undesirable situations.
Legal Briefs 2013
December
Same-sex spouses, a reality... know your rights! 
MARRIAGE
In Québec, since March 19, 2004, it has been possible for same-sex couples to marry or enter into a civil union.
As a result, in the event of a separation or divorce, same-sex couples who are married or in a civil union benefit from the various types of protection provi
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November
What is child pornography?
Perhaps you sometimes visit porn sites. So as not to commit an offence associated with child pornography, you must avoid accessing images or films that show a person who is or is depicted as being under the age of 18.
Child pornography is a crime that was added to the Criminal Code fai
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October
HAS - Homologation assistance service for agreements
The HAS is intended for parties who wish, for whatever reason, to modify arrangements pertaining to child custody or access rights or to support involving a child or a child and a former spouse, where the parties have previously obtained a judgment with respect to child custody or support. Only peop
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September
How can a decision of the Régie du logement be executed?
Martin sued his landlord before the Régie du logement for damages and to force him to make repairs to his dwelling. After a lengthy legal battle, Martin obtained a judgment in his favour granting him $1,500 in damages.
Now, Martin is wondering what to do in order to collect the sums owed to h
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June
Can I be compensated by the IVAC and also sue my attacker?
Joëlle was the victim of a violent crime that caused her serious injuries, some of which will never heal. Her attacker was caught and she is therefore thinking about taking him to court in order to be compensated for the harm she suffered. In addition, Joëlle was informed by the investigators in cha
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May
Misconduct and employment insurance
Section 30 of the Employment Insurance Act1 stipulates that a person cannot receive employment insurance benefits if they lose their job because of their misconduct or if they voluntarily leave their job without just cause. The notion of misconduct has been defined in the case law
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May
The obligation of support for spouses
Marie and Robert have been married for 25 years. During their marriage, Robert worked as an engineer in a well-known company and, on average, earned $150,000 a year. Marie stayed home to look after their three children and their home. During this time, Marie never held a paying job, because she was
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April
The IVAC says I’m the author of my own misfortune – What can I do?
Pierre-Olivier occasionally uses illegal drugs. One day, he asks a friend to get him some drugs for a party he is organizing at his home that weekend. During a meeting a few hours after the transaction, the two men get into a verbal argument about an old love feud that goes back several years. While
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March
Repossession of the dwelling by the landlord
Marc and Claudia have been tenants in the same dwelling for the past 10 years. Two days ago, they received a notice of repossession of the dwelling from their landlord.
The landlord informed them that he will repossess their dwelling at the end of the lease, so his 18-year-old son, who is a f
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March
I was injured at work - What should I do?
Nowadays, people are quite familiar with the program of the CSST (Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail) and know that they can claim benefits from this agency if they are injured at work. However, when filing an application, many people approach the process rather clumsily, both as regards deadlines and the drafting of the application itself.
Over time, when deciding whether to accept or refuse applications, the courts have developed certain criteria for determining the eligibility of applications, from which we can identify a few basic principles. It would be wise to keep these principles in mind when an injury occurs at work, so as to avoid harming the chances of a successful application.
Don't try to be tough. Some people, particularly in the traditionally more masculine occupations, will make a huge effort to conceal their pain, out of fear of being judged or ridiculed by their co-workers. This kind of behaviour makes it very difficult to prove the occurrence of an accident, because not only will no one have witnessed the incident or the injury, but you will have shown that you were able to continue to perform your normal work during the rest of the day.
Report the injury to the employer immediately. This is a detail that many people forget, but one that is very important in order to prove that the injury did indeed occur while you were at work and not during your hockey game the previous evening. Whether or not the injury is serious, go see your immediate supervisor right away and explain what just happened. If no representative of your employer is present, talk about it to your co-workers and ask them to talk about it to the employer if you have to leave quickly.
Consult a doctor as soon as possible. If you were injured at work, don't wait too long to see if the pain will go away on its own. Go see a doctor as quickly as possible so that a note about the accident appears in a medical record and a diagnosis (even a preliminary one) can be made. In this way, not only will you ensure that medical monitoring of your injury can begin as soon as possible, you will also greatly reduce the risk of doubt that the injury may have been caused by something other than the events at work that day.
Don't try to embellish your file. When the time comes to discuss their case with a CSST agent, some people will try to give their file a boost by omitting certain facts or changing certain dates. In virtually all cases, this will result in contradictions in your file; these contradictions will be identified and will greatly impact your credibility, and may even destroy it completely. Waiting a bit too long to consult a doctor or failing to mention the accident to your employer are not necessarily fatal errors as regards your application; however, reduced credibility casts a doubt on everything in your file, even things that are true!
By following these basic principles, you will accelerate the processing of your compensation file and maximize your chances of having your application approved. However, if the CSST ultimately rejects your application, don't wait: contest the decision as quickly as possible and consult a lawyer!
Legal brief *
March
2013
Number
05
Text prepared by Me Bruno Boucher,avocat au bureau d’aide juridique Sud-Ouest de Montréal
* The information set out in this document is not a legal interpretation.
The masculine is used to designate persons solely in order to simplify the text.
February
Child support
Arthur and Marine had been living together for 5 years. They had two children, Philippe and Frédéric.
For some time, things between them had not been going well and they decided to separate. They therefore each found a new place to live and agreed that Marine would have custody of the childre
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January
My neighbours are too noisy.What are my rights?
You've been living for a short while in an apartment that seemed to be a peaceful haven when you visited the premises before signing the lease. Now, however, you are being disturbed by neighbours who have little respect for your peace and quiet. They turn up the music, even late at night, slam doors
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January
Psychosocial assessments in family matters:Part of the Evidence
A psychosocial assessment is an assessment performed by a specialist in social sciences. It is a complete and unbiased assessment of the family and social situation of a child about whom there is a court dispute involving custody or visitation rights.
The purpose of the expert assessment is t
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