Resource List

General Resources

Governments & Organizations
Provincial Governments:

British Columbia | Alberta | Saskatchewan | Manitoba | Ontario | Quebec | New Brunswick | Nova Scotia | Prince Edward Island | Newfoundland | Yukon | Northwest Territories | Nunavut

Federal Government
Print Resources
Audio-Visual Resources
Other Resources

Unit 1: An Introduction to Law

Chapter 1: Law: It's Purpose and History
Chapter 2: The Rights and Freedoms of Canadians
Chapter 3: Barriers to Achieving Equality

Unit 2: Criminal Law

Chapter 4: Criminal Law and Criminal Offences
Chapter 5: The Criminal Code
Chapter 6: Drug Use, Drinking, and Driving
Chapter 7: Bringing the Accused To Trial
Chapter 8: Trial Procedures
Chapter 9: From Sentencing to Release
Chapter 10: The Youth Justice System

Unit 3: Tort and Dispute Resolution

Chapter 11: Resolving Civil Disputes
Chapter 12: Negligence and Other Torts

Unit 4: Family Law

Chapter 13: Marriage, Divorce, and Family Mediation
Chapter 14: Children and Family Law
Chapter 15: Division of Family Property and Spousal Support

Unit 5: Contract Law

Chapter 16: Elements of a Contract
Chapter 17: Carrying Out the Contract
Chapter 18: Landlord and Tenant Law
Chapter 19: Employment Law

General Legal Resources

Not all of the resource material has been personally viewed or used by the authors. Rather it is a compilation from teachers’ suggestions, reviewers’ comments, newspapers, magazines, and catalogues. Whether it is an appropriate resource for your students is for you to determine.

Governments and Organizations

A number of government departments and non-profit organizations in Canada produce free or inexpensive resource information about the law. This information provides additional and useful support for a textbook in law classes. Listed below are some of the key governments, organizations, and individuals you may wish to contact to use their services, or obtain copies of their publications. Since it is impossible to publish a resource list that will remain current for very long, write or telephone for the most recent list of available resources, and ask to be placed on their mailing lists to automatically receive any new publications and announcements.

Provincial Governments

British Columbia

Ministry of the Attorney General
Communications and Public Affairs
11th floor–1001 Douglas Street
Victoria, British Columbia V8V 1X4
(604) 387-5211
(604) 387-6224 (fax)

B.C. Human Rights Commission
Parliament Building
Victoria, British Columbia V6V 1X4
(604) 387-3710
(604) 660-2252 (fax)

Legal Services Society of British Columbia
Box 3, Suite 300
1500–1140 West Pender Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 4G1
(604) 660-4600
(604) 660-9578

Contact the Legal Services Society for copies of its Publications Catalogue and Audio-Visual Library Catalogue.
The People’s Law School
The Public Legal Education Society
150–900 Howe Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2M4 (604) 331-5400
(604) 331-5401 (fax)

This organization publishes legal materials primarily of use to educators in British Columbia. Many of which are available online, and in several different languages.
One that may be particularly useful:

Working: Your Legal Rights in British Columbia—This free 1996 publication is based on the experiences of high school students and young people in the workforce. The information covers B.C. employees’ rights and responsibilities when applying for a job, working on the job, and leaving or losing a job. It also gives ideas about how to deal with legal problems students might face in the workplace. Although there are many provincial and federal laws that protect employment rights, this book focuses on a person’s rights as a worker under B.C.’s Employment Standards Act. This publication was revised 2001, and updated 2002.

Alberta

Alberta Department of Justice
Communications Branch
Bowker Building
9833–109th Street, 3rd Floor
Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2E8
(403) 427-5032
(403) 422-9639 (fax)

Alberta Human Rights Commission
10010 106 Street, Suite 308
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3L2
(403) 495-4040
(403) 495-4044 (fax)

Legal Resource Centre
University of Alberta
Faculty of Extension
11019–90 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1A6
(403) 492-1751
(403) 492-6180 (fax)

The Legal Resource Centre was developed to assist citizens in gaining access to the information and skills needed to undertake a wide variety of law-related activities. Its’ primary resource is Law Now, which contains articles on law, teaching strategies, and a listing of recently published print and audio-visual resources. Although its primary focus is the law in Alberta, the publication can be adapted for use by teachers across Canada, since the legal background information is excellent. Law Now is available at an annual subscription fee of $24.95 for six issues, and is one of the best general, and inexpensive resources for teachers.

Access Network
The Alberta Educational Communications Corporation
Program Sales
3720-76th Avenue
Calgary, Alberta T6B 2N9
1-888-440-4640
This organization has a number of law and law-related video programs available for rental preview and purchase. Write or telephone for the most recent prices and available videos.

Education Law Infoservice
Box 72038 RPO Glenmore Landing
Calgary, Alberta T2J 3L1
(403) 640-6242
(403) 640-9911(fax)
www.edlawcanada.com

The Education Law Reporter is published 10 times a year and provides articles and summaries of cases that are of interest to teachers, students, school boards, and parents. A one-year subscription is $135 plus GST. Subscription to the journal also allows use of the online reference tools, which contain back issues of the journal.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Justice
Communications Branch
1874 Scarth Street, 10th Floor
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3V7
(306) 787-5351
(306) 787-3874 (fax)

Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission
1942 Hamilton Street, 3rd Floor
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3V7
(306) 787-2530
(306) 787-0454 (fax)

Public Legal Education Society of Saskatchewan (PLEA)
115– 701 Cynthia Street
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7L 6B7
(306) 653-1868
(306) 653-1869 (fax)
pleasask@web.net (e-mail)
www.plea.org Web site
The Plea is a newsletter that is distributed to schools in Saskatchewan, and is also available on the web. Recent issues covered include aboriginal law and youth justice.

The following publications are some titles available from PLEA Saskatchewan and must be pre-paid:

Aboriginal Youth: Dealing with the Youth Justice System in Canada
This 1996 resource manual will help teachers and students learn about youth justice in Canada from an aboriginal perspective. The manual provides background information for teachers, content for students, case studies, and a variety of individual, small group, and class activities. The price of the manual is $25 plus shipping.

Law 30 Information Kit
This recent publication is a collection of teaching tips, information about high school law periodicals and textbooks, and other resources for teaching law. The price of the publication is $5 plus shipping.

R. v. Wyler: A Mock Trial Kit
This 1991 publication is a step-by-step teacher’s guide with a criminal fact situation, trial script, diagrams, courtroom personnel profiles, and instructions. The price of the publication is $10 plus shipping.

Youth and the Law: Teacher’s Manual
This 1992 manual provides a series of instructional units developed for teachers using the student booklets, Youth and the Law. It will assist teachers in grades seven through ten in various curriculums and contains approaches that emphasize the role that law plays in our society. Each unit can be developed independently and includes various activities and case studies. The price of the manual is $15 plus shipping.

Manitoba

Manitoba Justice
405 Broadway Avenue, 9th Floor
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3L6
(204) 945-3728

Manitoba Human Rights Commission
259 Portage Avenue, Room 301
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2A9
(204) 945-3007
(204) 945-1292 (fax)

Community Legal Education Society
304–283 Bannatyne Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 3B2
(204) 943-2382

Ontario

Ministry of the Attorney General
Communications Branch
720 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2K1
(416) 326-2200

Ontario Human Rights Commission
180 Dundas Street West, 8th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2R9
(416) 314-4500
(416) 314-4533 (fax)

Community Legal Education Ontario
700 King Street West, Suite 618
Toronto, Ontario M5V 2Y6
(416) 941-9860

Quebec

Ministere de la Justice
Direction des communications
1200, route de l’Eglise, 3e etage
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
H1V 4M1
(418) 643-5140

Quebec Human Rights Commission
470–1253 McGill College Avenue
Montreal, Quebec H3B 2Y5
(514) 283-5218
(514) 283-5084 (fax)

Commission des Services Juridiques
2, Complexe Desjardins
Tour de l’Est, Bureau 1404
Montreal, Quebec H5B 1B3

New Brunswick

Department of Justice & Attorney General
Centennial Building
Box 6000
Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5H1
(506) 453-2583
(506) 453-3651

New Brunswick Human Rights Commission
Box 5001
Saint John, New Brunswick E2L 4Y9
(506) 658-2414
(506) 658-3075 (fax)

Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick
Box 6000
Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5H1
(506) 453-5369

Nova Scotia

Department of Justice
Communications & Public Affairs
Box 7
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2L6
(902) 424-4044
(902) 424-0510 (fax)

Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
Box 2221
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3C4
(902) 424-4111
(902) 424-0596 (fax)

Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia
5523B Young Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3K 5L2
(902) 454-2198
(902) 455-3105 (fax)
www.legalinfo.org/publications.html
Contact this organization for their most recent list of available general interest print resources.

Prince Edward Island

Office of the Attorney General
Box 2000
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7N8
(902) 368-5250
(902) 368-4121 (fax)

Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission
Box 2000
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7N8
(902) 368-4180
(902) 368-4236 (fax)

Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island
Box 1207
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7M8
(902) 892-0853

Newfoundland

Department of Justice
Legal Information Services
Confederation Building
Box 8700
St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 4J6
(709) 729-2869
(709) 729-0469 (fax)

Newfoundland Human Rights Commission
Box 8700
St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 4J6
(709) 729-2709
(709) 729-0790 (fax)

Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland
Box 1064, Station “C”
215 Water Street, 5th Floor
St. John’s, Newfoundland A1C 5M5
(709) 722-2643

Yukon

Department of Justice
Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6
(403) 667-5716
(403) 667-3035 (fax)

Yukon Human Rights Commission
205 Rogers Street
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 1X1
(403) 667-6226
(403) 667-2662 (fax)

Yukon Public Legal Education Association
c/o Yukon College
Box 2799
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5K4
(403) 668-5297

Northwest Territories

Department of Justice
Government of the Northwest Territories
Box 1320
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
X1A 2L9
(403) 669-2366
(403) 873-0169

Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission
401–10506 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2W9
(403) 495-4040
(403) 495-4044 (fax)

Nunavut

Nunavut Fair Practices Officer
The Government of Nunavut
Department of Justice
P.O. Box 2528
Iqaluit, NUX0A 0H0
(867) 979-2043
(867) 979-6050 (fax)
billr@nunanet.com (email)

Public Legal Education and Information in Nunavut (PLEIN)
c/o Legal Services Board of Nunavut
Box 125
Gjoa Haven, NUX0B 1J0
(867) 360-4603
(867) 360-6112 (fax)
btulloch@gov.nu.ca
The PLEIN Web site contains many useful links to other sites about law in Nunavut, as well as the rest of Canada. These are located in the Resources link on the Web site.
www.plein.ca

Federal Government

The following federal government agencies provide resource material for law classes. This is by no means a comprehensive listing. Because material is constantly being revised and new resources produced, it is advisable to write and have your name placed on the permanent mailing list to receive all new materials and information releases on new legislation. Write to the Communications Division for the latest listing of print and audio-visual resources; the department provides extensive information for support material on federal criminal law.

