Grade 8 Resource Package...opportunities for summative assessments, assigning marks to activities such as reflections, quizzes or pro-viding students with the opportunity to self-evalu-ate

Grade 8 Resource Package

Introduction ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ GRADE 8ii

AcknowledgmentsThe Justice Education Society of BCprepared this resource for educators,particularly those teaching Grade 11Social Studies in BC schools. Being anActive Citizen includes materials onthree important components: law, gov-ernment and community engagement.The main goal of the program is forstudents to become more involved andactive citizens in their communities.Similar resources were prepared forGrade 7, 8, 9 and 10 as part of a com-prehensive program on active citizen-ship throughout the grades.The Society gratefully acknowledgesthe many people who participated inthe development of this resourceincluding the members of the AdvisoryCommittee, the experienced teacherswho wrote the material, the energeticteachers who piloted the program andthe dedicated students who took partin the pilot and worked hard tobecome more active citizens.We would particularly like to thank TheLaw Foundation of BC for funding thisproject.

Planning and DevelopmentAdvisory CommitteeRick Craig, Executive Director, JusticeEducation Society of BCAnne Marie Goodfellow, ProjectManager, Justice Education Society of BCMarylou Leung, Project Manager,Justice Education Society of BCDave Nolette, Communications andWeb Manager, Justice EducationSociety of BCEdo Van Breemen, Project Assistant,Justice Education Society of BCAnastasia Gaisenok, Project Assistant,Justice Education Society of BCKevin Smith, Project Assistant, JusticeEducation Society of BCTamana Sediqi, Project Intern, SimonFraser UniversityLillian Tse, Project Intern, Simon FraserUniversity

WriterPaula Waatainen, Rockridge SecondarySchool

Advisory Committee MembersRick Beauchamp, Local GovernmentConsultantRaquel Chin, President, BC SocialStudies Teachers’ AssociationRick Craig, Executive Director, JusticeEducation Society of BCSharon Cutcliffe, Manager, Legal andContract Services and Student Voice,BC Principals’ and Vice-Principals’AssociationAdrienne Gnidec, Education Officer,Education Standards, Ministry ofEducationAnne Marie Goodfellow, Manager, TheHistory Education Network, UBCAllison Habkirk, Adjunct AssistantProfessor, UVic and Program Manager,Local Government LeadershipAcademyGene Jamieson, Legal Office, ProvincialCourt of BCMarylou Leung, Project Manager,Justice Education Society of BCJesse Lobdell, Caseworker, BC CivilLiberties AssociationLisa Nakamura, Senior Policy Analyst,Dispute Resolution Office, Ministry ofAttorney GeneralCaroline Nevin, Executive Director,Canadian Bar Association BC BranchAnneliese Sanghara, President, Oak BayYouth CommitteeJane Turner, Assistant Director,Professional and Social Issues Division,BC Teachers’ FederationCathy Watson, Director, LocalGovernment First Nations Relations,Ministry of Community and RuralDevelopment

Review and Revision ByAdvisory CommitteeRick Craig, Executive Director, JusticeEducation Society of BCMarylou Leung, Project Manager,Justice Education Society of BCAnastasia Gaisenok, Project Assistant,Justice Education Society of BCKevin Smith, Project Assistant, JusticeEducation Society of BCLillian Tse, Project Intern, Simon FraserUniversitySandra Da Silva, Cariboo HillSecondary, Burnaby

Production TeamRick Craig, Executive Director, JusticeEducation Society of BCMarylou Leung, Project Manager,Justice Education Society of BCAnastasia Gaisenok, Project Assistant,Justice Education Society of BCKevin Smith, Project Assistant, JusticeEducation Society of BCLillian Tse, Project Intern, Simon FraserUniversityTamara Mackenzie, Desktop ProductionDave Nolette, Communications andWeb Manager, Justice EducationSociety of BCPeter Szymczak, Web Projects Assistant,Justice Education Society of BCBudget Printing

Pilot Teachers and Students Grade 7Tak Imagawa, Mitchell Elementary,RichmondLauren Lee, Mitchell Elementary,RichmondBarbara Wrinkle, Ecole MarlboroughElementary, BurnabyGrade 8Sandra Da Silva, Cariboo HillSecondary, BurnabyJacqui Tapia, Moscrop Secondary,BurnabyGrade 9Lawrence Clayton, Vancouver College,VancouverJacqui Tapia, Moscrop Secondary,BurnabyGrade 10Elizabeth Byrne-Lo, Burnaby MountainSecondary, BurnabyNancy Campos, Gladstone Secondary,VancouverJanet Nicol, Killarney Secondary,VancouverGrade 11Claire Atkinson, Reynolds Secondary,VictoriaDave Dickinson, Rockridge Secondary,West VancouverJohn Fister, David ThompsonSecondary, VancouverBrygida Reis, Archbishop CarneySecondary, Port Coquitlam

Statement of LimitationThe information in this program is very general. It is not intended to provide orreplace legal advice.Copyright 2010 Justice Education Society of British ColumbiaPermission is granted to photocopy materials for non-commercial educationalpurposes. Rights for all other uses must be obtained by written permission fromthe Justice Education Society of BC.

GRADE 8 ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ Introduction iii

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1

Lesson Framework .................................................................................................................... 1

Lesson Content ........................................................................................................................ 1

Information for the Teacher ...................................................................................................... 2

Integrated Resource Package: Prescribed Learning Outcomes.................................................... 2

Resources ................................................................................................................................. 2

Unit One ~ Government ........................................................................................................ 4

Lesson 1: Levels of Government ............................................................................................... 4

Lesson 2: Role of Local Government ....................................................................................... 11

Lesson 3: Local Government Elections .................................................................................... 15

Unit Two ~ Community Engagement ................................................................................. 28

Lesson 4: Class Local Citizenship Project ................................................................................. 28

Lesson 5: Model Council Meeting Simulation ......................................................................... 39

Lesson 6: Democratic Rights under the Charter ...................................................................... 54

Lesson 7: Debating the Responsibility to Vote ......................................................................... 61

Unit Three ~ Law ................................................................................................................. 67

Lesson 8: Courts of BC and Court Procedures ......................................................................... 67

Lesson 9: The Vancouver Downtown Community Court ......................................................... 79

Lesson 10: Consumer Law ...................................................................................................... 84

Table of Contents

Introduction ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ GRADE 8iv

GRADE 8 ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ Introduction 1

Being an Active Citizen Learning about law, government andcommunity engagement.

As members of societies and communities, we areconnected and interdependent with each other andwith the systems that govern our lives. We thus havea responsibility to be aware of our actions and theimpact they have on others. We also have the pow-er to change our social and political environment forthe better by being active members of the societywe live in. Being an active citizen means utilizingone’s rights, responsibilities and agency through civicengagement. Civic participation can take manyforms involving formal and informal forms of polit-ical and social action, be it voting in the elections orvolunteering with community-based organizations.The main goal of this program is to have your stu-dents become informed and active citizens in theircommunities.

This resource package includes 10 lessons on gov-ernment, law and active citizenship, with a particu-lar focus on local government. Through classroomactivities, readings and a class active citizenship proj-ect, students will develop understanding and skillsfor active citizenship.

LESSON FRAMEWORK

Overview: This is a short statement that describesthe purpose of the lesson.

Objectives: These are learning goals of the lessonthat the students should be able to achieve by theend of the lesson.

Basics for the Teacher: This section will pro-vide information to make the lesson a success.

Student Handouts: These are the resources thatwere designed specifically for the lesson to engagestudents in their learning. They can easily be photo-copied or modified to suit your needs. Each lessonnumber is identified on the page and is organizedby activity.

