Posted on by Emily Nickerson

Covid-19 legal resources

A list of resources to simplify and direct COVID-19 related legal research questions for students, faculty, and the UVic Community. For any research questions don’t be afraid to reach us at lawref@uvic.ca.

Contents:

Legal instruments

Repository of Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Orders:

    • Created by Intrepid blog/podcast, which is run by a group of lawyers and legal scholars from across Canada.
    • The resource includes information on legal instruments at the federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal levels, and from various First Nations.

Department of Justice | Legislative and other measures:

    • Created by the Government of Canada.
    • Resource includes federal legislation, charter statements, orders and regulations, and draft legislation proposals.

BC Laws | Regulations, OICs & MOs:

    • Created by the Government of British Columbia.
    • The resource includes a list of regulations, orders in council and ministerial orders created under the Emergency Program Act and other acts.

Pandemic Law Canada:

    • A collaborative website curated by legal information professionals (lawyers, paralegals, law librarians, law professors).
    • The resource includes links to COVID related legal resources federally and for each province/territory.

McCarthy Tetrault | Emergency measures tracker:

    • Law firm resource tracks emergency measures introduced by the federal and provincial/territorial governments.  They link to backgrounders, news releases and government websites for each emergency measure listed.

News & updates

Blogs and magazines

The Lawyer’s Daily:

    • Subscription required for daily Canadian legal news published by LexisNexis.
    • Freely available: LexisNexis has opened up access to regular updates about COVID-19. Coverage includes how the pandemic has impacted the legal industry and the practice of law, as well as the Canadian court system, federal agencies, industries, businesses and more.

Canadian Lawyers magazine | Covid-19 and the Courts:

    • Provides updates on court functions across Canada.

SLAW | law blog posts on COVID-19:

    • Blog posts by legal professionals on various aspects of how COVID-19 is affecting the legal profession.

Law firm newsletters

Canadian law firms are writing bulletins tracking changes and updates related to client business and industries, samples include but are not limited to:

Courts

Courts of BC | Supreme Court COVID update:

    • Notices and announcements from the BC Supreme Court related to their functions related to and during the pandemic.

Courts of BC | Court of Appeal COVID update:

      • Notices and announcements from the BC Court of Appeal related to their functions related to and during the pandemic.

Provincial Court of BC | COVID updates:

    • Notices and announcements from the Provincial Court of BC related to their functioning during the pandemic. The site includes FAQs and information on how to search for case law related to COVID-19.

Other

Library of Parliament | HillNotes:

    • The Library of Parliament’s research publications program introduced, in March 2020, a set of publications intended to provide parliamentarians with reliable, non-partisan and timely information in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Law Society of British Columbia | Covid Response:

    • FAQ on COVID-19 related legal issues aimed at legal professionals.

Databases & other research sources

Lexis Nexis:

    • Lexis Advance Quicklaw includes the Canada Coronavirus Law Guide (PDF) and updated content throughout the database.
    • Lexis Practice Advisor is a subscription database for practicing lawyers in Canada. The Coronavirus Document Kit is freely available and offers guidance related to COVID-19 and the law. The content includes guidance for employers on their obligations during a pandemic, key implications of COVID-19 for Canadian public companies, insight on commercial deals and terms, crisis communications, and more.

Thomson Reuters:

    • WestlawNextCanada’s Covid-19 legal materials include legislative watch, cases, commentary, and legal Issues and considerations arising from COVID-19 Pandemic by Practice Area.
    • Practical Law Canada is offering freely available webinars, news, and the Canada Coronavirus Toolkit which includes resources to assist on the legal and practical issues arising from the threat of business disruption.

CLEBC Online:

    • Small selection of content aimed at lawyers practicing during COVID-19.

IntelliConnect:

    • Consistently updated COVID-19 news and analysis for tax & accounting professionals.

Canadian Bar Association:

Legal resources for the public

Clicklaw WikiBooks | Covid-19 Resources for British Columbians:

    • A directory of online resources dealing with the ways Covid-19 public health directives are affecting people’s lives, chapters include employment, housing, family law, businesses, finances, and indigenous.

Family Law BC | Coronavirus and the law: Your questions answered:

    • Q&A resource from Legal Aid BC covering topics including violence, rental properties, courts, welfare, parenting and other supports.

People’s Law School (BC) | Coronavirus: Your legal questions answered:

    • Q&A written by lawyers, includes help for small business owners, cancelling flights, scams, and signing a contract or a will.

Justice Education Society | Legal Help BC: Q&A’s on consumers and money and work:

    • Q&A resource for questions concerning how COVID-19 will affect issues around consumer law and money, and small business in British Columbia.

National Self-Represented Litigants Project | COVID-19 Resources:

    • Resources for representing yourself and access to justice.