Department of Justice
Communications and Public Affairs
Justice Building
239 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8

Solicitor General Canada
Communications Division
Sir Wilfrid Laurier Building
340 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0P8
(613) 992-4624
(613) 991-2924

For copies of A Guide to Federal Programs and Services, contact
Reference Canada Program
Canada Communications Group
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S5
(613) 941-3306
(613) 941-3393 (fax)

For copies of specific federal legislation, contact
Canadian Government Publishing Centre
Supply and Services Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S9

Canadian Human Rights Commission
National Office
Place de Ville, Tower A, 320 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1E1
(613) 995-1151
(613) 996-9661 (fax)

Atlantic Provinces
(902) 426-8380
1-800-565-1752
(902) 426-2685 (fax)

Quebec
(514) 283-5218
(514) 283-5084 (fax)

Ontario
(416) 973-5527
(416) 973-6184 (fax)

Prairie Provinces
(204) 983-2189
(204) 983-6132 (fax)

Alberta and Northwest Territories
(403) 495-4040
(403) 495-4044 (fax)

British Columbia
(604) 666-2251
(604) 666-2386 (fax)

Print Resources

The following should be on every Canadian law teacher’s list of essential resources. They provide a wealth of excellent general background and information that most teachers do not have time to read, research, and assimilate. Each is very reasonably priced and should be subscribed to on an annual basis.

Just in Time

This quarterly magazine newsletter brings together information on topical legal issues in an easy-to-read format and has been designed to give students a clear understanding of some of the major developments in Canadian law. Each issue consists of three sections:

The Highlighter—features a current case related to the issue’s theme, along with the court’s decision. Also included is a recent, related case where students are given the facts, issues, and points to consider and are asked to make a judgment. This feature, You Be the Judge, is designed as a synthesis, an application of principles. The Highlighter may be copied for subscriber use.

The Backgrounder—contains materials not covered in the Highlighter. It is a 12–16-page resource booklet designed to give teachers and students a means of examining the theme issue in depth. A second, usually somewhat more complicated, You Be the Judge, case is provided. Following the case, the court’s decision is explained.

Issue Testing—contains objective questions to test students on information contained in the Highlighter. Answers to test questions are provided, and Issue Testing may be copied for subscriber use.
A year’s subscription of four issues of Just in Time costs $45.00 for all three sections. Subscription includes copying rights. Contact:
I.P.I. Publishing Limited
50 Prince Arthur Avenue, Suite 708
Toronto, Ontario M5R 1B5
(416) 944-1141
(416) 944-1153 (fax)

Decisis: The Law Journal for Teachers of Canadian Law

This 16-page publication contains brief digests and comments on recent Canadian cases, as well as updates on changes in major provincial and federal legislation and decisions from provincial courts of appeal. Cases are selected from all the major areas of the law and from all provinces, and this journal provides an inexpensive and easy way for law teachers to remain current in their teaching.

A one-year subscription to Decisis is $45.00. Subscriptions are available from:
Spetz Publishing Ltd.
630 Graceland Avenue
Kingston, Ontario K7M 7P7
(613) 389-7176

Carswell is Canada’s largest publisher of legal materials. A high school catalogue containing excellent reference books is available. Several of Carswell’s more recent and less expensive classroom resources have been listed throughout the remaining Resources section. There are many more expensive subject-specific and province-specific resources included in the Carswell catalogue. When you order any of these texts, ask if it is also available in soft cover. It seems that some of the hard cover books are available in both formats but not listed as such in the catalogue.

Carswell Publications
1 Corporate Plaza
2075 Kennedy Road
Scarborough, Ontario M1T 3V4
(416) 609-3800
1-800-387-5164
(416) 298-5082 (fax)
http://www.carswell.com

Butterworths is another major publisher of legal materials. Write to the publisher for a copy of the latest catalogue.
Butterworths
75 Clegg Road
Markham, Ontario L6G 1A1
(905) 479-2665
1-800-668-6481
(905) 479-2826 (fax)
http://www.butterworths.ca

The Lawyer’s Weekly is published 48 times a year and circulates to the legal community across Canada. This newspaper provides a wealth of information about current cases, especially Supreme Court of Canada landmark judgments, legal precedents, and case analyses. An annual subscription costs $190.00 plus GST, and student rates are available at $49.00 plus GST.

The Lawyer’s Weekly
Toronto Offices
75 Clegg Road
Markham, Ontario
L6G 1A1
(905) 479-2665
1-800-461-3275
(905) 479-3758 (fax)

Vancouver Bureau
409 Granville Street, Suite 1455
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6Z 2H2
(604) 689-0678
(604) 682-5779 (fax)

Peache House Press publishes a series of educational resources called The Classroom PUZZLER. These three-ring binders of activities are available for many business subjects, including Law Studies.
Each resource contains over 100 pages of activities for use in the classroom. Purchase of this resource gives teachers unlimited rights to prepare handouts or overhead transparencies for use in all classes. The cost of each subject-oriented PUZZLER resource is $69.95 plus GST and shipping.

Peache House Press
Box 56
Norwich, Ontario N0J 1P0
(519) 863-3255

Audio-Visual Resources

Because it is an infringement of Canadian copyright law to tape CBC and CTV programs, including news and current affairs broadcasts, off the air for use in schools, libraries, or other public places, these networks make some of their law-related materials available for purchase. Video materials from Canada’s two major networks are listed throughout the Resources section, with the specific units and chapters for which the videos are most appropriate. This is by no means a comprehensive list.

For further information, contact:
CBC Educational Sales
Box 500, Station “A”
Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6
(416) 205-6384
(416) 205-3482 (fax)

In addition to the videos listed throughout the Resources section, CBC also produces News in Review, providing Canadian students and educators with relevant, timely, concise investigative reports of Canadian and global current affairs. Produced exclusively for educational audiences, each video explores four current issues. Among issues profiled in recent years are Oka, Donald Marshall, the Keegstra case, cigarettes and advertising, Native justice in Manitoba, capital punishment in Canada, the Nancy B. case, freedom for David Milgaard, the police and changing times, the trials of Guy Paul Morin, violence against women, and the Sue Rodriguez case. The accompanying guide, written by teachers for teachers, provides excellent, challenging, and reproducible, multi-level, cross-curricular activities for students. This resource will save teachers hours of time.

Subscriptions may coincide with the school’s academic year (September through May, excluding January), or with the calendar year (February to May, September to December). A one-year subscription for the eight videos and accompanying resource guides is $864 plus $80 shipping. Videos can also be bought individually for $115.00 plus shipping, including a study guide for that month. Because of the cost, this purchase might be shared among several departments or purchased from the school’s overall budget for general use, as the videos are interdisciplinary and are excellent for integrated studies.

The distribution of CTV video programs is now handled through Magic Lantern Communications Ltd., hereafter referred to as MLC.

Central and Eastern Canada

Magic Lantern Ltd.
Suite 27, 1075 North Service Road
Oakville, ON
L6M 2G2
(905) 827-2755
1-800-263-1717
video@magiclantern.ca (email)

Western Canada

Magic Lantern Ltd.
19949–56th Avenue
Langley, British Columbia
V3A 3Y2
(604) 530-2602
(604) 530-2603 (fax)
mlcwest@sfu.ca (email)

The Magic Lantern Web site, with product information and online ordering, is www.magiclantern.com.

Please note the following information about the pricing structure for any videos ordered from Magic Lantern.

Public Performance Rights (PPR): allows the video to be shown to groups of viewers, provided no fee is charged and the program is not broadcast.

Home Video (HV) prices are for tapes that are purchased by individuals for private home use only, or by libraries to lend to patrons (students) for private home use only.

Throughout the Resources section, a number of National Film Board films and videos have been listed among the audio-visual resources for specific units. Check with the nearest branch of the National Film Board in your region, with your board of education’s media resource centre, or your nearest public library to determine how to access these NFB videos for your students.

NFB videos are also available for purchase at very reasonable prices; for prices and further information, contact your nearest National Film Board regional office:

To order videos directly from the NFB, call 1-800-267-7710 toll-free from anywhere in Canada or fax an order to (514) 496-2573.

You can also check out the NFB Internet Home page at http://www.nfb.ca to explore a wealth of information about their collection of over 9000 titles.
There is an online shop, however, it should be noted that not all titles are available this way. All of the titles listed below are available for purchase, and can be obtained by phoning the number above.

TVOntario produced a series of nine 30-minute videos and two 60-minute teleconferences, between 1990 and 1993, to explore contemporary legal issues relevant to senior Canadian high school students. The programs use a combination of drama and documentary, and they aim to provoke discussion about how the law influences students, and how students, in turn, can influence the law.

More detailed descriptions of each of the eleven programs appear in the appropriate chapter section that follows the title of each program:

1. What About My Rights? (Chapter 2, 5)
2. It’s a Free Country (Chapter 2)
3. To Be Equal...Or Not to Be (Chapter 2)
4. Access to Justice Teleconference (Chapter 2 or 19)
5. Between the Crime and the Courtroom (Chapter 4)
6. Your Day in Court (Chapter 8)
7. Victims and Witnesses Teleconference (Chapter 9)
8. Out of Control (Chapter 6)
9. Old Enough to Hurt (Chapter 9)
10. Family After Family (Chapter 15)
11. He Who Looks Upside Down (Chapter 3)

These programs are available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, or from most boards of education’s media resource centres. Also, some provincial ministries of education have purchased the series for use in their province’s schools.

McGraw-Hill Ryerson
Customer Care
300 Water Street
Whitby ON
L1N 9B6
1-800 463-5885
1-800 565-5758 (fax)

Other Resources

The Canadian Bar Association
902–50 O’Connor Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6L2
(613) 237-2925, ext. 156
1-800-267-8860, ext. 156
(613) 237-0185 (fax)
info@cba.org (email)

Contact the Association for a copy of its latest Publications Catalogue.

The Church Council of Justice and Corrections
Communications Coordinator
507 Bank Street, 2nd Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1Z5
(613) 563-1688
(613) 237-6129 (fax)

The Council provides educational programs, resource materials, consultations, workshops, seminars, and conferences on a variety of justice issues, such as aboriginal law, alternatives to punishment, community fears, capital punishment, families of prisoners, domestic violence, law reform, long-term prisoners, parole, racism, sentencing, sexual offences, urban crime, victims of violence, violence prevention, women’s concerns, and young offenders. A list of resource materials, including newsletters, briefs, theological papers, videocassettes, and posters, is available upon request.