Instructions for Teacher: Each lesson will pro-vide you with step-by-step instructions on how tocreate a successful lesson and ways to appeal to a

variety of different learning modalities. Supplemen-tary materials and answer keys are included for theactivities.

Assessment: There are a many assessment oppor-tunities throughout the lessons. For the purpose ofthis unit, formative assessment is defined as a wayof checking to see how well your students havelearned the lessons’ objectives. If they have masteredthe information you can move on or, if more prac-tice is needed, you can provide another learningopportunity for mastery (see extension activities).The students’ understanding of the informationshould dictate the pace of your lesson. There are alsoopportunities for summative assessments, assigningmarks to activities such as reflections, quizzes or pro-viding students with the opportunity to self-evalu-ate or peer mark each another.

Extension Activities: These are extra opportu-nities for you and your class that can be used to pro-mote deeper inquiry. Or, they can be used as enrich-ment activities for honours or gifted students.

Get Involved: Idea for community engagement.

LESSON CONTENT Lesson 1: Levels of GovernmentThis lesson introduces students to the responsibili-ties of federal, provincial and local levels of govern-ment.

Lesson 2: Role of Local Government Students search for information about local gov-ernment operation and services on their ownmunicipality’s website.

Lesson 3: Local Government ElectionsStudents are introduced to the local elections elec-toral system and related issues. Includes an option-al extension activity of a model local election.

Lesson 4: Active Citizenship Project Students plan and carry out a project designed toaddress an issue of importance to them in theircommunity. This is introduced here so studentswill have time to complete the project before theend of the unit.

Introduction to the Grade 8 Program

Introduction ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ GRADE 82

Lesson 5: Model Council MeetingSimulationIn this lesson, students lead a simulation of a coun-cil meeting on a proposed bylaw establishing ayouth curfew.

Lesson 6: Democratic Rights under theCharterThis lesson introduces students to the DemocraticRights section of the Canadian Charter of Rights andFreedoms. Students consider the factors which makea country democratic by analyzing case studies ofcountries with varying degrees of democratic rights.This could also be included under the Law Unit.

Lesson 7: Debating the Responsibility toVoteStudents analyze the results of a class survey on vot-er participation and debate the issue of whether vot-ing is a responsibility of citizenship.

Lesson 8: Courts of BC and CourtProceduresStudents will learn about the roles of the differentlevels of British Columbia courts and court proce-dures in criminal and civil cases.

Lesson 9: The Vancouver DowntownCommunity CourtA case study of criminal justice reforms in Vancou-ver.

Lesson 10: Consumer LawStudents are introduced to the idea that there arelaws in place to protect their interests as consumers.Scenarios of common consumer issues faced byyouth are considered.

INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHERMost of the lessons in this unit are independent enti-ties that can be carried out in an 80-minute period.The class active citizenship project is the majorexception, as students will require time to plan andcarry out the activities. It is recommended that youteach lessons one and two as basics of local govern-ment before beginning the active citizenship proj-ect, but plan to have the project take longer to com-plete than this unit allows.

INTEGRATED RESOURCE PACKAGE:PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMESThis lesson aid supports the following prescribedlearning outcomes from the Social Studies Grade 8curriculum (1997).

Applications of Social Studies• Identify and clarify a problem, an issue or an

inquiry.• Gather and organize a body of information from

primary and secondary print and non-printsources.

• Interpret and evaluate a variety of primary andsecondary sources.

• Assess a variety of positions on controversialissues.

• Plan, revise and deliver written and oral presen-tations.

• Co-operatively plan and implement a course ofaction that addresses the problem, issue orinquiry initially identified.

Politics and Law• Demonstrate understanding of the tension

between individual rights and responsibilities ofcitizens in a variety of civilizations.

• Describe various ways individuals and groups caninfluence legal systems and political structures.

• Explain the development and importance of gov-ernment systems.

RESOURCESThese can provide additional source information orideas for lessons.Active Citizenship: Student Action Projects. The CriticalThinking Consortium: UBC, 2004.This resource provides a framework for elementaryand secondary school teachers to guide students inplanning and implementing a social action project.More information online at http://www.tc2.caThe Better Business Bureau A long standing non-profit organization which pro-vides consumer information and tips, along with anaccreditation service for local business. http://www.bbb.org/canadaBramham, Daphne “West Vancouver’s politicalgroups probed” Vancouver Sun 13 December 2008. BC School Trustees Associationhttp://www.bcsta.orgBusiness Practices and Consumer Protection Authori-ty This BC government-created authority has theresponsibility for hearing complaints from consumersregarding business practices. Its website contains agreat deal of searchable information about consumerlaw and the mechanism for making a complaint. http://www.bpcpa.ca“Canada Votes 2008: Voter Turnout” http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/votertoolkit/voterturnout.htmlCareers in Local Governmenthttp://www.civicjobs.ca

GRADE 8 ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ Introduction 3

CBC News backgrounder on youth curfews (19August 2004)http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/curfewsCivic Info BC Information, surveys, statistics and local elections.http://www.civicinfo.bc.caConstitution Act, 1867Available from Justice Department websitehttp://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/const/c1867_e.html“Controversial Curfew to end in Thompson”, Mani-toba CBC (2 May 2007)http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2007/05/02/thompson_curfew.htmlCourt Information is the content from the bookletcalled “Learning About the Law” in six languages.http://www.courtinformation.caCourts of BC http://www.courtsofbc.ca“Criminal Justice Reform Projects”. Government ofBritish ColumbiaBackgrounder and other information on VancouverDowntown Community Court. http://www.crimi-naljusticereform.gov.bc.ca/en/justice_reform_projects/community_court/index.html“Deliberating in a Democracy – Youth Curfews read-ing”. Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicagohttp://www.deliberating.org/Lessons_Youth_Curfews.pdfEconomist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy2008http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/25828/20081021185552/graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy%20Index%202008.pdfElections Canada On-Line: Past Electionshttp://www.electionscanada.caFreedom of the World 2008This is a ranking of democratic freedoms and civil lib-erties, produced by the Freedom House organization.http://www.freedomhouse.orgHerb, Senator Mac. “The Case for Mandatory Votingin Canada”. Canadian Parliamentary Review, 2005.Forsey, Eugene. How Canadians Govern Themselves(6th Edition). Available online from the parliament ofCanada website.http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/idb/forseyLaw Students’ Legal Advice Program Manual The University of British Columbia’s Law School has along standing program in which law students pro-vide free legal advice and representation to whosewho cannot afford it, from 20 legal clinics in GreaterVancouver. Each year LSLAP produces a comprehen-sive manual of current legal information. http://www.lslap.bc.caLocal Government in BC – A Community EffortThis document was created by the Union of BCMunicipalities and outlines the role and structure oflocal government. It contains many useful diagrams

and is available electronically as a pdf at http://ubcm.fileprosite.com/content/pdfstorage/25F8EA2EFE514E1AA23C812CE9211B25-LGinBC.pdf“Local Government Elections”, Ministry of Commu-nity and Rural Developmenthttp://www.cd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/gov_structure/Elections/Maple Leaf WebThe University of Lethbridge maintains a websitedevoted to political education in Canada. It includesarticles on many relevant topics, including this oneon federalism.http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/federalism-canada-basic-framework-and-operationMinistry of Attorney General and Ministry Responsi-ble for Multiculturalism2009/2010 – 2011/12 Service Plan (Feb 2009) “Native Court in New West Tests Holistic Remedy”Vancouver Sun, 15 February 2008. http://www.cana-da.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=d171e7e6-fe38-479d-a0b2-d96b380239b0Pammett, J. , LeDuc, L. Explaining the Turnout Declinein Canadian Federal Elections: A New Survey of Non-voters. Report commissioned by Elections Canada,2003.http://www.elections.ca/loi/tur/tud/TurnoutDecline.pdf“Primer on Regional Districts”. BC Ministry of Com-munity and Rural Development (2006)This PDF document explains in clear terms the histo-ry, purpose and structure of regional districts in BC.http://www.cd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/gov_structure/library/Primer_on_Regional_Districts_in_BC.pdfRobertson, James R. “Electoral Rights: Charter ofRights and Freedoms”.Library of Parliament; Canada, 2002. An interestinganalysis of the impact the Charter democratic rightssection has had on electoral rights in Canada.http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/prbpubs/905-e.htmStudent Vote Canada Kielburger, Marc and Craig Kielburger. Take Action!A Guide to Active Citizenship. Gage Learning, 2002.http://www.studentvote.caUnion of BC Municipalitieshttp://www.ubcm.caUnion of BC Municipalities, “CivicNet” Elections2005 Surveyhttp://www.ubcmsurveys.com/election2005/index.aspVoters Guide to Local Elections in British Columbia(2008)Ministry of Community and Rural Developmenthttp://www.cd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/gov_structure/library/Voters_Guide_English_2008.pdf

