Former Vancouver City Councillor Sam Sullivan is over 6 feet tall on a short day. I, Tim Louis, also a former Vancouver City Councillor, am barely 5 feet tall on a tall day. Sam weighs 180 lbs dry. I am lucky to weigh in at 90 lbs soaking wet. He is clean shaven. I have…
Category: disability justice
Why the Canada Disability Benefit should be a priority for everyone this election
The time is now for a Canada Disability Benefit. My good friend Al Etmanski has been hard at work for many years to reduce/eliminate the poverty experienced by 1.4 million disabled Canadians. We should never count our chickens before they hatch, but victory may be just around the corner. Most parties in the current federal…
Just the other day
I do not normally talk about my disability but today I’m going to make an exception. When asked “What is your disability?” I always tell the truth – on September 10th 1984 I was called to the bar. I am a lawyer! What prompted my full disclosure now? I recently had a telephone conversation with…
Hats off to TransLink’s best CEO ever — Kevin Desmond
Recently, TransLink announced the departure of its CEO, Kevin Desmond, as he’s returning to the U.S. where his wife and family live. I’ll be very sorry to see him leave. Let me explain why. I’ve had interactions with TransLink and its predecessor, the Urban Transit Authority, for more than 40 years. Back in the late…
Hospital patients with severe disabilities must be allowed their caregivers — despite COVID-19
With the onset of COVID-19, hospitals throughout BC have instituted a new policy. Patients cannot have visitors, except in rare circumstances. However, the new provincial health policy also supposedly allows for essential visitors — such as vital caregivers for patients with severe disabilities. Prior to this new policy, patients with severe disabilities were clear: They…
Coronavirus: Being careful? You’re caring!
It seems like nothing but COVID-19 is in the news today. At the top of every newscast we get another update and, more often than not, at least half of the news segment features more coronavirus developments. Finally, the World Health Organization has declared it’s a pandemic. The WHO also says it’s seeing “alarming levels…
ICBC changes are no laughing matter
On April 1, it was no joke when the provincial NDP’s attorney general, David Eby, introduced sweeping new rules limiting compensation for victims of motor vehicle accidents in BC. But before I get into the details, two important points. First, full disclosure: I’ve been practising law since 1984, representing the victims of motor vehicle accidents….