Web sites

The Legal Education Society of Alberta

University of Alberta—Faculty of Law

Alberta Government

Alberta Justice

Access to Justice Network

University of British Columbia Faculty of Law

B.C. Law Reform Commission

Nova Scotia Law Reform Commission

Statutes of Canada

Supreme Court Reports

Statistics Canada

Canadian Law Resources on the Internet

Canadian Legal Resources on the World Wide Web

Quick Law

Canadian Judges Home Page

Canadian Legal Newsgroup

Unit 1: An Introduction to Law

Chapter 1: Law: Its Purpose and History

Print Resources

Introduction to the Study of Law, 5th edition
Waddams, Stephen M., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., LL.B., LL.M., S.J.D., F.R.S.C.
This 1996, 210-page reference book presents the fundamentals of formal legal study by introducing readers to legal problem solving and providing an understanding of the language of law. It also surveys the structure of the legal system in Canada, the sources of our laws, and the distinction between public and private law. Available from Carswell.

The Dictionary of Canadian Law, 2nd edition
Dukelow, Daphne A., B.Sc., LL.B., LL.M. and Nuse, Betsy, B.A. (Hon.)
This 1994, 1560-page reference book, created exclusively from Canadian legal sources, contains over 28 300 definitions of legal terms in Canadian law. All law classrooms should have a copy of this Canadian dictionary. Available from Carswell.

Audio-Visual Resources

The Road to Patriation
This 1984, 56-minute NFB/CBC video examines the motives of some of the most important figures involved in the 1982 patriation of the Canadian constitution from England. Available for sale from the NFB.

Canadian Parliamentary Video
This 1989, 30-minute video provides students with a brief history of Canada. The video then focuses on the House of Commons and the Senate, where a new session of Parliament is about to begin. The Speaker, the Speech from the Throne, the major national political parties, and the prime minister are introduced. The camera focuses on the Cabinet, the Opposition, question period, the reading of Bills, and excerpts from a 1986 debate on capital punishment. It is dated, given some of the political leaders and Canada’s current political situation. Available from CBC.

Chapter 2: The Rights and Freedoms of Canadians

Print Resources

Freedom of Expression and the Charter
This 1991, 510-page reference book presents essays by authors from the legal academy and the practising bar, as well as journalists, sociologists, and historians. The book is divided into seven different subject areas, exploring the impact of the Charter’s guarantee of free expression on the laws of defamation, obscenity, and hate propaganda. Other parts review the theory and practice behind protecting commercial expression, demonstrations and picketing, and the impact of free expression on access to court proceedings. Available from Carswell.

Teaching Human Rights
This 1996, 125-page publication essentially teaches tolerance of differences. The teacher’s guide provides instructional resources for teaching human rights for grade levels from primary to high school, and as part of several curricula. The guide deals with such basic subjects as the meaning of rights, what is discrimination, and rights and responsibilities. For more advanced students, it also treats the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Act. The guide includes case studies, activities, handouts, instructional resources, and the text of the important human rights documents. Available from Public Legal Education Saskatchewan for $25 plus shipping.

Teaching Human Rights in Ontario
This 1995 teaching resource, developed by the Ontario Human Rights Commission and a group of educators, is designed to teach students about the provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the work of the Commission, and the concept of respecting and protecting each others’ rights. It consists of three main sections: a teacher’s package explaining how to use the material; a teacher’s reference with background information to give teachers a better understanding for dealing with questions that might arise while discussing the material; and students’ handouts for use with classroom activities.

The package uses examples of true human rights cases in its illustrations and case studies, and the cases describe situations to students in a language that can easily be understood. The resource comes in a three ring binder format with exercises ready for photocopying. Available free of charge from:

Ontario Human Rights Commission
Policy and Public Education Branch
180 Dundas Street West, 9th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2R9
(416) 314-4507
(416) 314-4533 (fax)

More Human Rights Information
A recently published package of information sheets dealing with such subjects as the evolution of human rights law, the Charter and Canadian and Alberta human rights law, and areas and grounds protected under the Individual’s Rights Protection Act is also available. These brochures can be obtained from the Alberta Human Rights Commission at (413) 297-6571.

The 1996 Annotated Canadian Human Rights Act
This 276-page reference book is an excellent guide to the practical workings of the Canadian Human Rights Act. It includes the full text of the legislation, commentary and analysis on a section-by-section basis, digests of all significant tribunal and judicial decisions, and cross-over references to related legislative provisions. This reference is updated annually. Available from Carswell.

The 1996 Annotated Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
This 608-page reference book offers case summaries of all reported appellate decisions interpreting or applying the Charter, together with concise commentary explaining the intent and application of this landmark document. This portable reference provides a starting point for research into over 2000 Charter interpretations. It is updated annually. Available from Carswell.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (booklet)
This brief, concise explanation of Charter rights is available from:
Multiculturalism and Citizenship Canada
Communications Branch
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1K5
(819) 997-0055

“Guide to Your Rights”
This is an information packet with brochures available from: Canadian Human Rights Commission
320 Queen Street
Place de Ville, Tower A
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1E1,
(613) 995-1151

“‘Explosive issues’ hit Canada’s high court,” The Toronto Star, July 1, 1996; “Retirement a major issue to chief justice,” The Toronto Star, July 2, 1996; “Drafting judges’ code tricky,” The Toronto Star, July 3, 1996.
Based on interviews with Chief Justice Antonio Lamer on the occasion of his sixth anniversary as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, this three-part series by David Vienneau explores the Court’s frequent role as arbiter of social policy and the criticism that attracts; the negative aspects of the retirement policy legislated by the 1946 Judges Act; and what conduct should be expected from a judge of the court.

Audio-Visual Resources

Action: The October Crisis of 1970
This 1973, 87-minute award-winning NFB video presents a long and thoughtful look at the days of October 1970, when Montreal awaited the outcome of FLQ terrorist acts. This film considers the October Crisis in historical perspective as it is created from the news and other items; it shows independence movements past and present, and their leaders; it reflects the emotions expressed when the Canadian army arrived in Montreal; and it shows how political leaders viewed the intervention.

Memories of October
This 1990, 15-minute program, from CBC’s The Fifth Estate series, presents a retrospective of the FLQ October crisis, 20 years after the tragedy. Diplomat James Cross, one of the kidnapped men, takes the viewer back to the small room where he was held captive and where he expected to die. Despite the passage of time, Cross has not forgiven and will not forgive the people who subjected him to this ordeal. Available from CBC.

The Boys of St. Vincent
This 1992, 93-minute award-winning and powerful NFB/CBC video is part one of two that follows the desperate struggle by young residents of a Roman Catholic orphanage to escape their nightmare of physical and sexual abuse. Available from the NFB.

The Boys of St. Vincent—15 Years Later
This 1992, 93-minute video picks up the story of the young residents of the St. Vincent orphanage, 15 years later. At last, a government inquiry reopens the case. The victims must come face-to-face with their abusers and relive the awful past yet again. Available from the NFB.

Both of these videos deal with an extremely sensitive and difficult subject and may be too intense for many students. Teachers planning to show this powerful and critically acclaimed film to senior students should first obtain approval from school administration to prevent any complaints that might arise from parents or students. Also, students should be given some optional experience or activity, such as an essay assignment, as a replacement for viewing if they feel the subject matter is too difficult for them to watch.

It’s a Free Country
This 1990, 30-minute TVO video examines the issue of freedom of expression, one of our fundamental freedoms guaranteed in section 2(b) of the Charter. The main issue addressed in the drama is whether a teacher has the right to express himself/herself freely in the classroom. The teacher believes this right is protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but the question arises whether this right is limited because his/her students cannot freely answer or leave if they are offended by his/her remarks, and because he/she is in a position of authority and has influence over his/her students.

After the drama, three landmark cases are presented. This is a very sensitive video for some students to watch, and teachers must carefully consider whether or not to use the video in the classroom. Available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

To Be Equal...or Not to Be
In this 1992, 30-minute TVO video two female students complain that their school’s drama department provides few opportunities for women and minority students to play lead roles. Each student pursues a different course of action to protest.

The program then focuses on a discussion of what “equality” means by examining important landmark cases: Re Blainey and the Ontario Hockey Association and Huck v. Canadian Odeon Theatres. Available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

What About My Rights?
In this 1992, 30-minute TVO video a young woman discovers that legislation in 1987 prevents her deciding on her own to abort because of existing rigid, formal procedures to obtain a legal abortion (then section 251 of the Criminal Code).

Access to Justice
This 1992, 60-minute TVO teleconference examines whether or not the justice system is truly equal for all people. A discussion panel of representatives from the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), legal aid, the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, the Consortium for Youth Empowerment, as well as a Crown attorney and a lawyer participate. Available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

The panel discuss some of the barriers to making justice accessible and equal for all. Other barriers to accessibility include the cost of justice and the fact that laws are written in very complex language. The program examines such issues as racism, employment equity and discrimination, and the landmark case of Andrews v. Law Society of British Columbia.
This program could also be used for Chapter 19: Employment Law.

Chapter 3: Barriers to Achieving Equality

Print Resources

Aboriginal Law Handbook
This 1993 reference book is a valuable source of information about various Native issues. Graphs, statistics, and charts are included. This text has several authors, including S. Inmai, and was published by Carswell.

Nisga’a Treaty Negotiations: Agreement in Principle
This 1996 document is the complete text of the agreement that was reached by the Natives and governments involved in the negotiations. It was issued jointly by the federal government, the government of British Columbia and the Nisga’a Tribal Council, by Queen’s Press. For contact information see the General Legal Resources section.

Aboriginal Youth: Dealing with the Youth Justice System in Canada
This 1996 resource manual will help teachers and students learn about youth justice in Canada from an aboriginal perspective. The manual provides background information for teachers, content for students, case studies, and a variety of individual, small group, and class activities. The materials provided will be useful in middle years and secondary studies that incorporate aboriginal content in the curriculum. The manual is available from Public Legal Saskatchewan.

Law and Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, Second Edition
This 1994 publication, edited by D.W. Elliott, from Captus Press Inc. discusses the relationship, past and present, between Native people and the Canadian justice system.

Immigrating to Canada: Who is allowed? What is required? How to do it!
This 1994 publication by G. Segal, available from International Self-Counsel Press, is a basic guide with details about how to immigrate to Canada and who may be allowed to do so.

The 1995 Annotated Immigration Act of Canada
This timely guide is a useful tool to understanding the intricate details of the Immigration Act. This publication is available from Carswell.