Lesson 1 ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ GRADE 84

■ Basics for the TeacherLevels of GovernmentCanada was established as a federal state, with powers and respon-sibilities constitutionally separated between federal and provinciallevels of government. Sir John A. Macdonald envisioned that in acountry as large and diverse as Canada, there should be “a gener-al government and legislature for general purposes with local gov-ernments and legislatures for local purposes.”

In 1867, the British North America Act (now named the ConstitutionAct, 1867) divided powers between the federal and provincial gov-ernments. Section 91 sets out the exclusive powers and responsi-bilities of the federal government.

Section 92 sets out the exclusive powers and responsibilities ofprovincial governments. Sections 93 to 95 set out areas of sharedresponsibility of both levels of government.

Section 91 also establishes that residual powers – anything notspecifically stated in the Constitution Act – are automatically con-sidered a federal power. Thus new fields of governance thatemerged in the 20th-century in telecommunications and air trav-el became federal powers.

Canada has other levels of government in addition to federal andprovincial levels. Territorial governments are established by the fed-eral government. In recent decades, the federal government hasdevolved much responsibility – particularly for matters normallyhandled by provincial governments – to these territorial govern-ments.

Section 92 establishes the authority of provincial governments overlocal and regional governments. Provincial governments have thepower to create and reorganize local governments and regionaldistricts as well as to devolve powers and taxation authority to theselocal governments and regional districts. Similarly, the provincealso designates local boards of education and regional healthauthorities to carry out planning and administration of educationand health care in local areas and regions.

Ultimately, much of the organization of government responsibili-ty is based on Macdonald’s vision of general government for gen-eral issues – those of common interest to all Canadians. Local gov-ernments handle local issues that are unique and specific to regions,small and large.

■ OverviewThis lesson is a very generalintroduction to the complextopic of the division of powersand responsibilities betweenthe government levels. Whilesome of the background infor-mation provided to you as theteacher is more complex, thelesson itself attempts to simpli-fy federalism to a Grade 8-appropriate level. This lessonwill serve as a good introduc-tion to the later lessons com-ing on local government.

■ ObjectivesStudents will:• Become familiar with the

basic roles and responsibil-ities of federal, provincialand local governments.

Lesson 1: Levels of Government

Unit One ~ Government

GRADE 8 ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ Lesson 1 5

■ Instructions for Teacher

Activity 1: Levels of Government

• Briefly introduce students to the following con-cepts:

– We have more than one level of governmentin Canada.

– When Canada was created, our constitutiondivided powers between the federal andprovincial governments.

– We also have local, territorial and First Nationsgovernments.

• Distribute Activity Sheet 1-1: News Headlines andhave students work in pairs to anticipate whichlevel would be responsible for each scenario. Youwant the students to try to figure out the levelsbefore you give out the Activity Sheet 1-2: Levelsof Government Chart.

• If your class has difficulty doing this you couldgive them the chart and let them use it to findthe answers. Lead a class discussion on the work-sheet, having students vote on which level isright.

• Alternatively, you can assign three students toeach of the government levels and have themcome up to the front of the class. Their job is tolisten to the news headline in Activity Sheet 1-1:News Headlines as another member of the classreads it out. Give each group a few minutes totalk among themselves as to whether or not theythink certain responsibilities belong to the levelof government they are representing. Then havethem decide and give a reason why or why not.The remainder of the class can also contribute tothe discussion as to whether they think the groupcame up with the correct response.

• Distribute Activity Sheet 1-2: Levels of GovernmentChart.

• If the class has done the News Headlines withoutthe chart . Discuss areas of responsibility and whyit might make sense for each item to belong toa particular level of government.

• Mark Activity Sheet 1-1: News Headlines as a classusing the key. Make sure the students record thecorrect answers on their individual sheets espe-cially if you have used the group method above.

Activity 2: Levels of Government Quiz

• Distribute Activity Sheet 1-3: Levels of GovernmentQuiz and have the students complete it in class.

■ AssessmentAssess students by using Activity Sheet 1-1: NewsHeadlines Answer Key and for discussion and partic-ipation. If you did not use the group method thenyou can record each student’s mark. You could alsouse Activity Sheet 1-3: Levels of Government Quiz forassessment.

■ Student Handouts

Activity Sheet 1-1: News Headlines

Activity Sheet 1-2: Levels of Government Chart

Activity Sheet 1-3: Levels of Government Quiz

■ Extension Activities1. Go through a local newspaper and clip out

articles related to government action or issuesat each level of government. Report back tothe class on what you found.

2. Explore federal, provincial or territorial gov-ernment websites to identify key announce-ments and news releases of the day. What arethe priorities of each level of government ona particular day?

■ Get InvolvedVisit a MLA or MP or Councillor and interviewhim or her. Prepare your questions before yougo. If possible take a picture or make a video ofthe interview. Report back to the class on therole of the person you interviewed in the gov-ernment.


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

Read the imaginary newspaper headlines below. In each headline, the level ofgovernment making the announcement is missing. Fill in each blank with thelevel of government you think would have that power. ie. federal (or Canadian)

provincial (or BC)local (or name of your community)

Remember that the federal government generally has power over generalissues that should be the same for all Canadians. Provincial governments havepower over things that are specific to their regions. Local governments havepower over decisions that are about things that are best decided close to home.

1. ___________ government announces the creation of tougher penalties forwalking dogs off leash. Dog owners are upset.

2. Get ready for heavy pockets! _________ government announces creation ofa $5 coin.

3. Opposition slams __________ government plan to cancel purchase of newhelicopters for the Canadian Forces.

4. Poverty activists applaud ___________ government plan to raise minimumwage to $12 per hour.

5. ___________ government approves new youth recreation centre for formermuseum building.

6. ___________ government signs international treaty on air pollution.

7. 400 spots to be created in nursing schools to address shortage of nurses,announces ___________ government.

8. Fire department to receive new ladder truck, says __________ government.

9. All students will have to be able to juggle and ride a unicycle to graduatefrom high school, announces ___________ government.

10. Restaurant owners applaud ___________ government decision to allowpatios to stay open until midnight during summer months.

Activity Sheet 1-1: News HeadlinesLesson 1


Read the imaginary newspaper headlines below. In each headline, the level ofgovernment making the announcement is missing. Fill in each blank with thelevel of government you think would have that power. ie. federal (or Canadian)

provincial (or BC)local (or name of your community)

Remember that the federal government generally has power over generalissues that should be the same for all Canadians. Provincial governments havepower over things that are specific to their regions. Local governments havepower over decisions that are about things that are best decided close to home.

