If you’re trying to find government information that is generally not made available, it may be helpful to look in databases of information released as part of an FOI request. Note that availability of this information varies by jurisdiction.

The Government of Canada provides a database of completed Access to Information (ATI) requests made to the Government of Canada after January 2020. “If you find a summary of interest, you can request a copy of the records at no cost using the form below each summary. Requests made through this form are considered informal requests and are not subject to . . . [more]

You may have noticed that Google has changed its search results so that they now include words related to those in your search string. While this can be helpful, sometimes it means that the search results are not what you really wanted. 

One way of forcing Google to return only the words you are searching for is to put quotation marks around the words or phrases you want. Another way is to use Google’s verbatim option.

To use the verbatim option, go to the Tools option on the Google search page. Click on All Results and then select Verbatim. . . . [more]

For the longest time, I had no idea that there was a reading pane option in CanLII but once I discovered it, it was an absolute game changer. When you perform a search you’ll notice some options on the right hand side. There will be “Clear Filters” “By relevance” and then three icons. The second last icon when clicked on has two options “Default” and “Reading Pane”. Select reading pane and prepare to have your life changed. You’re welcome.

Another fantastic addition to CanLII is “DarkLII” which simply allows you to enable dark mode in CanLII. This was a very . . . [more]

A very short tip today! You can limit your search results on Google to PDFs by adding filetype:pdf to your Google search.

PDF isn’t the only file type that Google will recognize; you can also limit your search to file types such as .ps, .dwf, .kml, .kmz, .xls, .ppt, .doc, .rtf, or .swf.

— Susannah Tredwell . . . [more]

Tab Session Manager Plug-In for Firefox / Session Buddy for Chrome

When I’m doing research, there’s nothing worse than leaving a bunch of tabs open and having your browser crash or alternatively, you want to pivot from what you’re doing or shut your computer down without losing all of your tabs. I have been using Tab Session Manager for Firefox and it was another big game changer for me. It will automatically save my sessions but I can also manually save them as well and then restore those sessions at any time. Session Buddy for Chrome works similarly.

iDissent Firefox . . . [more]

In a previous tip, I talked about how you could use an RSS feed to track the progress of Canadian federal government legislation. The website has since been updated and how you set up an RSS feed has changed. 

To set up an RSS feed now, go to https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bills and then click on “Show More”. You have the option to set up a feed using a text search, bill type, and current status as well as a number of other options.

For example, if you wanted to be alerted any time there were proposed legislative changes to the Canada . . . [more]

After nearly 11 years, dozens of Tipsters, and more than 1200 tips, we’ve made the decision to transition SlawTips from its own site to being part of our content here at Slaw. Moving forward, you’ll now find new tips occasionally via our “Tips Tuesday” category.

A huge thanks to all the Tipsters who have generously contributed their pearls of wisdom since 2011. Like the main Slaw site, SlawTips would not be possible without the many authors who share their time and writing talent with the legal community here in Canada and abroad.

The SlawTips motto has always . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Use Twitter to Track the Passage of a Bill Through the House of Commons
Susannah Tredwell

While LEGISinfo is an excellent tool for tracking federal legislation, it does not get updated the moment that there is a change to a bill. But sometimes you need to have the information on the status of a bill as fast as is humanly possible. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Confusing Pairs
Neil Guthrie

We haven’t done these for a while, so here goes. Classic/classical: Over time, these have been used interchangeably to some extent, but they are now best kept separate – and more or less as follows. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Law Prof Fail
Neil Guthrie

A law professor and political candidate tweeted this: Last night we gathered with a group of Liberal supporters who, like I, care about combatting climate change … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Licensure
Neil Guthrie

This is becoming more common in regulatory law in Canada, but it’s unnecessary. It’s fairly old – OED gives citations going back to the mid nineteenth century. The word is listed there as an Americanism. … . . . [more]

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on practice, research, writing and technology.

Research & Writing

Finding Standards
Susannah Tredwell

Standards, which “establish accepted practices, technical requirements, and terminologies”, are often referenced by acts and regulations; in order to be able to properly interpret a piece of legislation you may need to see the standard it is referring to. … . . . [more]