Audio-Visual Resources

Flooding Job’s Garden
This 1991, 59-minute NFB video considers the events following the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of 1975, which gave the region’s Native peoples hunting and fishing rights, control over health, education, and local government, and financial reward for re-location and development. The deal was perceived to be the example by which all other land claims would be settled. However, 15 years later, the Quebec government’s concept has become a terrible environmental and cultural problem for the Cree of James Bay.

Tikinagan
This 1991, 57-minute NFB video examines the events of the First Nations people of northwestern Ontario as they work towards self-government. One attempt at doing so is their creation of the Tikinagan Child and Family Services group, to respond to a sudden problem with existing child welfare services, and to demonstrate that the possibility of a non-Native system might work.

Time Immemorial
This 1991, 59-minute NFB video documents the Nisga’a people of northwestern British Columbia and their long-term struggle for title over their traditional lands. The issue of Native land claims has become an important consideration in local politics as a result of their determination to succeed. Archival material and interviews tell the lengthy story of the Nisga’a’s case and how it eventually went to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Spirit Within
This 1992, 52-minute NFB documentary investigates rehabilitation programs for aboriginal inmates. The programs focus on traditional Native culture and spirituality, and involve the participation of Native elders.

He Who Looks Upside Down
This 1993, 30-minute TVO video dramatizes the story of a young Native who is caught stealing from the store on his reserve. The program examines an alternative justice system for Native offenders and compares this option, through interviews, with that of the traditional criminal justice system. The program is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

Keepers of the Fire
This 1994, 55-minute NFB video profiles several Native women who are trying to safeguard their land, culture, and people by following the ways of their female predecessors. Some Native women are very active, in many capacities, in their pursuit of continuing Native traditions.

Circle of Justice
This 1994, 26-minute video uses the experiences of a Native woman to explore how the traditional Native justice system acts as an alternative to the Canadian legal system. This video is available from New Vision Media Ltd. at (604) 689-9549.

Native Debt
This 1995, 11-minute program from, CTV’s W5 series, considers the potential disadvantages of Native self-government, and the reserves that borrow excessive amounts and incur debt. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Tribal Courts
This 1989, 10-minute CBC program investigates the legal system of the Red Lake Chippewa Indian reservation in northern Minnesota. It is operated by local residents, none of whom has a law degree. Family, friends, or neighbours have conducted and decided the cases of many defendants. Naturally, the system has been criticized for injustices. Some people want the system to be changed; however, the tribe’s chief is resisting the possibility of non-Native court personnel and judges installing the Canadian system. The program is available from CBC.

Enemy Alien
This 1975, 27-minute award-winning NFB program outlines the struggle Japanese-Canadians have faced to be accepted as Canadians. They fought racism that, among other things, prevented them from getting the vote until 1949. Their frustrating experiences of injustice and hate and their eventual acceptance is well-documented in this film.

Freedom Had a Price
This 1994, 55-minute NFB video documents the tale of Ukrainian immigrants who, at the outbreak of World War I, found themselves subject to discriminatory and repressive measures for the next six years. Between 1914 and 1920, about 80 000 Ukrainian immigrants were forced to register as “enemy aliens,” report regularly to the police, and carry government-issued identity papers at all times, and over 5000 of their compatriots suffered in internment camps across the country. By means of actual footage, vintage photographs, and the commentary of prominent Canadian historians, this program tells a moving human story of Canadian history that has all but disappeared from public consciousness.

Strangers at Our Door
This 1988, 27-minute video, from CBC’s Man Alive series, examines Canada’s immigration policies. Immigrants have come to Canada seeking safety from turmoil and persecution in their native countries. Meanwhile, they must face discrimination and complicated laws, while many other refugees wait to find out if they will be allowed to remain in Canada, or whether they will be deported. Canadians’ attitudes toward immigrants and refugees are explored in this video. It is available from CBC.

No Time to Stop: Stories of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women
This 1990, 29-minute NFB video documents the experiences of three immigrant women and their interest and need for job training and language education.

Who Gets In?
This 1992, 52-minute NFB/CBC video is an effective and interesting examination of Canada’s immigration policies and of the selection process that immigration officials use to determine which immigrants and refugees will be allowed to come to Canada. The video was filmed in various countries, and reveals the qualities that immigration officials are considering in regard to potential Canadians. It also scrutinizes the standards these officials use when making their choices. Available from the NFB.

Meeting Place
This 1990, 52-minute NFB video tells the stories of a few of the thousands of immigrants who arrive in Toronto each year seeking a new life.

Listen With Your Heart
This 1992, 28-minute video focuses on the lives of teenage immigrants and their attempts to adjust to life in Canada. The video is available from Strategic Video Productions at (604) 222-4060.

Multiculturalism
This 1995, 18-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, examines the aspects of multiculturalism in Canada. Its impact on Canadian society is considered from different viewpoints. The program focuses on two of the largest ethnic groups in the country, Muslims in the Ottawa-Montreal area, and Chinese in Richmond, BC. The two groups try to overcome different immigrant-related problems, and the attitudes of Canadians, in relation to the two groups, are also explored. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Family Albums: Portraits from a New Canada
This 1995, 52-minute program considers the difficulties Canada has faced in terms of trying to determine what a culturally diverse society should appreciate and value. To illustrate this problem, the video filmed a group of high school students in Winnipeg. These students represent a variety of cultures, languages, and racial backgrounds. The students are interviewed about racism, prejudice, their experiences in Canadian society, and how they deal with their parents’ expectations. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Deporting Immigrants
This 1996, 12-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, examines the complicated, and sometimes highly emotional, issue of deporting immigrants who commit serious crimes while in Canada. True stories are documented, and various officials, including immigration officers, police, and other people associated with the immigration process, are interviewed. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Justice Denied
This 1989, 98-minute award-winning NFB/CBC video dramatizes the case of Donald Marshall, Jr., a Mi’kmaq, who at the age of 17 was sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder he did not commit. The film is a searing indictment of the Canadian legal system as it traces the dramatic events that resulted in Marshall’s arrest, his trial, and time spent in prison.
This video could also be used for Unit 2: Criminal Law.

Out: Stories of Lesbian and Gay Youth
This 1993, 79-minute NFB video is a sensitive documentary about the positive and negative experiences of being young and either gay or lesbian in Canadian society. The social and emotional impact on the individuals and their families is explored through explicit interviews that were conducted with gay and lesbian youth from different cultural and racial backgrounds. They discuss the discrimination they face, and the problems of also having to deal with racism and sexism. The purpose of this video is to generate awareness and understanding. This video deals with a sensitive subject and should be previewed before being shown to students.

Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia
This 1993, 29-minute award-winning NFB video shows the everyday reminders of racism in Nova Scotia. A group of black high school students are shown working to establish a Cultural Awareness Youth Group that is intended to encourage pride and self-esteem through educational and cultural programs. A user’s guide is available.

Youth and Hate
This 1993, 22-minute program, from the CBC’s Prime Time News, examines the fact that organized racism and racially motivated crime are on the rise. Peter Mansbridge talks to neo-Nazi recruiters about their methods, such as targeting school grounds as recruitment centres and dropping pamphlets into student lockers. A cross-section of young people talk about what motivates them to join such racially restricted groups as the Heritage Front and Final Solution. Available from CBC.

For Angela
This 1994, 25-minute NFB video presents a dramatic story of racism and empowerment, inspired by the experience of Rhonda Gordon and her daughter, Angela, whose bus ride changed their lives in an important way. This video is helpful to begin a discussion about racism and its impact. A teacher’s guide is included with the video.

Illuminated Lives
This 1989, 6-minute NFB video presents an historical look and a brief history of women’s work in the Middle Ages. This brief, clever, animated film dispels some of the misconceptions about the lives of women during the medieval era. The film examines the differences and similarities between that era and contemporary society.

Other Resources

Web sites
Aboriginal Super Information Highway

Aboriginal Youth Network

B.C. Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs

Canadian Aboriginal Law

First Nations

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

Nisga’a: People of the Nass River

Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Immigration and Refugee Board

Unit 2: Criminal Law

Chapter 4: Criminal Law and Criminal Offences

Print Resources

“‘Explosive issues’ hit Canada’s high court,” The Toronto Star, July 1, 1996; “Retirement a major issue to chief justice,” The Toronto Star, July 2, 1996; “Drafting judges’ code tricky,” The Toronto Star, July 3, 1996.
Based on interviews with Chief Justice Antonio Lamer on the occasion of his sixth anniversary as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, this three-part series by David Vienneau explores the Court’s frequent role as arbiter of social policy and the criticism that attracts; the negative aspects of the retirement policy legislated by the 1946 Judges Act; and what conduct should be expected from a judge of the court.

“Code of Arms,” Canadian Geographic March/April 1996, pp. 45–46.
This article, by Marilyn Simonds, traces the story of gun ownership and the role it has played in Canadian history from 1534 to the present day. It includes a chart showing a selected history of Canada’s gun-control legislation from 1877 to 1996.

Audio-Visual Resources

After the Montreal Massacre
This 1990, 28-minute NFB video profiles a survivor of Marc Lepine’s shooting rampage at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique on December 6, 1989. The video focuses on her efforts to come to terms with what happened and how it relates to the larger issue of male violence against women. How the media covered the event is also examined.

Other Resources
Victims of Violence
National Office
211 Pretoria Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario

This organization provides high school students with an information package on selected legal topics. Students should fax the organization at (613) 233-0210. Contact the organization to find a local branch near your school. Guest speakers may be available.

Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
This organization is associated with the Canadian Police Association. The Centre can make information available regarding justice and victims’ issues and whether guest speakers are available. Contact the organization by telephoning (613) 231-4168.

Web site
International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy

Chapter 5: The Criminal Code

Print Resources

Pocket Criminal Code 1996
This annual, 1126-page reference is a portable version of the Canadian Criminal Code containing the full text of the legislation and 11 related federal statutes, which constitute Canada’s criminal law. The new edition has more than 100 recent amendments to the Code and related statutes, some due to the enactment of Bill C-42, which became law on February 19, 1995. It is available from Carswell.

The Annotated 1997 Tremeer’s Criminal Code
This annual, 2008-page reference includes the complete text of the most current version of the Criminal Code. This edition has more than 150 new case annotations connected to more than 100 Supreme Court of Canada and provincial Court of Appeal decisions. It also includes the changes that were legislated as a result of the Daviault case, (see text, p. 137). Available from Carswell.

From Crime to Punishment: An Introduction to the Criminal Law System, 2nd edition
This 1992, 410-page reference, edited by lawyers Joel Pink and David Perrier, provides an introduction to criminal law and procedures, examining the entire criminal process, from the commission of a crime to conviction and sentencing. It discusses the principles of criminal law, the categories of criminal offences, and the interaction of the Charter with the criminal process. It is available from Carswell.