1. Local government announces the creation of tougher penalties for walkingdogs off leash. Dog owners are upset.

2. Get ready for heavy pockets! Federal government announces creation of a$5 coin.

3. Opposition slams federal government plan to cancel purchase of new heli-copters for the Canadian Forces.

4. Poverty activists applaud provincial government plan to raise minimumwage to $12 per hour.

5. Local government approves new youth recreation centre for former muse-um building.

6. Federal government signs international treaty on air pollution.

7. 400 spots to be created in nursing schools to address shortage of nurses,announces provincial government.

8. Fire department to receive new ladder truck, says local government.

9. All students will have to be able to juggle and ride a unicycle to graduatefrom high school, announces provincial government.

10. Restaurant owners applaud local government decision to allow patios to stay open until midnight during summer months.

Activity Sheet 1-1: News HeadlinesLesson 1 KEY


Level Power

Federal • Regulation of trade and commerce• Post office • Census and statistics • Defence • Navigation, shipping, beacons, lighthouses,

inter-provincial and international railways, airtravel

• Fisheries• Aboriginal / Aboriginal lands • Criminal laws and procedures • General laws of marriage and divorce • Employment insurance • Money and banking • Broadcasting - airwaves• Patents and copyrights

Provincial (Most of these powers are also granted by

federal government to territorial governments.)

• Social security / welfare (except employmentinsurance)

• Labour legislation (minimum wages, safety,workers compensation)

• Natural resources • Prisons (except penitentiaries) • Hospitals and delivery of health care • Municipal institutions • Solemnization of marriage • Creation of courts and administration of justice

(except Supreme Court of Canada and FederalCourt)

• Education (K-12, post secondary)

Local Government (Powers granted by provincial government.)

• Protection of persons and property (fire, police)• Local transportation (local roads, transit)• Public utilities (water, sewage, landfill)• Parks and recreation• Planning and development (zoning, business

licenses, bylaws)• Libraries• Boards of education responsible for local delivery

of education• Street lights• Cemeteries• Emergency planning• Solid waste and recycling

Activity Sheet 1-2: Levels of Government ChartLesson 1

(Not exclusive and subject to some slight discrepancies and areas of shared responsibility.)


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

Write the government roles into the correct boxes. There should be fiveroles per box. Choose the best answers.

Federal Provincial Local

Activity Sheet 1-3: Levels of Government QuizLesson 1

Roles

1. Dog licenses2. Fire departments3. Criminal laws4. K – 12 education5. Regulation of television stations6. Hospitals7. Sewage8. Minimum wage

9. Military10. Postal system11. Universities12 Libraries13. Welfare14. Zoning15. Banking


Write the government roles into the correct boxes. There should be fiveroles per box. Choose the best answers.

Federal Provincial Local

Military

Banking

Criminal laws

Postal system

Regulation of televisionstations

K – 12 education

Hospitals

Minimum wage

Universities

Welfare

Dog licenses

Fire department

Sewage

Zoning

Libraries

Activity Sheet 1-3: Levels of Government QuizLesson 1 KEY


■ Basics for the TeacherThere are two excellent sources for local government. Before thelesson look at Local Government in BC – A Community Effort and thePrimer on Regional Districts which are listed below.

Local Government in BC – A Community EffortThis 32-page document was created by the Union of BC Munici-palities and outlines the role and structure of local government.It contains many useful diagrams and is available electronically asa pdf.http://ubcm.fileprosite.com/content/pdfstorage/25F8EA2EFE514E1AA23C812CE9211B25-LGinBC.pdf

Primer on Regional DistrictsBC Ministry of Community Services (2006)This PDF document explains in clear terms the history, purposeand structure of regional districts in BC.http://www.cd.gov.bc.ca/lgd/gov_structure/library/Primer_on_Regional_Districts_in_BC.pdf

Local Government in BCLocal government powers and responsibilities are primarily grant-ed in two documents, the Local Government Act and the Commu-nity Charter (which applies to municipalities except for the City ofVancouver, which has its own charter). The Community Chartercame into force in 2004 and formally recognizes municipalities “asan order of government within their jurisdiction that is democrat-ically elected, autonomous, responsible and accountable”.

Regional DistrictsBritish Columbia is unique in Canada in its division into regionaldistricts. The regional districts have evolved and changed in theirpurpose since being established in the 1960s, but fundamentallyexist to serve the following purposes:

• Provide a framework for regional administration and leadershipfor shared regional services. These will often include water,sewage, transit and solid waste management.

• Provide an administrative framework for having communitiespartner together to create projects designed to support morethan one community. Examples might include sharing recre-ation facilities or regional parks.

• Provide local government for unincorporated areas that are notserved by a municipality. This would usually include servicessuch as zoning, bylaws or permits.

■ OverviewIn this lesson, students will usean Internet-based scavengerhunt to familiarize themselveswith the nature of the day-to-day operations of a local gov-ernment and many of the serv-ices available to members oftheir community.


website for their local gov-ernment.

• Gain a practical apprecia-tion of the services per-formed by their local gov-ernment and how to accessthose services.

Lesson 2: Role of Local Government



MunicipalitiesMunicipalities are communities that are incorporat-ed by the provincial government – that is they aregiven the status of city, town, district, village orregional district; boundaries are established and theyare given power to govern themselves. As of 2009,85% of British Columbians lived in 160 municipali-ties. The chart below defines the designation ofmunicipalities. However, as municipalities must applyto change status, many older municipalities are nowlarger or smaller than these population breakdowns.

Type of Municipality Population Rangeand Examples

Village Under 2,500

Town 2,500 to 5,000

City More than 5,000

District Municipality Area greater than 800hectares with a popula-tion density of less thanfive persons per hectare,regardless of overallpopulation

Resort Municipality Whistler

Island Municipality Bowen Island

Indian GovernmentDistrict

Sechelt IndianGovernment District (Form of Aboriginal self-government)

■ Student HandoutsActivity Sheet 2-1: Local Government ScavengerHunt

■ Instructions for Teacher

Activity 1: Orientation to Local Governmentand Regional Districts

• Use the BC Statistics website to find a map ofthe regional district that contains your commu-nity.http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/Regions/regDist.asp

• Look at the map with students and locate yourlocal community. You could make copies to dis-tribute if you are not able to use projectionequipment. Discuss the following questions:

1. What is a regional district?

2. What is the name of our regional district?

3. What is a municipality? How is it differentfrom a regional district?

4. What are the municipalities in our regionaldistrict? Are there any communities in theregional district that are not municipalities?

5. What sort of services might be sharedbetween the different communities in ourregional district?


Activity 2: Local Government ScavengerHunt

• The questions contained on the scavenger huntworksheet are quite general and can be appliedto the websites of most BC communities. Beforeusing this activity, examine the local governmentwebsite to see if there are questions which arenot applicable or other additional questions thatwould be worth adding.

• Divide the class into small teams or have the stu-dents work individually. Distribute Activity Sheet2-1: Local Government Scavenger Hunt to the stu-dents. Ask the students to read the questionscarefully and try to see if they can answer any ofthe questions before looking up the informationonline.

• Have students visit the local government’s web-site to answer the questions. Review the answerswith the class.

Alternative Activity 2: Scavenger HuntStations

• If your school does not have Internet access avail-able, you can collect information prior to theactivity for students’ use. Set up stations aroundthe classroom with the following items:

1. Government “blue pages” from your localtelephone directory;

2. Parks and Recreation guide for your commu-nity;

3. Brochures and documents related to localgovernment services that you have collectedfrom your municipal hall.

NB. Hand out Lesson 3 Activity Sheets 3-1 and 3-2 forstudents to complete for homework and evaluationmarks.

