ARCTIC OBITER

8 | ARCTIC OBITER
LAW WEEK 2012
Celebrating 30 Years of the Charter
LAW DAY / LAW WEEK, AN INITIATIVE OF
THE CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, IS
CELEBRATED ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON AND
AROUND APRIL 17TH. THIS YEAR, CANADA
CELEBRATED THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
SIGNING OF THE CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND
FREEDOMS. THROUGHOUT LAW WEEK, THE
CBA-NT’S YOUNG LAWYERS PUSHED
THEMSELVES TO GET THE WORD OUT TO
RESIDENTS IN YELLOWKNIFE AND THE NWT.
THE FOLLOWING ARE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE
EVENTS.
LAW: TOLL-FREE
The NWT’s Law Line was, at one
point, a very popular resource for
those seeking free legal information
and guidance. Due to limited
resources, however, the service was
discontinued. Throughout Law Week,
the NWT Branch of the CBA was able
to temporarily revive the service and,
with the generous support of
Northwestel, a toll-free number led
NWT residents to a lawyer everyday
between 5:00pm and 7:00pm.
In line with the CBA’s focus on access
to justice this year, the Young
Lawyers intend to see this service
revived permanently. “We hope to
run this service on a more regular
basis with the help of our member
volunteers,” said Karin Taylor, Chair
of the Young Lawyers. “Stay tuned!”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARTER!
A 30th Anniversary is not complete
without cake, so the CBA-NT took the
party to the streets in downtown
Yellowknife. The Honourable Glen
Abernethy, Minister of Justice, and
his Worship Gordon Van Tighem,
Mayor of Yellowknife, joined CBA-NT
President Malinda Kellett, Past-
President Elaine Keenan Bengts, and
Karin Taylor as they handed out cake,
coffee, hot chocolate and bracelets to
the people of Yellowknife.
Despite
the cold, everyone was in good spirits,
and many lunch-goers stopped by to
find out more about the Charter.
COOKIES, TREATS
AND LEGAL TERMINOLOGY
An annual staple of Law Week is the
Bake Sale and Legal Information
Booth, held at Yellowknife’s Centre
Square Mall.
This year, a total of
$400.00 was raised for Yellowknife’s
Betty House, making it the most
profitable bake sale on record. Shirley
Walsh’s cheesecake muffins earned
her first prize (bragging rights) for the
most popular treat. Leanne Dragon’s
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! [left] Karin Taylor and Malinda Kellett slice into the anniversary cake. [right] The Hon. Glen Abernethy, Karin
Taylor, Mayor Gordon Van Tighem, and Malinda Kellett show off their “I Love the Charter” shirts.