Fundamentals of the Criminal Justice System, 2nd edition
This 1995, 488-page reference, written by lawyer Donald A. MacIntosh, covers all aspects of the criminal justice system, from questioning a suspect to sentencing the offender. This book details the impact of the Charter on the accused’s rights and on the criminal process. Topics covered include the role of the police, the lawyer, and the judges, as well as the handling of motor vehicle offences and drug offences. Important 1995 Criminal Code amendments are also discussed. The book is available from Carswell.

The Charter’s Impact on the Criminal Justice System
This 1996, 375-page reference consolidates the Charter’s impact on the criminal judicial process and considers further changes. The text is written by a group of legal specialists. The impact of the Charter is also examined, including the result of the Daviault decision (see text, pp. 137-138). A bibliography of literature about the Charter’s impact on the criminal justice system is also included. The book is available from Carswell.

The Police Officers Manual 1996
This 1996, 810-page resource provides an alphabetical reference to criminal law in Canada. The following vital information is located under each offence: statutory definitions, elements of the offence, details of the limitation period, punishment, evidence required to prove the offence, and suggested wording for charges. This new edition incorporates the major amendments that have been made to the Criminal Code in the last two years, including Bill C-72, restricting the defence of self-induced intoxication. It is available from Carswell.

Audio-Visual Resources

Inadmissible Evidence
This 1987, 19-minute video, from CBC’s The Fifth Estate series, profiles the case of R. v. Brydges. William Brydges was found not guilty of killing an elderly Edmonton woman when the basis of the case against him—the statement that he had given to the police—was found to be inadmissible evidence, since the judge ruled Brydges had made the statement before he had seen a lawyer. Police officers were interviewed and they expressed concern that the Charter is making it more difficult to get convictions. As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in this case, all police officers in Canada changed the caution read to arrested persons to include a reference to free legal aid being available if needed. The video is available from the CBC.

Between the Crime and the Courtroom
This 1990, 30-minute TVO video looks at some Charter rights in the context of an individual’s arrest for breaking-and-entering, theft, and possessing narcotics. The arrest includes the new police caution after the R. v. Brydges case cited above, and four real cases, including R. v. Collins and R. v. Oakes, which focus on the Charter rights: protection against unreasonable search and seizure and the presumption of innocence. The video is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, and many school board media centres.

10-7 For Life
This 1995, 57-minute NFB video chronicles the last two weeks of Carol Banks’ experience as a police officer after serving for 14 years. A police force is shown to be trying to handle an increasingly violent city, and the impact of such a city on a police officer’s emotional well-being.

Democracy on Trial: The Morgentaler Affair
This 1984, 59-minute NFB documentary presents an historical account of the legal battle between the courts and Dr. Henry Morgentaler in Quebec, from 1970 to 1976. The video is a combination of news reports and dramatic re-enactments of events that took place, and the controversy that resulted.

The following group of videos deal with various aspects of spousal or partner abuse and should be carefully previewed to determine which are the most appropriate for your students; do not show any of the following programs without having previewed them first.

What About My Rights?
In this 1992, 30-minute TVO video a young woman discovers that legislation in 1987 prevents her deciding on her own to abort because of existing rigid, formal procedures to obtain a legal abortion (then section 251 of the Criminal Code).

A discussion of the impact of the Charter on the right to choose abortion follows, with reference to the landmark case of R. v. Morgentaler, resolved by the Supreme Court of Canada in January 1988, when the existing abortion law was struck down as unconstitutional. After a brief discussion on the Supreme Court striking down the “rape shield” law, the program discusses R. v. Askov (see text, p. 219) and the right to a trial within a “reasonable amount of time.” Finally, the application of the Charter as a model that courts use to examine problems set before them by individuals is examined.

A Family Affair
This 1981, 26-minute NFB drama is about spousal abuse and how the justice system deals with family violence. A true case of family abuse is examined, from the initial charges to conviction and sentencing. The family’s complicated legal, social, economic, and emotional problems are documented.

Life With Billy
This 1983, 32-minute video, from CBC’s The Fifth Estate series, documents the events that led a wife to murder her abusive husband. The wife, her lawyers, citizens, and the police are all interviewed. The conclusion of the case set an important precedent. The program is available from CBC.

Life After Billy
This 1992, 14-minute video, from CBC’s The Fifth Estate series, concludes the case introduced in the above program. The trial received widespread media coverage because, for the first time in Canadian history, the battered wife syndrome was used as a defence for murder. The program is available from CBC.

No Small Matter
This 1991, 28-minute NFB video features a Vancouver theatre group that performs a play about family violence and the attitude and responsibilities of the community in resolving the problem. At the end of the video, a British Columbia Supreme Court Justice and several members of social services share their comments. In Punjabi language, with English subtitles.

Discovering the Child Within: The Abuse of Pregnant Women and Their Children
This 1992, 30-minute NFB video examines the experiences of women who have been battered during pregnancy, and the medical staff who help them.

In Our Defence
This 1992, 29-minute NFB video presents the story of three women who are in bad relationships with men. This docudrama about abuse is combined with interviews of counsellors, police, and legal experts, who discuss the legal and social nature of the issue.

Right From the Start
This 1992, 25-minute NFB video, produced by the Victoria Women’s Transition House, focuses on issues relating to date violence. A group of young people, from different ethnic backgrounds, discuss their own experiences with date violence. An accompanying study guide provides information and suggests topics for discussion.

A Place to Start
This 1994, 41-minute NFB video interviews several women survivors of abuse. The video also examines the experiences some victims have when testifying in court against their abusers. Several people involved in the legal process are interviewed, for example, a police officer, a prosecutor, and a judge. They explain the legal procedure once a charge has been laid and a case goes to court.

Vienna Tribunal
This 1994, 48-minute NFB video documents the personal experiences of many women around the world who have been in abusive situations. These women testified before a panel of judges at the Global Tribunal on Violations of Women’s Human Rights during the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna. This is a program that would be worthwhile when discussing women’s human rights issues.

When Women Kill
This 1994, 48-minute NFB/CBC Newsworld video documentary profiles three battered women who, after years of violence, killed their abusers. These women resorted to this action when they felt neither the police nor the courts could protect and help them. This video serves to question the Canadian legal system, and its treatment of the serious problem of family violence. Available from the NFB.

No Means No
This 1995, 13-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, considers the recent federal consent law that determines what actions may be defined as rape or sexual assault in a court of law. The program discusses such issues as “specific consent given” and the legal impact of the influence of alcohol or drugs regarding these crimes. The video is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Abused Men
This 1989, 15-minute video, from CBC’s The Fifth Estate series, documents the experiences of male victims of abuse and the circumstances of one victim who became an abuser himself. The video is available from CBC.

Baby Blues
This 1990, 25-minute NFB video dramatizes the story of a young girl who fears that she may be pregnant. Many issues particularly relevant to teenagers are involved here including responsibility and contraception. The teenage couple must face some difficult questions about abortion, adoption, or whether they will they keep the baby. They must also consider how their decision will affect their future plans. This film presents the teenage point of view, and is intended to demonstrate different ideas and options without giving advice. Support material is included.

Making Babies
This 1992, 51-minute NFB/CBC video moves from a high tech marketplace in Paris to the work being done in a fertility clinic in London, Ontario, and a surrogacy centre in Los Angeles. The film examines the development and use of reproductive technology. Various people are interviewed including doctors, drug representatives, infertile women, surrogates, and feminists. Available from the NFB.

Making Perfect Babies
This 1992, 5l-minute NFB/CBC video was filmed at various research facilities where genetic manipulation of human embryos is being conducted. New genetic technology is explored, and how its development may impact women and society. Available from the NFB.
Both of the above videos could also be used with the commercial surrogacy issue in Chapter 16: Elements of a Contract.

The Body Parts Business
This 1994, 63-minute NFB/CBC/BBC video shows the efforts of Bruce Harris, an international children’s rights activist, as he investigates the illicit trafficking of body parts in Latin America and Russia. Many people, mostly children, are evidently abducted and then operated on. Available from the NFB.

Journey Into Darkness: The Bruce Curtis Story
This 1991, 93-minute NFB/CBC/Atlantis Films film is based on the actual events surrounding the deaths of a New Jersey couple and the subsequent trial of their son, and his 18-year-old friend from Nova Scotia. While in police custody, the friend becomes involved in a complicated and public political and legal situation. The story is a dramatic tale as the son testifies against the friend, and the trial is not handled properly. Available from the NFB.

This program provides insight into an arrest, trial procedures, defences in a criminal trial, plea bargaining, and much of the material studied in earlier chapters. Viewing is probably more effective closer to the end of this unit.

The following group of videos deals with legal, ethical, and moral issues relating to euthanasia, quality of life, and who determines when to operate or withdraw life support. All of the following are very issue-oriented and provide a basis for good discussion and debate:

The Last Right
This 1984, 29-minute award-winning NFB video involves a 79-year-old man, living with his grandson’s family, who begins to lose his memory and his bearings. His condition gradually gets worse, and he decides to end his life by refusing to eat. Family members have to cope with their emotional reaction, and the moral and legal implications of the decision. The family wants to respect his decision, however they also consider arranging medical services to continue his life. Topics related to family life, which are seen during the video, include ageing, marriage and family responsibilities, and caring for the elderly at home.

Discussions in Bioethics
This 1985, 106-minute award-winning NFB video series is a compilation of eight short dramas that feature ethical dilemmas such as euthanasia, compulsory sterilization, health-care priorities, and prenatal diagnosis. These videos are intended to help begin discussions about some of the more important considerations that nurses, doctors, lawyers, religions, and society, as a whole, must deal with. The eight programs include:

Happy Birthday
This 13-minute program portrays a marital conflict when a couple’s marriage is threatened because of a disagreement as to whether the husband should accept a job researching poison gas for military purposes. If he doesn’t, someone else will take the job. A debate occurs about whether one should accept the moral responsibility for the impact such a job could potentially have on society.

Family Tree
This 15-minute program considers the ethical and legal issues associated with compulsory sterilization. A surgeon operating on a patient, who is a child abuser and mother of three, is tempted to perform a tubal ligation without the patient’s consent to avoid the possibility of her having any more children to abuse.

The Courage of One’s Convictions
This 15-minute video tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who, because of her religious beliefs, denies medical treatment that will prolong her life. She refuses to change her mind, despite what her doctor recommends. A debate ensues as to whose right it is to determine someone’s life or death.

The Old Person’s Friend
This 13-minute program profiles an elderly woman, who is bedridden and has a history of strokes, refuses medical attention, and creates a dilemma for the hospital’s staff. Viewers consider whether she should be allowed to die as she wishes, or should everything possible be done to preserve her life.