■ AssessmentAssess student learning by marking scavenger huntsheets for completion and accuracy.

■ Extension Activities1. Use Google Earth (http://earth.google.com)

to create a tour of your favorite places in thelocal community or regional district. Providea copy of your tour to your teacher and/ormake a class presentation.

2. Use the BC Statistics website(http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca) to examinestatistical demographic and economic infor-mation about the community or regionaldistrict. Make a two page flyer to distributeto the class. Make it look professional.

■ Get InvolvedCreate a survey on municipalities and regionaldistricts with 5-10 questions. Take the surveyto the street and see how many people in yourarea understand the difference. Ask at least 10people to complete the survey. Compile yourresults and present your findings to your class.


1. Who is the mayor?_____________________________________

2. How many members of council are there?List their names.__________________________________________________________________________

3. When is the next council meeting? Wherewill it be?__________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the name of the closest swimmingpool to your home? How much does aone visit admission cost for someone yourage?__________________________________________________________________________

5. How much garbage is one house allowedto have picked up free per pickup?_____________________________________

6. Does your community have a recyclingprogram? How often does recycling getpicked up at your home?__________________________________________________________________________

7. What is the population of your communi-ty?_____________________________________

8. How much does a dog licence cost? _____________________________________

9. Is there an animal control centre, shelter or“pound”? What is its phone number?__________________________________________________________________________

10. Are there any jobs available right nowworking for the local government? If so,what is one job title?_____________________________________

11. Your family wants to build an addition toyour home. How do you get a buildingpermit to do this?__________________________________________________________________________

12. What is the street address of the closest firestation to your home?_____________________________________

13. You want to open a bakery. How much willyou have to pay for a business licence forone year?_____________________________________

14. Look at the bylaws section of the website: a. Is there a bylaw that deals with noise?

What are the “quiet times” of the daywhen you cannot make noise thatmight disturb your neighbours?

__________________________________________________________________________

b. Is there a bylaw concerning fireworks?Are citizens allowed to buy fireworks foruse on Halloween?

__________________________________________________________________________

Activity Sheet 2-1: Local Government Scavenger HuntLesson 2

Name: ____________________________________ Block: ________ Date: ____________________

Municipality or community: ___________________________________________________________

Website: ____________________________________________________________________________


■ Basics for the TeacherSee Activity Sheet 3-1: Local Government Election Facts for the basics forthis lesson.

■ Instructions for the TeacherSelect activity options from those listed below. Activity 1 may be com-pleted in class or as a pre-class homework activity. Activity 2 is an option-al classroom activity. Activity 3 requires time for student preparation inclass or for homework and class time to present.

Activity 1: Local Government Election Facts

• Hand out Activity Sheet 3-1: Local Government Election Facts to yourstudents. Have students read it and then answer the questions onActivity Sheet 3-2: Local Government Election. They will hand this infor assessment.

• After completion of the sheet, spend five minutes highlighting pointsthat you would like to stress and giving the answers.

Activity 2: Election Campaigning

• Hand out Activity Sheet 3-4: Campaigning in a Local Election and Activ-ity Sheet 3-5: Campaign Strategy Cases and let students read them.

• Post copies of Activity Sheet 3-6: Campaign Strategy Plan at four sta-tions around the room, with a name of a candidate at each station.Assign a group of students to each station.

• Have the groups fill out Activity Sheet 3-6: Campaign Strategy Planfor their candidate.

• Either have groups share strategies orally or have groups rotate todifferent stations to add feedback.

■ Student HandoutsActivity Sheet 3-1: Local Government Election FactsActivity Sheet 3-2: Local Government ElectionsActivity Sheet 3-3: Sample Ballot – City of NanaimoActivity Sheet 3-4: Campaigning in a Local ElectionActivity Sheet 3-5: Campaign Strategy CasesActivity Sheet 3-6: Campaign Strategy PlanActivity Sheet 3-7: Ballot TemplateActivity Sheet 3-8: Model Election Marking Rubric

■ OverviewThis lesson will familiarizestudents with the basics ofthe electoral process in localelections in BC and strate-gies used in local electioncampaigns. An optional“Model Election” assign-ment is included in this les-son.

■ ObjectivesStudents will:

• Learn the basics of theprocedures and rulesfor electing membersof local government.

• Become familiar withcampaign strategies inlocal elections.

Lesson 3: Local Government Elections



Activity 3: Model Local GovernmentElection Simulation

A model local government election simulation mightserve as an interesting unit project.

Preparation• Divide the class into groups of two-to-three stu-

dents, with each group made up of one candi-date and campaign organizer(s).

• Open nominations. Have students nominate eachother for positions of mayor and council. For thepurposes of this simulation, a small four-membertown council will be elected. Remind studentsthat cities elect larger councils. (See Activity Sheet3-1: Local Government Election Facts)

• Use the template Activity Sheet 3-7: Ballot to cre-ate an election ballot with the names of your stu-dent candidates. Photocopy sufficient ballots foryour election.

• Give students time in class and for homework toresearch local issues and to prepare campaignmaterials and speeches.

• Require the campaigns to produce:■ One, two-to-three minute campaign speech,

presented by the candidate■ One or two of the following: (one created by

each campaign supporter in the group) – Campaign website– Brochure– Newspaper advertisement– Poster– Radio ad– Video (i.e. that might be posted on

YouTube. This of course would involve par-ent permission and a talk with your admin-istrator as to the school policy. Alternative-ly, perhaps an internal password-protect-ed site could display the students’ work.)

Campaigning• Designate one class period as Election Day. Have

the candidates present their speeches to the classand display or present their campaign materials.

Balloting and Tabulation• Set up a voting place with ballot boxes and vot-

ing screens, if possible. If your school has partic-ipated in Student Vote in a past federal or provin-cial election, use these props. Remind studentsof the rules for marking ballots and the numberof candidates they are eligible to vote for.

• Allow each candidate to appoint one scrutineerto observe you counting the ballots in another

room. Scrutineers may not touch the ballots, butmay dispute spoiled ballots and are there toensure the tabulation process is sound.

• Note: There is a plan to amend the local govern-ment act before the 2011 elections so check tomake sure you are using current information.

■ AssessmentYou can use Activity Sheet 3-2: Local Government Elec-tions and Activity Sheet 3-6: Campaign Strategy Planfor assessment. Also formative assessments can bedone by you during the class.Assess the Model Local Election using Activity Sheet3-8: Model Election Marking Rubric. Have students ineach group assess their own performance and groupmembers using the same rubric.

■ Extension ActivitiesWard System vs. At Large System DebateOne common debate in BC politics is whether weshould elect members of council using the cur-rent “at large” system, whereby all members ofcouncil are elected to represent the entire juris-diction or if we should elect members of councilto represent their own neighbourhoods or“wards”. The City of Vancouver had a referendum on theWards issue in 2004, with 54% of voters reject-ing the idea. This result, however, was based ona voter turnout of only 22% of registered voters.Information about the wards referendum, includ-ing a map of the proposed wards in Vancouver,is still available at the Vancouver City Clerk’s web-site: http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/decision2004/index.htmA class debate on At Large vs. Wards would stillbe relevant in many jurisdictions as the ward sys-tem is commonly used in other provinces and stillhas some popular support in BC even though itwas not approved in the 2008 election.You can prepare this debate and then ask yourteacher if you can take some time in class to pres-ent it.

■ Get InvolvedInvite a local reporter who covers local electionsto visit the class to discuss local election cam-paigns. Prepare questions ahead of time for yourspeaker to answer.


Who is elected in a local governmentelection?On General Voting Day, we vote for the follow-ing positions:

• The mayor and councillors for each munici-pality.

• School board trustees.

• Electoral area directors for regional districts.

