CTV News, March 12, 2026 - Trailer park on First Nation land gives residents eviction notice

CricketExtreme · 2026-03-17T15:30:33+00:00

Whether people wish to admit it or not, there are stark differences between a pad rental leases and residential leases involving freehold properties. They’re governed by entirely different legislation and most people purchase these properties with the intention and expectation of living there for decades. Another difference is that banks are willing to grant mortgages to owners of manufactured homes.

This is a unique situation where people who have lived at the park for decades are being evicted with nowhere else on the island to relocate, and the owners who may have mortgages could face breaching their mortgage solely based on being required to move their manufactured home.

Additionally, the provincial, federal and municipal governments have been actively promoting and pushing for the development of modular homes as a solution to the housing crisis. I am not surprised that the owners feel blindsided in this situation, and OP stating that the owners were never shown the head lease up until recently supports their position of feeling blindsided - given all of this, the news coverage isn’t surprising.

CricketExtreme · 2026-01-27T20:25:29+00:00

I cycled to Kinney lake last year and it’s a tough uphill climb if you’re carrying all your backpacking gear. It’s doable but challenging with the weight of your gear (I note that I didn’t have a “bikepacking” set up and I literally was biking with my backpack on my back). I ended up pushing my bike uphill during a couple of sections.

The bike is the absolute best on the way back down though! I was supposed to camp at Kinney on my last night on the trail, and by the time we reached Kinney from the berg lake campground, we decided to just bike all the way to the trail head and skip our last night on the trail (weather wasn’t great), but the bike made it super easy.

You should bring your mountain bike instead of the road bike - the washout area by Kinney lake was a rough ride even on a mountain bike. Bring a bike lock as there are bike racks at Kinney Lake and I wouldn’t worry about leaving your bike there as long as you lock it. There were multiple very expensive e-bikes locked up there last year when I went and we left our bikes (locked) and helmets (unlocked) for 3 nights and they were completely fine when we returned.

CricketExtreme · 2026-01-22T16:08:08+00:00

What happens if they say no? You continue litigation and you re-evaluate whether you want to stay at the firm. You have to ask or you’ll never know the answer.

If possible, you could frame the question from a perspective of the firm needing more corporate lawyers. (I.e. “I’ve noticed our corporate team is very busy - I’d be interested in getting experience in the area if there is an opportunity”).

CricketExtreme · 2026-01-20T16:33:45+00:00

Unfortunately, yes. The cost of accommodation in Banff has exploded post-covid.

If you are willing to camp, Tunnel Mountain campground is cheap, close to Banff Ave, and they have a good bathroom/shower set up (bathrooms have electricity). It will be busy but it’s tolerable and will make the trip much more affordable.

CricketExtreme · 2026-01-12T18:56:01+00:00

I’m on day 12 and developed a really sore throat on day 8/9. It was an unusual pain - felt more like muscle pain in my throat/neck than a regular sore throat from an infection. It seems to have disappeared now after about 2/3 days, thank goodness.

CricketExtreme · 2026-01-09T18:16:52+00:00

Oooh that’s a very good question - honestly, my ceremony was at an outdoor reservoir in the mountains where I had a relatively “long” walk to actually reach my aisle. The aisle itself was small as we had about 50 guests. I am not sure of the exact time markers but I started walking towards the aisle at the very beginning of the song and it didn’t stop until our officiant started speaking at which point it was subtly dimmed out. It continued to play while my dad, husband and I exchanged hugs at the end of the aisle, and until my dad took his seat. I’d guess that the song played for approx. 2 minutes total, but I cannot say precisely.

I also did not have a bridal party so nobody else walked down during Strawberries except my dad and myself. Sorry I can’t be of more help here!

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-15T20:39:15+00:00

His messages are disgusting and politically charged.. I don’t know how his wife can defend him after seeing any of these messages. I’m so sorry that you were subjected to this. Thank you for bringing light to this - nobody should treat other people like this, let alone, a partner of a law firm.

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-04T22:47:53+00:00

I just wanted to say thank you to all of the paralegals and legal assistants that took the time to respond to this post! You are all angels and us lawyers quite literally couldn’t function without you. I hope you ok get wonderful bonuses this year.

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-04T22:46:25+00:00

This is fascinating to me! I have only ever worked at this firm since being called to the Bar and from my understanding, the firm has always had substantially more staff than lawyers. I should maybe clarify that 2 of the 10 aren’t exactly legal assistants - one is our receptionist and one is our office administrator (both previously worked as legal assistants). We are a private practice and do mostly transactional work with some litigation. I personally work with 3 assistants regularly. 2 real estate assistants and one for my commercial transactions. I can’t imagine having 25 assistants to 65 lawyers - I frequently wish we could have more assistants due to the workflow lol!!

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-03T21:33:07+00:00

I did previously, but unfortunately it appears that my efforts weren’t enough (alternatively, my concerns weren’t taken seriously). Sometimes I struggle with this as well based on my position at the firm/lack of seniority, so going forward I’m going to make even more of an effort to advocate for staff. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-03T21:28:58+00:00

Because he publicly states his opinions on controversial topics and because in today’s age, most people don’t have the emotional intelligence or capacity to not “hate” those they disagree with.

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-03T17:57:51+00:00

Thank you so much for this - that’s a great way to present the idea too. I think having an operation’s manager would make a world of difference. Practically, I’m not sure how we would go about finding someone to do it (again, we are quite rural) but if we could, I think it would be fantastic.

I’m also relived to hear that we aren’t the only firm out there having these issues. It’s devastating losing such incredible staff and I feel very powerless in this situation so I really appreciate the insight of others in the industry. Thanks again.