Who Should Decide?
This 14-minute video considers the advancements made in prenatal diagnosis. A woman with spina bifida is told that her unborn child has the same disease; she must decide whether to terminate the pregnancy quickly.

Critical Choice
This 13-minute program considers the high cost of organ transplants and the allocation of scarce resources. A child is in need of a liver transplant. The child has only a 40 percent chance of surviving with the transplant, but a 100 percent chance of dying without it. How should society’s limited medical dollars be spent?

A Chronic Problem
This 12-minute video considers the chronic patient’s right to quality care, and the acutely ill patient’s right to a hospital bed. Jean is suffering from multiple sclerosis and is almost completely paralyzed. It seems that the only ones who care about her are the nurses. With the arrival of a patient in need of an operation, it becomes apparent that chronic patients have little priority.

If You Want a Girl Like Me
This 13-minute video examines the issue of life-prolonging treatment for disabled newborns. A teenage mother discovers that her newborn baby has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, but she refuses to agree to a life-saving shunt for the baby. However, her boyfriend, the father, tries to convince her to accept responsibility for the infant, and hospital staff request their signed consent to proceed with the operation.

Euthanasia
This 1989, 46-minute program, from CBC’s The Nature of Things series, illustrates how modern technology has made an impact on the matter of life and death, since it is now possible to postpone, control, or induce death. The issue of when or if it becomes morally legitimate to disconnect life-support systems or assist a patient with an “easy” death is examined. In Holland, doctors perform euthanasia on the patient’s request, but it is strongly opposed by many North American doctors, where every day thousands of people spend their last days on life-support systems. The video is available from CBC.

Desperate Parents of Disabled Children
This 1995, 48-minute program, from CTV’s Shirley series, focuses on the Robert Latimer case in which a father takes the life of his disabled daughter when her pain becomes unbearable. Some call it murder because she couldn’t speak for herself, but others call it an act of love and mercy. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Chapter 6: Drug Use, Drinking, and Driving

Print Resources

Defending Drinking and Driving Cases 1995
This 1995, 144-page reference provides guidance in representing accused persons charged with drinking and driving offences. The book begins with the potential call from the police station to developing the theory of the defence, and from the use of expert evidence to rebutting the Breathalyzer test presumption. This new edition, which is updated annually, contains important developments arising from Supreme Court of Canada decisions in Charter interpretation and is an extremely useful classroom reference. It is available from Carswell.

Audio-Visual Resources

No Accident
This 1986, 13-minute NFB documentary is a dramatic plea to avoid drinking and driving. It also examines the leniency with which some offenders are treated. A father describes to a young driver’s education class how his eight-year-old son was killed in their driveway, by a drunk driver, who had no driver’s licence and no car insurance. Stock footage reconstructs a tragic story that was not just an accident.

At the Wheel: After the Crash
This 1986, 51-minute NFB video explores the results that serious injuries have on the lives of five accident victims, their families, and their friends. This segment was filmed from their arrivals at the Baltimore Shock Trauma Centre through the long months of rehabilitation.

At the Wheel: On the Road
This 1986, 49-minute NFB video follows two highway patrol officers on their daily rounds of the expressways surrounding metropolitan Montreal. Students will realize the actual danger of highway traffic and how easily a seemingly innocent mistake can have serious consequences.

At the Wheel: Under the Influence
This 1986, 50-minute NFB video explores the experiences of two people who are accused of murder resulting from drinking and driving as they go through the legal system, from the time of their arrest to their sentencing. The video documents their emotional turmoil, and considers the extent and difficulty of the problem of drunk driving.

At the Wheel: The Road Ahead
This 1986, 50-minute NFB video investigates the causes of automobile accidents, such as roads that have been poorly designed and badly built, unsafe cars, and careless drivers. This film shows that, ultimately, with determination, time, and money, accidents can be prevented.

Getting Serious
This 1988, 26-minute award-winning NFB video illustrates that between 40 and 60 percent of all traffic deaths are alcohol-related. This video was designed especially for teenagers. It gives the facts about drinking and driving laws. The quick pace of the program adds to it as it shifts between a classroom re-enactment of a trial and a real-life situation of a student facing imprisonment. A 65-page user’s guide, teaching kit, suggested activities, and a bibliography, accompany the video. Every law teacher should have a copy of this excellent resource for regular use within the school.

Out of Control
This 1992, 30-minute TVO video portrays the drama of three teens in a tragic drinking and driving accident. Three case studies follow, which examine the adequacy of sentences in drinking and driving cases, the notice of deterrence through the use of the Ontario Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program, and the concept of “care or control” of a motor vehicle. Specialists discuss the effects of alcohol on the body, the relationship between impairment and the blood alcohol level, and the effects of alcohol on one’s judgment. The program is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson or many school board media centres.

The Long Way Home
This 1990, 15-minute NFB video demonstrates how people can prevent being victimized by drug traffickers when travelling abroad. A life, not just a vacation, may be destroyed if a person is caught with drugs. Carrying gifts or packages back to Canada for someone met while overseas, or offering a hitchhiker a lift across the border, can land a person in jail or even worse circumstances.

Other Resources
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
National Office
6507 Mississauga Road
Streetsville, Ontario L5N 1A6
(905) 813-6233
1-800-665-6233

This organization offers information, publications, statistics, and possibly guest speakers. Contact the National Office to find a local branch near your school.

Chapter 7: Bringing the Accused to Trial

Print Resources

Domestic Violence series
This series of eight articles published by The Toronto Star provides an in-depth analysis of the complicated problem of domestic violence and the criminal justice system in Canada. The following is a summary of the titles of the articles and the dates of their publication.
Part One 7 Days Saturday, March 9, 1996
Part Two The Accused Sunday, March 10, 1996
Part Three Managing Anger Monday, March 11, 1996
Part Four Culture Clash Tuesday, March 12, 1996
Part Five Repeat Offender Wednesday, March 13, 1996
Part Six The Costs Thursday, March 14, 1996
Part Seven Crowns’ Dilemma Friday, March 15, 1996
Part Eight Hitting Back Saturday, March 16, 1996

Audio-Visual Resources

Post Mortem: A Look at Forensic Science
This 1991, 46-minute program, from CBC’s The Nature of Things series, documents how forensic science has had an impact on legal proceedings. Investigators are shown developing evidence from fingerprints, fibres, and blood. The DNA lab of the RCMP in Ottawa is also shown and students can learn why DNA evidence based on blood, semen, hair, and even saliva samples left at the crime scene are very important. The program is available from CBC.

Chapter 8: Trial Procedures

Audio-Visual Resources

The Secret Is Out
This 1989, 26-minute NFB video follows the experience of Claudine, a young girl, who, in a Canadian courtroom, must give evidence about abuse.

Your Day in Court: The Criminal Justice Process
This 1990, 30-minute video looks at the roles and responsibilities of the duty counsel, the Crown attorney, the court clerk, court recorder, defence counsel, the jury, and the sheriff. The program details the arrest of someone on a charge of theft over $1000 (now $5000) from her employer. Once the arraignment is shown, legal aid, the adversarial system, court personnel duties, and the function of the judge and jury in a criminal trial are discussed. Sentencing and the consequences of having a criminal record are also examined. The video is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, and many school board media centres.

Rough Justice
This 1989, 60-minute video is a current affairs program that examines how the criminal justice system works, and how it doesn’t when an innocent person is accused, convicted, and jailed. The video examines the circumstances of three individuals and the mistakes that were made by the police, lawyers, and the courts, and how it affected the outcome of their trials. The case of Thomas Sophonow, who served four years in prison and had three trials on the charge of murdering a young woman, but who was ultimately acquitted by the Manitoba Court of Appeal, is included. The program is available from the CBC.

Chapter 9: From Sentencing to Release

Print Resources

For a variety of information about Canada’s prison system, contact:
Correctional Services Canada
340 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A OP9
(613) 943-8578
(613) 947-0091 (fax)
www.csc-scc.gc.ca

Among their most interesting publications is an annual booklet called Basic Facts About Corrections in Canada. It is a 40-page publication, designed to provide straight answers to basic questions about corrections in Canada, and contains a number of interesting facts and figures. Also available is Let’s Talk, a quarterly publication from the Communications Branch with useful information about the federal penal system. Ask to be added to the mailing list for this resource, and ask for a current listing of other available resources.

Audio-Visual Resources

Victims and Witnesses Teleconference
This 1992, 60-minute TVO teleconference begins with people on the street being interviewed for their impressions on what it means to be a victim or a witness. A panel, comprised of representatives from Ontario’s Victim/Witness Assistance Program, a legal support worker with Yellow Brick House—a home for abused women, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, a Crown attorney, and Jill McNall, a victim of incest and sexual abuse, answer questions from the studio audience.

Jill McNall talks about her experiences and her perceptions of the criminal justice system, and Barbara Turnbull, a victim of a senseless robbery, is also interviewed about her courtroom experiences. The video is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, and many school board media centres.

Tiers: A Story of the Penitentiary
This 1981, 19-minute video documents an abandoned British Columbia penitentiary, which was built in 1878. The attributes of the old prison are vividly recreated.

The Spirit Within
This 1992, 51-minute award-winning NFB video was filmed by two Native filmmakers who visited prisons where nearly half of the population is of Native descent. Until recently, when Natives won the right to learn about the spiritual values of their heritage, many programs did not have such rehabilitation programs for Natives. Older members of the Native community now visit with inmates and conduct traditional ceremonies and have discussion groups. This video could also be used for Chapter 3: Barriers to Achieving Equality.

Sex Offenders: Parts 1 and 2
This 1992, 54-minute video, from CBC’s Man Alive series, examines what happens with sex offenders. Several sex offenders are interviewed and the issues surrounding their and others’ treatment are examined. The video is available from CBC.

Twice Condemned
This 1993, 54-minute NFB video examines the history and background of several female offenders. Topics that are discussed include the notions of right and wrong, free will, social responsibility, and ultimately, how Corrections Services Canada can deal effectively with women inmates and their problems.

Prison Babies
This 1994, 10-minute video, from CTV’s W5 series, shows how some children have been allowed to live with their mothers in jail for the first two years of their lives, and to spend a lot of time with them regularly after that. The controversy that has resulted from this policy is explored. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

The Death Penalty Debate
This 1995, 48-minute program, from CTV’s Shirley series, examines the controversy surrounding the issue of capital punishment. The video is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Should Violent Criminals Be Paroled?
This 1995, 48-minute program, from CTV’s Shirley series, discusses the issue of parole for violent criminals. The program is available from MLC for PPR $99 or HV $35.

Other Resources

The John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies
These organizations, at the provincial and local level, work with offenders and ex-offenders to help them gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to re-enter society. Brochures, pamphlets, and other publications about a variety of legal issues related to criminal offences and offenders are produced each year. Guest speakers may be available. Contact your local or provincial office of either organization for more information.