• Other elected positions such as local trusteesfor areas in the Island Trust (Gulf Islands).

When are local government elections?General Voting Day is the third Saturday inNovember, every three years. The most recentelection was in November 2008, so the nextelection will be in November 2011.

How many members of council areelected?The size of the council depends on the size ofthe municipality. There are four, six, eight or 10members of council, plus the mayor. There isalways an even number of members of councilso, with the addition of the mayor, there is anodd number of people voting. That way therewill never be a tied vote if everyone is present.

How many school trustees are elected?Each school district has three, five, seven or nineschool trustees on its board of education. Some-times, for example in the case of Vancouver, theschool district boundaries are the same as themunicipal boundaries. In other cases a schooldistrict is larger, covering an area that includesmore than one municipality or community. Inthat case, there are sometimes specific rules forthe number of trustees elected from each partof the district. For example, the District of NorthVancouver and the City of North Vancouvershare School District #44. As the district has ahigher population, the voters there elect fourtrustees and the voters from the city only electthree.

Who is eligible to vote?To vote as a “resident elector”, you must be:• 18 years old or older.• A Canadian citizen.• A resident of British Columbia for at least six

months before the election.• A resident of the place where you are voting

for at least 30 days before the election.

People who own property in the jurisdiction arealso allowed to vote in a local election as longas they have owned the property for at least 30days.

Municipality size Usual number ofmembers of council

City of Vancouver 10 plus mayor

Cities or districts ofmore than 50,000people

eight plus mayor

Other cities or districts six plus mayor

Villages and Towns four plus mayor

Activity Sheet 3-1: Local Government Elections Facts Lesson 3

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Who is eligible to run for election?To be allowed to run as a candidate for electionas mayor, member of council or school trustee,the person must be:

• 18 years old or older.

• A Canadian citizen.

• A resident of BC for at least six months pri-or to the election.

• Not disqualified from running for any rea-son.

Unlike the rules for voting, you do not have tolive or own property somewhere to be allowedto run in an election there.

Who is disqualified from being allowedto run in elections?While most people are allowed to run for elect-ed office, some people are disqualified. Themost common reasons are:

• Someone who works as an employee of thelocal government or school board. For exam-ple, your teacher is not allowed to run to bea school trustee in your school district. Theemployee is allowed to run if he or she goeson leave during the election and then prom-ises to resign from his or her job if elected.

• Judges of the Provincial Court, SupremeCourt and Court of Appeal.

• Someone who is in prison for an indictableoffence.

• Someone who has been disqualified fromthis election because, as a past candidate,they broke election rules.

What kind of rules have to be followedby candidates in an election?Candidates have to follow rules that are set outin the Local Government Act. Some examples ofrules include:

• Candidates have to keep records of dona-tions that they received and have to publish

the names of people or businesses who havedonated an amount of $100 or more.

• These donations might be cash or theymight be donations of services. For exam-ple, if a photographer is normally paid $500for a photo shoot but charges the politicianonly $200, he or she is making a “donationin kind” of $300. This has to be included inthe list.

• This financial list must be turned in to themunicipality within 120 days of the electionor the candidate will be disqualified fromrunning in the next election.

• Candidates can donate as much money asthey like to their own campaign and canaccept donations from businesses andunions.

• Candidates cannot bribe or threaten voters.

If an elected official resigns or passesaway between elections, is he or shereplaced?Yes. Unless this occurs within a few months ofthe next election, there will be a special type ofelection called a by-election just to fill thatvacancy.

How does a voter fill out the ballot? Howis it counted?Many municipalities in BC now use electronicvoting machines. The ballot has ovals that arefilled in and the ballot is fed into a machinewhich counts the ballots. Some municipalitiesstill use employees to hand count the ballots. Avoter can vote for as many candidates as thereare positions available. Thus, everyone has onevote for mayor. If there are six councillor posi-tions, the voter can vote for up to six candi-dates. A voter can choose to vote for fewer can-didates if he or she wishes. See the sampleballot from Nanaimo.

Activity Sheet 3-1: Local Government Elections Facts

Lesson 3


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

1. How often are local elections held in BC? a. Every 2 years.b. Every year.c. Every 3 years.

2. When will the next election be? ________________________

3. Who do we elect in a local election?a. Mayor and councillors.b. School board trustees..c. Both a and b.

4. How old do you have to be to vote in a local election?a. 18 years.b. 21 years.c. 19 years.

5. Is anyone allowed to vote in a local election even if he or she does not live inthat jurisdiction? (Is it ever possible for a person who does not live in Coquit-lam to vote in a Coquitlam election?) Explain your answer.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is a by-election?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Can a wealthy person choose to spend $25,000 funding his or her own cam-paign to become mayor? Is this allowed?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Give three examples of individuals who would not be allowed to run in anelection.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Activity Sheet 3-2: Local Government ElectionsLesson 3


1. How often are local elections held in BC? c. Elections are held every three years, on the third Saturday inNovember.

2. When will the next election be? There will be an election on Saturday, November 19, 2011 andevery three years after that.

3. Who do we elect in a local election?

c. Generally we elect a mayor and between four and 10 councillors,depending on the size of municipality. School trustees are also elect-ed, as are elected positions on regional districts and similar bodies.Vancouver is the only municipality in Canada with elected parks com-missioners.

4. How old do you have to be to vote in a local election?

a. 18 (same for federal and provincial elections in BC).

5. Is anyone allowed to vote in a local election even if he or she does not live inthat jurisdiction? (Is it ever possible for a person who does not live in Coquit-lam to vote in a Coquitlam election?) Explain your answer.

Someone who lives in one place and owns property in another placeis entitled to vote in both places.

6. What is a by-election?

A special election which is called to fill a vacancy in between elec-tions.

7. Can a wealthy person choose to spend $25,000 funding his or her own cam-paign to become mayor? Is this allowed?

Yes, in a local election.

8. Give three examples of individuals who would not be allowed to run in anelection:

Under 18, not a citizen, has lived in BC less than six months, employ-ee of municipality, in prison, disqualified for breaking election rulesas a previous candidate, Provincial Court, Supreme Court or Court ofAppeal judge.

Activity Sheet 3-2: Local Government ElectionsLesson 3 KEY


Activity Sheet 3-3: Sample Ballot – City of NanaimoLesson 3

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Local election campaigns work a little differently from federal elections and provin-cial elections. Most cities and towns do not have political parties in their local elec-tions (except large cities like Vancouver and Surrey), so candidates are all “inde-pendents”. As the amount of money spent on these campaigns is generally a lotlower than other elections, there are usually no TV ads and rarely any radio ads.Candidates have to find other ways to reach voters to earn their votes.

Here are some examples of typical campaign strategies and their approximate cost:

Strategy Details Cost in $ Cost in time

Speak at an AllCandidatesMeeting

Meetings held for thepublic where candidatesmake short speeches.

Free (though you also wantto pass out pamphlets ifpossible).

A few hours, a few times inthe campaign, plus time toprepare.

Signs Get your name known byputting up signs on sup-porters’ lawns and road-ways.

Depends on number andquality. Make your own for$100 in supplies or spendup to $3,000 on profession-al large and small signs.

Regular volunteer time put-ting up signs and checkingif they have been knockeddown. Large signs take 30minutes each.

Brochure Create and distribute abrochure about the can-didate’s view and plans.

Depends on quality. Createyour own and copy in b/wfor 5 cents each;15 cents incolour. Hire a company tocreate for $800 and print onglossy paper for 30 centseach. Mail for 50 cents eachor hand out for free.

Little time needed if youhire someone to make itand send by mail. Lots ofvolunteer hours to drop inmailboxes.

Door knocking Candidate walks door todoor meeting voters.

