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Lidstone & Company is pleased to announce the addition of Tomasz Zworski as the firm’s new Senior Counsel starting September 2, 2025. Tom has spent his entire legal career representing local governments as well as individual elected officials, municipal staff, and police officers. For the last 15 years, Tom was the City Solicitor at the City of Victoria. Before that, Tom articled and practiced at the City of Vancouver’s law department.
Lidstone & Company is pleased to announce the addition of Tomasz Zworski as the firm’s new Senior Counsel starting September 2, 2025. Tom has spent his entire legal career representing local governments as well as individual elected officials, municipal staff, and police officers. For the last 15 years, Tom was the City Solicitor at the City of Victoria. Before that, Tom articled and practiced at the City of Vancouver’s law department.
As municipalities across Alberta grapple with the challenge of homeless encampments, one pressing issue is dealing with homeless encampments on vacant municipal land. These situations raise concerns about disorder and criminal behavior and require municipalities to consider their options for managing encampments in these circumstances. This article provides an overview of the obligations municipalities have regarding the removal of home.
In today’s world, artificial intelligence or “AI” is everywhere — powering our smartphones, managing our social media feeds, and even driving our cars. Yet, many people may not fully understand what AI is or its potential impact on their lives. Local governments are also increasingly confronting and harnessing the use of AI, both as a workplace and as a service provider.
Processes not needed or contemplated prior to the current housing crisis. While most of the causes and concerns arise from things far beyond the control of local government, such as interest rates, supply chain crises, provincial agency response times, labour shortages, federal and provincial taxes, developer abandonment due to financial risk, and other things, there are some measures that local governments can adopt to reduce any suggestion that they are part of the problem.
The Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) clarified the law of “constructive taking” in Annapolis Group Inc. v. Halifax Regional Municipality. Annapolis Group Inc. (“Annapolis”) began purchasing land in the Halifax area in the 1950s and, over time, acquired 965 acres which it intended to develop and sell.
In response to a request from the Province of British Columbia and pursuant to subsection 56(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), the Federal Government has issued a “class exemption” from the prohibition on possession of certain controlled substances in subsection 4(1) of the CDSA. The exemption is in effect from January 31, 2023 to January 31, 2026 and enables adults (18 years of age and older) in BC to possess up to a cumulative total of 2.5 grams of opioids (such as heroin, morphine, or fentanyl), cocaine, methamphetamine, or MDMA for personal use (the “Exemption”).
As municipalities across Alberta grapple with the challenge of homeless encampments, one pressing issue is dealing with homeless encampments on vacant municipal land. These situations raise concerns about disorder and criminal behavior and require municipalities to consider their options for managing encampments in these circumstances. This article provides an overview of the obligations municipalities have regarding the removal of home.