Chapter 10: The Youth Justice System

Print Resources

Teaching Youth Justice: A Teacher’s Manual for the Young Offenders Act
This August 1996, 140-page Teacher’s Guide provides instructional materials on criminal justice, in particular, the Young Offenders Act. The Guide includes case studies, handouts, discussion questions, and current instructional resources. The guide reflects the 1995 amendments to the Young Offenders Act.
The resource is divided into three sections. The first section, Youth and the Community, begins with a discussion of what is an offence, and then focuses on the principles of the Act and concludes with a look at alternative measures to the courts. The second section, Youth and the Police, focuses on the rights of young people on and after arrest. The last section, Youth and the Courts, looks at procedures in Youth Court and dispositions (sentencing). The Guide is available from Public Legal Education Saskatchewan for $20 plus shipping.

Audio-Visual Resources

Wednesday’s Children
This 1987, six-part NFB series is designed for use with teens and their families and involves “case studies” of young people who are in trouble. A comprehensive user’s guide accompanies the series.

Wednesday’s Children I: Mark and Donny, Vicky
When Mark and Donny, two teens, are caught stealing a car, each blames the other. Donny, who is falsely accused by Mark, is shocked by his friend’s betrayal. Eventually viewers realize that Donny’s father has been physically abusing him. (14 minutes)

Vicky, an unhappy suburban teenager whose affluent parents do not get along, turns to a young man and becomes involved in petty crime. The two are caught in mid-robbery and are arrested. (13 minutes)

Wednesday’s Children II: Robert, Alex
Robert is a 15-year-old teen who suffers an identity crisis. Already overwhelmed by hassles at school, despair at the situation in the world, and his awkwardness with girls, Robert suddenly discovers that his mother has a serious boyfriend. (15 minutes)

Alex is a teenager trying to cope with his parent’s separation. His working mother is rarely home when Alex is, and, although his father seems inaccessible, Alex boasts to his friends about their closeness. Amid unbearable emotional confusion, Alex grabs a woman’s purse and is caught. This program examines the issue of alternative measures programs. (14 minutes)

Wednesday’s Children III: Jenny, David
Jenny, a seemingly tough 17-year-old, is discovered to be a trafficker of drugs. Through a sympathetic social worker, we learn her story. She has an ineffectual mother and an unemployed father who is often drunk and who has been sexually abusing her and her younger sister. (14 minutes)

David, a welfare child since he was five, has a history of bolting from foster homes to search for his mother. We meet him as a street-smart kid as he encounters a sympathetic, out-of-town businesswoman. Their interaction serves to reveal David’s story. (17 minutes)

Parents in Crisis
This 1988, 14-minute NFB video dramatizes a group counselling session, which presents problems faced by parents of troubled teens who have entered the youth correctional system, and some of the ways in which they are trying to deal with the situation. The program is a means to begin a discussion in individual and family counselling sessions.

Old Enough to Hurt
This 1992, 30-minute TVO program begins with a young man planning a criminal act with three members of a gang, whose ages are 11, 13, and 17. The young man attempts to rob a small grocery store in the evening, and it results in tragedy. The narrator then compares the Young Offenders Act to the former Juvenile Delinquents Act and examines the three cases involving young offenders. These cases illustrate the principles involved in the sentencing of young offenders, compared to the adult system, the differences between adult and youth detention facilities, and why a judge might decide to sentence a young offender to the youth justice system, even for murder. The program also considers the R. v. J.M.G. case (see text, p. 257), in which the issues related to search and seizure of concealed drugs of a 14-year-old, grade 7 student at school are examined. The video is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, and many school board media centres.

Silence & Storm
This 1995, 52-minute NFB video documents two months in the lives of young people at a unique summer camp. This is a sensitive program about an unusual program for youths in care. Preview before use.

Judge for Yourself
This 1995, 30-minute program considers whether or not the Canadian legal and judicial systems treat young offenders with too much leniency. The circumstances of being a young offender are examined. Several youths and young offenders are interviewed, as are the individuals who work with them and try to prevent them from committing further crimes. Other people are shown trying to prevent youths from committing crimes in the first place. The program was produced by the Department of Justice, Canada, and is also available in a French language version. A user’s guide is printed on the back of the jacket cover. The program is available from MLC.

Boot Camps/Justice for Children
This 1996, 12-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, documents two military-style camps for young offenders: one in New York state and one at Shunda Cree in the Alberta foothills. The programs are dramatic and thought-provoking. The concept has been raised in other provinces and the story provides a good look at what’s involved. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Unit 3: Tort and Dispute Resolution

Chapter 11: Resolving Civil Disputes

Other Resources

This chapter has a number of different, yet related, topics. Thus, you may want to consider the following options when looking for resources for this chapter. Consider contacting insurance companies for information about policies, settlements, and judgments; Workers’ Compensation offices for information about the legality of claims and procedures; and the civil courts for information about court practices and structures. Ask about guest speakers: insurance companies employ many people in their legal affairs departments; Workers’ Compensation offices have lawyers on staff; and the civil courts have, for example, small claims court judges.

Chapter 12: Negligence and Other Torts

Audio-Visual Resources

Children for Hire
This 1994, 22-minute NFB video dramatically shows several Canadian teens who have suffered severe injuries or who have lost their lives due to poor safety regulations, being taken advantage of by immoral business practices, inexperience, and insufficient training and supervision. The program explores how vulnerable some young people can be when entering an adult work environment. This video can be used to illustrate examples of negligence in the workplace. This video could also be used for Chapter 19: Employment Law.

Risk (Drivers)
This 1996, 9-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, suggests that everything you thought you knew about road safety may be wrong. Evidently, more accidents are occurring, even though cars are becoming safer, and the cause seems to be the attitude of some drivers. The video is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Herbicide Trials
This 1984, 48-minute NFB video documents the legal case of 15 Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, landowners who went to court in 1983 to stop the spraying of herbicides on forests next to their properties. They found that the testimony of scientists and the support of public opinion, both here and abroad, were not enough to win their case. The video looks at the difficulties the plaintiffs faced, and the outcome of the trial. The video includes powerful scenes from chemical-industry films of the 1950s and recent material about Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange. The tort of nuisance is well illustrated in this case study.

Thinking Positive
This 1993, 24-minute NFB video presents a frank look at teen life and AIDS awareness in small-town communities. It illustrates the point that AIDS is no longer a disease confined to large urban cities.

Doctors With Heart
This 1994, 113-minute NFB video was filmed at an AIDS clinic in Montreal, and offers a sensitive portrayal of AIDS from the perspective of several considerate doctors. The insightful documentary examines the moral and legal matters associated with this complicated and widespread medical problem. In French, with English subtitles.

When Your Dog Becomes a Lethal Weapon
This 1994, 48-minute program, from CTV’s Shirley series, deals with the issue of dangerous dogs. The program examines the various options for the victim, and for the dog’s owner if someone is attacked. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Wolf Dogs
This 1994, 8-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, examines the issue of whether or not people should be allowed to keep, breed, and cross breed animals known as wolf dogs. These animals are cross- breeds between wolves and domestic animals, such as the German Shepherd. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

A Mistaken Deadly Substance
This 1996, 11-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, examines Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI), a product on the list of lethal substances as it was thought to emit dangerous gases. This insulation has been removed from many homes, yet there is no real evidence that it may be harmful to people’s health. The video is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Howe Sound: Poisoned Waters
This 1989, 47-minute video, from CBC’s The Nature of Things series, focuses on two pulp mills in coastal British Columbia, which for years violated provincial pollution laws and caused harm to local aquatic life. The program is available from CBC.

The Underlying Threat
This 1989, 48-minute NFB video is a film about the devastating effects of groundwater pollution and what can be done to stop it. The video focuses on four families and two communities, as they react to finding out that their water has toxic chemicals. The devastating effect this has is well-documented, as are the emotional consequences. However, the film’s approach is a positive one: it concentrates on the ways such problems can be avoided and dealt with when people are insistent about their right to clean water.
This video could be used as an example of the tort of nuisance.

Unit 4: Family Law

Chapter 13: Marriage, Divorce, and Family Mediation

Print Resources

Consolidated Ontario Family Law Statutes and Regulations 1996
This 1996, 300-page reference provides a portable consolidation of legislation commonly used by family law lawyers and specialists. Sections of the Child and Family Services Act, and the full text of the Children’s Law Reform Act, Divorce Act, Family Law Act, Family Support Plan Act, Marriage Act, Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Orders Act, Succession Law Reform Act, Change of Name Act, plus the Ontario Court (Provincial Division) Family Rules and the relevant Rules of Civil Procedure are included. This is an excellent reference guide for a Family Law unit and is updated annually. It is available from Carswell.

Audio-Visual Resources

For Generations to Come
This 1994, 82-minute NFB video examines the circumstances of seven families across Canada. Their different scenarios have viewers questioning the perception of what a family is and what it may be in the future. A comprehensive user’s guide is included on the inside of the video jacket, as well as the new booklet, Canadian Families, published by the Vanier Institute of the Family.

Multiple Choices
This 1995, 5-volume NFB set is to be used to generate discussion about several contemporary topics regarding family, including blended families, sex, religion, gender roles, marriage/common-law, divorce, parenting, teen relationships, and community. The set features 13 short programs, approximately 15 minutes each, packaged on five videocassettes. Support material is included. Volumes may be purchased individually or as a 5-volume set. Brief summaries of the five-part series follow:

Volume 1
Loves Me, Loves Me Not (15 minutes)
The participants, who are of different generations, discuss love and marriage, culture, and alternative lifestyles.
Tying the Knot (10 minutes)
The video examines whether there are real differences between common-law relationships and marriage.

Volume 2
Who, What, Where, When? (12 minutes)
People from various age groups, from teens, to young adults, to seniors, talk about their experiences and perspectives towards sex.
Picture Perfect (10 minutes)
This video considers whether marriage is a valid institution in today’s world.
Forever After? (13 minutes)
The pros and cons of divorce are discussed.

Volume 3
The Agony and the Ecstasy (11 minutes)
Parents talk about the difficult circumstances of raising children, and teenagers talk about their expectations of parenthood.
Who’s Who? (8 minutes)
The relationship between gender and domestic responsibilities is explored.
Community (11 minutes)
The nature of community is examined in terms of the changing make-up of the family.

Volume 4
Families (11 minutes)
The definition of the concept of family is examined given the changes in society.
Blending (9 minutes)
The experiences of a blended family are documented.
Power Lines (14 minutes)
The relationship between adults and children is examined.