Free (except brochures). Time consuming.

Mainstreeting Candidate walks arounddowntown or mall meet-ing voters.

Free (except brochures). Less time consuming thandoor knocking.

Coffee parties Friends or supportershost people to meet youat their homes.

Free if host provides coffee. A couple hours each time.

Website Campaign website. Almost free if you make yourown. $1,000 (more or less)to hire someone to create it.

Depends if you make it /skill level.

Social networkingcampaign

Make use of Facebookand/or Twitter.

Free (unless you need to hiresomeone).

Regular quick updates.

Newspaper Ad Take out an ad or ads inlocal paper.

In a small city, $80 for asmall ad; $500 for a fullpage ad.

A few hours to create thead.

Media Fill out newspaper ques-tionnaires and be inter-viewed by reporters.

Free. A few hours.

Activity Sheet 3-4: Campaigning in a Local ElectionLesson 3

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Candidate One: JillJill wants to run for city council. She

is 24 years old and has just fin-ished an urban geographydegree – much of which is

about city planning. Shehas a new job working fora company that specializes

in recycling technology. Sheis really interested in community planning andenvironmental issues. She can probably raiseonly $500 for her campaign but has lots offriends and neighbours who will help out if sheasks. She is energetic and people usually likeher. She gets a bit shy public speaking in largegroups and tends to stammer. She has no expe-rience in politics and having just come homefrom university, has not paid much attention tospecific issues in this city. She can campaign inevenings after work.

Candidate Two: GeorgeGeorge wants to run for city council. He justretired as chief of the local fire department andis 58 years old. He has lived in town for 30 yearsin the same neighbourhood and is active at thecurling club. If he asks friends for donations anduses his own money, he can probably spend$2,000 on his campaign. His friends are prettybusy so he is not likely able to find much helpcampaigning. He has attended council meet-ings quite regularly and has often made presen-tations to council as fire chief. He knows a lotabout issues in town. He does not like publicspeaking much – he is a quiet person, but likesmeeting people individually. He is retired, sohas lots of time to campaign.

Candidate Three: EdwinEdwin wants to run for council. He is 40 andhas been the owner of a really popular restau-rant downtown for the last 12 years, but he livesjust outside of the city in a nearby village. Hehas never been interested in politics until themost recent council decided to change bylawsto limit the size of restaurant patios and torequire restaurants to close earlier on week-nights because of noise complaints. He is upsetand has decided to run for council himself. Heis really busy and has no time to really cam-paign, but can raise a lot of money from otherrestaurant owners and himself. He could prob-ably spend $25,000 if needed. He is well knownin the city. He has a passionate speaking stylebut can lose his temper quite easily. He knowsa lot about downtown business issues but notmuch about other city issues.

Candidate Four: MirandaMiranda wants to run for council. She works 30hours a week at a drop-in centre and shelter forhomeless youth in town. She was once home-less herself at age 16 after leaving an abusivehome. She is now 30 and is a youth worker. Sheis a single mom of a 2-year-old and cannotafford to spend more than $500 on her cam-paign. She does not want to ask her friends todonate, as they are in similar positions withmoney. She thinks the city needs to do a lotmore in social services. She is an effective pub-lic speaker and has a large network of peoplewho work in social services and in schools whoknow her. She is really busy and has hardly anytime to devote to campaigning.

Activity Sheet 3-5: Campaign Strategy CasesLesson 3

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

Candidate Name:__________________________________

Campaign Budget: _________________________________

What are our candidate’s strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths Weaknesses__________________________________ __________________________________

__________________________________ __________________________________

__________________________________ __________________________________

__________________________________ __________________________________

__________________________________ __________________________________

__________________________________ __________________________________

Who are the people we can ask for support? Who would want to vote for our can-didate?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

List three good things about our candidate that we should be stress in advertisingand speeches.

1. ________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________

What should we use for a campaign slogan?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How much chance do we have of winning?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Activity Sheet 3-6: Campaign Strategy PlanLesson 3


To Do Why Cost in time and $

Campaign Strategy Plan

Activity Sheet 3-6: Campaign Strategy Plan

Lesson 3


Activity Sheet 3-7: Ballot TemplateLesson 3


Student assessed: ____________________________________________________

Assessed by:_________________________________________________________

Total /25

Does not meetexpectations2 marks

Minimally meetsexpectations3 marks

Fully meets expectations4 marks

Exceedsexpectations5 marks

Understandingof local issues

Little or no under-standing of localissues. Minimal content.

Basic understandingof one or two localissues. Little or nosupport evidence.

Good understandingof at least three localissues with correctsupport evidence.

Thorough under-standing of localissues and clearly well-researchedpresentation.

Oralpresentation

Presented by:

Speech is very shortand / or off topic and/ or hard to under-stand.

Speech is read insteadof spoken.Little eye contact /unclear.Shorter than timeguideline.

Good attempt tospeak with notesrather than reading.Appropriate length.Eye contact, sufficientvolume and expres-sions.

Speech is memorizedwith little need fornotes.Excellent use of eyecontact, expressionand emphasis.Interesting to listen to.

Campaignsupportmaterials

Created by:

Messy or clearlyhastily done. Little informationpresented.

Lack of seriousness.Does not indicate a lotof time and effort orcreativity.

Simple effort withbasic information. Some creativity andeffort.

Materials are com-plete with all usefulinformation.Very creative, neatand professionalpresentation.

Group participation

Let other students dothe work or did notcomplete assignedtask adequately.

Contributed someideas and carried outassigned task.

Reliable group mem-ber – active in plan-ning and completedall tasks well.

Took leadership role inencouraging everyoneto contribute.Fully met all commit-ments.

Organization Not prepared forelection day.

Minimally prepared forelection day.

Fully prepared. Extremely wellprepared.

Activity Sheet 3-8: Model Election Marking RubricLesson 3

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________

Put a check mark on the box that applies and then total the score.


■ Basics for the TeacherReview of Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government

As outlined in Lesson 1, local governments in BC have roles andresponsibilities that have been granted to them by the provincialgovernment through the Local Government Act and Community Char-ter (and the Vancouver Charter for the City of Vancouver). Local gov-ernments have responsibility for many important decisions that affectday to day lives of citizens and that can vary from one communityto the next. These include policing and fire, creation and enforce-ment of bylaws, community planning and zoning, local roads, busi-ness licences, local parks and recreation, water, sewage and solidwaste.

Contact Information for Municipalities

Contact information for municipalities can be accessed either in theblue government pages of the local phone book or through theirwebsites. Most websites have relatively user-friendly access for res-idents, businesses and visitors. If you cannot determine the rightcontact person in your municipality, a call to the general numberwill usually allow you to be directed to the correct department.

■ OverviewIt is hard to imagine a betterway to learn about local gov-ernment and local issues thanby simply getting involved.This project will allow studentsas a class or in small groups totake an issue of concern andput a plan of action into placeto address that issue.

■ ObjectivesStudents will:• Become familiar with a

specific local governmentissue or issues.

• Develop attitudes of activecitizenship as well as asense of political efficacy.

• Practice research and com-munication skills.

Lesson 4: Active Citizenship Project

Unit Two ~ Community Engagement

■ Student HandoutsActivity Sheet 4-1: Local Action Brainstorming

Activity Sheet 4-2: Local Action Project and Strategies Quick Guide

Activity Sheet 4-3: Project Planning Sheet and Take Action Chart

Activity Sheet 4-5: Group/Self Evaluation Rubric

■ Instructions for the Teacher

Activity One: Choosing an Issue

• First do a quick review of the roles and responsibilities of localgovernment from earlier lessons. Then choose option A or Bbelow.

Option A: Local Action Brainstorming■ Divide students into groups to brainstorm a local issue.