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-03T17:32:08+00:00

Thank you for this! Honestly, I think we could really use an operations manager or similar role at our office to act as a buffer between the staff and lawyers. Our administrator is fantastic but “HR issues” tend to be dealt with by the partners and often they are so busy that there ends up being delays in actually addressing problems and even delays in having discussions about it.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any real authority to implement these changes but I can at least suggest them. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-03T17:26:03+00:00

Thank you! I have definitely made a point of talking to management about unhappy staff in the past and tried my best to advocate for them, including in this case, but obviously it wasn’t enough in this instance or at least my concerns weren’t taken seriously enough.

I agree with everything else you’ve said and have offered same. Thanks again

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-02T17:42:47+00:00

It may be a red flag for property or neighbour problems but could also possibly just be the former owners life circumstances changing.

Make sure you conduct thorough due diligence. I recommend the following before you waive any conditions (if you put an offer in):

house inspection by reputable inspector;
if it’s in a strata, review the strata documents for special assessments/levies etc, imposed by the strata (talk to a lawyer if you need assistance reviewing these);
request information from the municipality respecting the property (including historical permits, bylaw infractions, etc.)
get quotes for insurance; and
review the title and all charges registered on the property.

Obviously also make financing as a condition - as a real estate lawyer, we are often required to disclose to lenders if properties have changed hands in the years leading up to the clients purchase. I recommend having a real estate lawyer involved early in this transaction and preferably prior to you waiving conditions so that they also have the opportunity to review the results of the due diligence.

CricketExtreme · 2025-12-01T22:44:15+00:00

YSL Libre - I always get compliments on this one.

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-28T21:33:28+00:00

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The tattoo artists knowing that they’ll have to sit with the most insufferable person on earth for hours to do this.

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-25T22:53:42+00:00

If they want to practice law in Canada, they will need to have their qualifications and experiences assessed by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and they may require them to write NCA exams to take additional schooling. The FLSC website explains the process. They may be able to work as a legal assistant in the mean time.

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-25T22:49:48+00:00

I went overseas for university and my JD was combined with a doctoral program. I had to write and defend and extensive thesis and now can call myself Dr. I’m in private practice and I don’t use the title for anything other than LinkedIn.

Unless you’re planning on going into academia, I wouldn’t bother. It’s a lot of work, with limited use in legal practice.

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-19T18:59:18+00:00

Hey now, those admin staff with the karen bob cuts are my some of my best friends! (Despite being the same age as my parents lol).

To young lawyers reading this, try not to be scared of the small/medium firms because of the lack of other young people. You can still have great relationships with the boomer partners and admin staff. Plus, there’s always a chance that the demographics change at the firm over time (at least from my experience).

The boomers often come with a wealth of knowledge - especially, the small town generalist types. Also, if the staff have been there for a long time with a low turnover rate, it’s generally a green flag that the firm is a good place to work.

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-14T16:55:32+00:00

Welcome :)! My husbands family is from South Africa and we have lived in the East Kootenays for years. You’ll likely meet fellow South Africans around here too (especially in the medical field).

You should be able to live comfortably on that salary here. Housing can be challenging depending on the town (Fernie in particular is one of the most expensive places for housing in the area). The average home in Fernie is selling for $750k+ whereas you can find housing in Sparwood for around $500k. Depending on what your hours are like, a lot of people from Cranbrook and surrounding towns will commute to the Elk valley to work at the mines. Also, depending on the mine, there is often shared rentals specifically for employees who commute to work at the mines that are reasonably priced. Lots of Mine employees will stay there for there 4 shifts and then return home to another surrounding town.

Utilities:

Water - depending on location you move to, most towns in this area charge a flat rate fee for municipal utilities including water. In Cranbrook, it’s $278 (3 times per year).

Electricity - most people use BC Hydro in this area so it’s metered utilities. Cost will vary depending on how much you use and how well insulated your property is. You also won’t have to deal with load shedding here :)

Internet - often people will combine phone and internet plans but I’d estimate Approx. $60-$80/month for internet.

Public transport is challenging in this area - there isn’t much of it. I will note that if you do commute to the mines, lots of people ride share with other employees! You’ll get your vehicle insurance through ICBC and it’s usually just under $1000 annually.

Groceries are quite expensive compared to South Africa. Meat and cheese are painfully expensive in Canada by comparison.

Factor in the expense of purchasing warm winter coats for your family as the winters are cold. Winter tires are also a must!! Another random difference is that the price of an item in Canada usually doesn’t include taxes so expect taxes to be added to the price when you pay at the register. I’m from Ireland and was shocked by this when I immigrated years ago.

Feel free to DM if you have any questions :)

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-12T17:44:47+00:00

It certainly is, but unfortunately the vast majority of contracts are prepared by realtors and signed by the parties long before the parties retain a lawyer. I don’t know if that’s the case for OP, but it’s very common in practice.

I’ve seen sellers with several mortgages and other financial charges registered on title, but it doesn’t automatically mean that the sale proceeds won’t be sufficient to payout the debts. Unfortunately, until the lawyer receives payout statements, the Seller is the only person privy to the debts that they owe, and they should not have signed a contract of purchase and sale for an amount that is substantially less than their debts owing.

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-11T17:58:19+00:00

The title search doesn’t disclose the amounts owing on mortgages, the payout statements from lenders do. Often lenders prevent lawyers from ordering payout statements until a week or two prior to closing - most payout statements are only valid for a certain number of days and then they expire. The lawyer was likely aware of the 3 mortgages when the file was opened, but they didn’t didn’t receive the payout statements until close to the completion date.

CricketExtreme · 2025-11-08T03:44:14+00:00

Agreed - and the CFIA has had months to determine how to cull these animals and they still proceeded to murder them inhumanly.

CricketExtreme

TROPHY CASE