Volume 5
Choices (17 minutes)
Since there are so many choices in today’s world, there does not seem to be a division between what is right or wrong. People’s values are discussed.
Searching (13 minutes)
The participants discuss the role of religion and spirituality in their lives.

Chapter 14: Children and Family Law

Print Resources

“The Children’s Advocate: Focusing on Youth in Care”
This brochure, from Alberta’s Office of the Children’s Advocate at (413) 422-6056, contains information about social services for children involved in legal situations. Most provinces have a similar type of office and similar publications. Please consult your local directory.

Surviving Your Parents’ Divorce: A Guide For Young Canadians
This 1996 book by family lawyer, Michael Cochrane, is a paperback intended to help children 10 years of age and up understand and come to terms with their parents’ divorce, as well as the impact it will have on their lives.

Audio-Visual Resources

Coming Apart
This 1985, 27-minute NFB video focuses on the needs of young adults and children as it shows how conciliation and mediation services can be used to help separated and divorced parents work out arrangements to share their responsibilities as parents. The custody mediation style, process, and model shown represent one of the many being used in the area of counselling for divorce.

Dad’s House, Mom’s House
This 1985, 48-minute NFB documentary examines the shared custody arrangements of several divorced couples who talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the arrangements. The children involved also express their opinions. Legal and psychological professionals offer their views on the issue of custody.

The Kids They Took Away
This 1990, 30-minute program, from CBC Winnipeg’s 24 Hours series, documents the issue of hundreds of Canadian Indian children taken from their homes in the 1970s and adopted by white American families. The misconceptions of Indian culture and society are examined in terms of this incident. The video is available from CBC. This video could also be used for Chapter 3: Barriers to Achieving Equality.

A Kind of Family
This 1992, 60-minute NFB video profiles the relationship between two individuals who do not feel as though they are a part of society. One of the individuals is a young, homosexual city councillor and the other individual is his teenage foster son. Their relationship is never easy as they try to come to terms with who they are, and who they are to each other. This videocassette also includes the award-winning production Every Child.

The following six videos deals with the issue of child abuse:
An Unexplained Injury
This 1980, 31-minute NFB video is a powerful dramatization of child abuse. Child abuse is suspected when a young child’s broken arm cannot be satisfactorily explained. Social, medical, and legal professionals help the parents to examine and deal with their problems. The film discusses how laws are designed to protect children, and the responsibilities of citizens to report any suspected incidents of child abuse.

The Crown Prince
This 1988, 38-minute NFB video examines the complicated issues that teenagers must face when domestic violence is a part of their lives. It also shows a family that has managed to overcome the ordeal.

Out of the Mouths of Children
This 1992, 47-minute video, from CBC’s The Fifth Estate series, documents several disturbing situations in North America and Europe, where a single accusation of child abuse has triggered many more charges of ritual occult abuse. This program looks into the investigation process during which children often undergo punishing, repetitive interviews and adults lose their reputations. The program is available from CBC.

Child Abuse
This 1994, 30-minute video shows how sensitive and complex the issue of child abuse can be, and the lifelong impact it has on the victim, and the victim’s family and friends. Several people are interviewed, including victims, psychiatrists, and legal specialists. The different types of abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect) are discussed, and how the abuse can be stopped. The video is available from MLC for PPR.

The Boys of St. Vincent
This 1992, 93-minute award-winning and powerful NFB/CBC video is part one of two that follows the desperate struggle by young residents of a Roman Catholic orphanage to escape their nightmare of physical and sexual abuse. Available from the NFB.

The Boys of St. Vincent—15 Years Later
This 1992, 93-minute video picks up the story of the young residents of the St. Vincent orphanage, 15 years later. At last, a government inquiry reopens the case. The victims must come face-to-face with their abusers and relive the awful past yet again. Available from the NFB.

Both of these videos deal with an extremely sensitive and difficult subject and may be too intense for many students. Teachers planning to show this powerful and critically acclaimed film to senior students should first obtain approval from school administration to prevent any complaints that might arise from parents or students. Also, students should be given some optional experience or activity, such as an essay assignment, as a replacement for viewing if they feel the subject matter is too difficult for them to watch.

Should We Spank Our Kids?
This 1994, 48-minute program, from CTV’s Shirley series, considers whether spanking children is a type of abuse. Some parents believe that it is, and others disagree. Some parents regard spanking as a legitimate way to discipline children. The program is available from MLC for PPR and HV.
This video deals with the topic of the ISSUE section of this chapter.

Chapter 15: Division of Family Property and Spousal Support

Audio-Visual Resources

Family After Family
This 1991, 30-minute TVO video dramatizes a couple’s breakup, and the impact the separation has on their two teenage children. Several issues result because of the breakup, such as custody, access, family finances, remarriage, and the occurrence of a second family. These are only some of the topics covered in the area of family law.

Although this program focuses on Ontario’s Family Law Act, 1986, it can be used in other provinces, since many of the basic principles are similar. It is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, and many school board media centres.

Deadbeat Dads
This 1994, 48-minute program, from CTV’s Shirley series, highlights men who are divorced and regarded as “deadbeats” by their former spouses and children because they will not pay child support. The program is available from MLC for PPR and HV.

Unit 5: Contract Law

Chapter 16: Elements of a Contract

Audio-Visual Resources

Business Concepts Module 2: Contract Law
This 1987 animated TVO video series presents eight, five-minute programs that blend clear visual illustrations of concepts with a practical and humorous voice-over to explain the different aspects of contract law covered in Chapters 16 and 17. Programs include: Contracts: What Are They?; Basic Agreement; Consideration; Legal Capacity; Genuine Consent; Legality; Discharging Contracts; and Resolving Contract Disputes. A teacher’s guide is also available, providing learning objectives, program synopses, student activities, and a glossary. Each program has four pages of support material. Many provinces have purchased this series for use in schools, and many boards of education have a master copy in the board’s media or resource centre. The series is available from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, many school board media centres, and some provincial ministries of education.

Chapter 17: Carrying Out the Contract

Audio-Visual Resources

The Bronswik Affair
This 1978, 24-minute NFB video shows how people can be persuaded to purchase products they don’t need. The video educates the viewer by including humourous characters and scenarios. The program also exposes the impact that commercials have on consumer spending. Winner of nine international awards.

Media and Society: Advertising and Consumerism
This 1989, 81-minute NFB video is a compilation of scenes to make viewers aware of the ways they are encouraged to purchase products. The video also examines how intrusive commercials can be in people’s lives, and how it can have an impact on their attitudes, tastes, and interests. Other ramifications of advertising are also explored in the relationship between corporate interests and television programming.

Telemarketing: Consumer’s Choice
This 1993, 8-minute NFB video shows how some telemarketing techniques are used to exploit seniors. It also provides seniors with tips on how to protect themselves from being taken advantage of, financially.

Cow Patty Bingo
This 1994, 6-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, examines a unique form of gambling. Someone marks off a field into numbered squares, sell tickets on each square, and lets a cow loose. The winner is determined according to where the cow chooses to “let go.” This unusual, small town way of raising money for charity has been banned by games regulators because they believe it’s too easily rigged, since a cow can be trained to do it in a particular location. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Chapter 18: Landlord and Tenant Law

Other Resources

For information and guest speakers, contact local or provincial property owners associations and tenants’ rights organizations. Municipal offices will also have relevant information, and bylaw enforcement officials, who investigate matters between property owners, and property owners and tenants.

Chapter 19: Employment Law

Print Resources

Human Rights in Employment Law
This 1995, 430-page reference is a guide to the Ontario Human Rights Code as it has been applied to the workplace, with chapters on the definition of discrimination, prohibited grounds of discrimination and exceptions, sexual and other types of harassment, employment advertising, applications and interviews, the complaint and enforcement process, and available remedies. Contains ample references to court and tribunal decisions as they have interpreted and applied the Code. It is available from Carswell.

Wrongful Dismissal Handbook
This 1995, 394-page reference is a portable guide to understanding the common law principles of wrongful dismissal, as set out in important cases. Contents include the contract of employment, just cause for dismissal, damages, including an analysis of “reasonable notice” in specific situations, tort liability of the employer for defamation and negligent misrepresentation, and statutory obligations respecting termination payments. Relevant provincial and income tax legislation is included as an appendix. It is available from Carswell.

Working: Your Legal Rights in British Columbia
This free 1996 publication is based on the experiences of high school students and young people in the workforce. The information covers B.C. employees’ legal rights and responsibilities when applying for a job, working on the job, and leaving or losing a job. It also gives ideas about how to deal with legal problems that students might face in the workplace. Although there are many provincial and federal laws that protect employment rights, this book focuses on a person’s rights as a worker under B.C.’s Employment Standards Act. It is available from The People’s Law School in Vancouver.

Audio-Visual Resources

Without Work Series
This 1989, 90-minute NFB series presents six 15-minute dramas that take a sensitive approach toward unemployment. It presents issues and concerns that are relevant today and will be in the future. The video also considers the ethical and social aspects of unemployment. The unemployed and underemployed are interviewed. These programs are effective, not only to start discussions about unemployment, but about human rights issues as well. These six dramas are grouped on three half-hour videocassettes and are accompanied by a user’s guide.

In Without Work 1, a young single mother discovers she makes more on welfare than on the job; a family tries to break the cycle of chronic unemployment. In Without Work 2, two young men face unemployment due to prejudice—one because he is black, the other because he is schizophrenic; a man, laid off, begins to abuse his family, and struggles back. In Without Work 3, an unemployed college graduate gets caught up in government unemployment bureaucracy; and a 46-year-old man is fired because of his age.

The Glass Ceiling
This 1992, 28-minute NFB video documents the experiences of five women who have different backgrounds, yet who employ a variety of skills in a constant effort to gain equality in the workplace. Regardless of the actual workplace, discrimination against women seems to becoming more and more implicit, which makes it more difficult to overcome.

Angry White Males: Has Affirmative Action Gone Too Far?
This 1995, 48-minute program, from CTV’s Shirley series, interviews white men who are angry about affirmative action. Many white males across North America claim that women and minorities are taking their jobs, all in the name of employment equity. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Equity
This 1995, 11-minute program, from CTV’s W5 series, focuses on the views of an academic from Alberta, who discusses why he believes that legislated employment equity doesn’t work, and actually creates more problems than it resolves. Several people, who are affected by the policy, including bureaucrats, students, employees, and employers, respond to his views. The program is available from MLC for PPR or HV.

Sexual Harassment
This 1994, 30-minute program illustrates how sexual harassment happens to students in schools and in the workplace. Girls and boys are both affected as it damages an individual’s self-esteem, as well as his or her ability to do well in school. Teens with different backgrounds are interviewed. Also, social and women’s studies experts describe the complicated subject of sexual harassment in a way that teens can understand and appreciate. The program is available from MLC.