Bill No. 16, which amends the Legal Profession Act, 2017, and Bill No. 19, the Technical Amendments Act (2022), received assent today in the Yukon Legislative Assembly.
The amendment of the Legal Professions Act, 2017 will support the Law Society of Yukon in the administration and regulation of the legal profession by allowing investigators to dismiss a complaint for justifiable reasons after it has been investigated. Complainants will continue to have the right to appeal an investigators decision. Finally, the amendments will also protect individuals acting in good faith on behalf of the Law Society of Yukon by providing immunity from legal action for damages.
The Technical Amendments Act, (2022) amends the following Acts: the Land Titles Act, 2015; the Condominium Act, 2015'; and the Corrections Act, 2009. This legislation is designed to fix minor errors and cross-references in the affected acts, and to align the acts with operational needs.
The Technical Amendments Act (2022) and the amendments to the Legal Professions Act, 2017 will help keep the Yukon’s legislation up to date and allow for the efficient and effective administration of the amended acts.
It is important that our territory’s legislation is up to date, effective and serves its intended purpose. The passing of these two Bills today support these goals and will allow Law Society of Yukon to better serve Yukoners.
Minister of Justice Tracy-Anne McPhee
The amendments to the Condominium Act, 2015 address minor errors and inaccurate cross-references and repeal certain regulatory provisions that were never brought into force.
The amendments to the Land Titles Act, 2015 rectify errors in the legislation and ensure the operational requirements of the electronic Yukon Land Titles Registry system are met.
The amendments to the Corrections Act, 2009 support the division of responsibility for facility-based corrections and community corrections.
The amendments to the Legal Professions Act, 2017 support the effective operation of the Law Society of Yukon by enabling the dismissal of complaints after investigation when there are justifiable reasons for doing so. Further, these amendments provide individuals acting on behalf of the Law Society of Yukon the same protections as their peers across Canada.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Jasmine Doll
Communications, Justice
867-667-8114
jasmine.doll@yukon.ca