It would be helpful to provide students with recent copies oflocal newspapers to review and help generate ideas.


■ Distribute a copy of Activity Sheet 4-1: LocalAction Brainstorming to each group to guideits work.

■ Hold a class meeting to allow each group topresent its idea for a class project. Providefeedback to the students regarding the appro-priateness and feasibility of the ideas.

■ Have the class vote for a class project from ashort list of appropriate and feasible options.Alternatively, you may choose to have groupswork on more than one project simultaneous-ly.

■ Once the student project(s) are selected fol-low the steps in Activity 2.

Option B: Speaking Out on a Current Local Issue ■ Check out the agenda for upcoming open

houses and public meetings on your localgovernment’s website. Is there a current pub-lic debate that would be interesting for yourstudents? Plan to have students research theissue, take a position, and attend the meet-ing to voice their views. Follow steps laid outin Activity 2.

Activity Two: Project Planning andExecution

• Distribute Activity Sheet 4-2: Local Action Projectand Strategies Quick Guide and Activity Sheet 4-3:Project Planning and Take Action Chart for the stu-dents to use in their planning.

• Hold a class meeting or group meetings to com-plete the project planning sheet, establish time-lines and assign roles.

• Over the course of the project’s timeframe,devote a portion of class time to check in withstudents each class to have them report onprogress and make alterations to plans wherenecessary.

• There is an example of what the students shouldbe doing in Activity Sheet 4-3: Project PlanningSheet Example.

■ Assessment1. Have students write a debrief writing assignment

outlining:

• Their contribution to the project.

• What aspects of the project were successfuland less successful.

• What they have learned about active citizen-ship.

2. Evaluate students based on the effectiveness oftheir contribution, their degree of effort and thequality of the analysis in their debrief. Use theActivity Sheet 4-4: Teacher Evaluation Rubric. Youcan also have the students evaluate themselvesand their group using the Activity Sheet 4-5:Group/Self Evaluation Rubric.

■ Extension Activities1. Share your project! Make a presentation to

other classes in your school or to a staff orPAC meeting.

2. Have students research different serviceorganizations in your community and have a“service organization” fair. Present informa-tion on poster boards about the good workthese organizations are doing in the commu-nity and how youth can become involved.

3. Lower Mainland schools can arrange tohave the Red Cross Youth Training in ActionProgram do a workshop on project plan-ning or on one of many global issues.http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=4977&tid=078

■ Get InvolvedStart a chapter of a youth service organizationin your school if one does not already exist.One example is a youth “Interact” club, whichis affiliated with Rotary Clubs.http://www.rotary.org/en/studentsandyouth/youthprograms/interact/pages/ridefault.aspx


Local or NeighbourhoodProblem or IssueSocial issues

(ie homelessness)PROBLEM SOLUTION

Parks, recreation and culture

PROBLEM SOLUTION

Roads andtransportation

PROBLEM SOLUTION

EnvironmentalPROBLEM SOLUTION

Community safetyPROBLEM SOLUTION

Activity Sheet 4-1: Local Action BrainstormingLesson 4

Work with your group to brainstorm an idea for a problem or issue that you would like to see addressedin your neighbourhood community. Try to come up with ideas for a minimum of three of the typesof issues. After you have done so, circle the idea that you are most interested in working on.

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________

OtherPROBLEM SOLUTION


Contacting Local Government

You have identified a problem and you have an idea for a solution. Now who shouldyou tell? It depends on the issue. In most cases, you should begin with someonewho works as a staff person in the department that is responsible. That is often thequickest and easiest way to get action. In other cases, if you want a bylaw or poli-cy changed, you might start with writing to the mayor and council. Here are someideas. Keep in mind that department names may be slightly different in your com-munity.

Making a Presentation at a Council Meeting

Members of the public are welcome to make presentations to council. You canapply to appear as a “delegation” by filling out a form requesting to appear. Usu-ally there is a deadline for making this request. Forms and procedures for appear-ing as a delegation are generally available online. There is no age restriction. How-ever, while most municipalities allow delegations to regular council meetings, somehave different procedures. The City of Vancouver, for example, usually allows del-egations at Special Council Meetings or at meetings of standing committees insteadof regular council meetings.

Type of issue Department Contact person

Road safety (stop signs, crosswalks )

Engineering

Parks and recreation programsand centres

Parks and Recreation Depart-ment and / or Park Board

By-laws (i.e. about noise, fire-works, electric cars on roads,skateboarding)

Mayor and Council

Homelessness and other socialissues

Mayor and Council

Environmental protection Community PlanningDepartment or Public Works

Bus service changes orimprovements

Regional Transit Authority

Garbage, landfills andrecycling

Public Works or a specialdepartment

Neighbourhood planning Community Planning

Activity Sheet 4-2: Local Action Project Lesson 4

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Activity Sheet 4-2: Local Action Project

Lesson 4

Active Citizenship Strategies Quick Guide

Goal Strategy Details

Lobbying localgovernment

Letter writing campaign Arrange for a large number of people to write lettersto mayor, council or public officials.

Petition Collect signatures on a petition and submit to mayorand council.

Presentation to council Apply to speak as a “delegation” at a council meetingor attend and speak at an open house or publicmeeting.

Support a localorganizationdoing work forcommunity

Volunteer Contact the organization and arrange for a group ofstudents to volunteer at one of its events in the com-munity.

Raise money Plan fundraising carwashes, bake sales, bottle drives,dunk tanks or contests. Be creative!

Donate items Find out what your local organization needs and thencollect it from the community (clothes, used comput-ers, old sports equipment).

Raise publicawareness about an issue

Media campaign Encourage the local newspaper, radio station or TVstation to cover your issue (issue news releases, invitemedia to attend a rally).

Public meeting Invite speakers who are experts on the issue andsomeone from local government to speak at a publicmeeting that your class can organize. Invite publicand media.

Public serviceannouncement

Create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) andrecord it. Use YouTube or social networking sites todistribute it or ask permission to air it on local radioor TV stations and school announcements.

Raise awareness in schools Create a presentation that you can take to willingSocial Studies classes in your school or local elemen-tary school classes. Create displays or activities atschool.


Group members: _________________________________ _________________________________

___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________

1. The problem we want to address:

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

2. Ideas for solving this problem:

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

3. Who are our potential supporters? Who might be willing to help us?

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

4. Who has the power to make the decision to do this?

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Activity Sheet 4-3: Project Planning SheetLesson 4

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


5. Fill in the Take Action Chart with your plans for how to carry out this project.

Take Action Chart

Step # Action Who will do this? Deadline

Activity Sheet 4-3: Project Planning Sheet

Lesson 4


1. The problem we want to address:

An elementary school in our neighbourhood, Sally J. Mills Elementary, is locatedon a quiet street just off a busy two-lane highway. Kids who are walking to schoolfrom the other side of the highway have no crosswalk to use for a section of morethan one km on either side of the school. There is also no school speed zone alongthis section of the highway, even though there are for other nearby elementaryschools. Because of this, parents often do not let kids walk to school on their ownand there have been a few close calls with accidents.

2. Ideas for solving this problem:

• Ask the city to place a new crosswalk with a pedestrian flashing light at eitherthe corner of Almond Bay Road and Thetis Street or the corner of Almond BayRoad and View Vista Crescent.

• Create a 30 km/h speed zone along Almond Bay from View Vista to Thetis.

3. Who are our potential supporters? Who might be willing to help us?

• Families whose children attend Sally J. Mills Elementary school• Students at that school• People who live in the neighbourhood

4. Who has the power to make the decision to do this?

• The City Engineering Department• City Council maybe

Activity Sheet 4-3: Project Planning Sheet SampleLesson 4 KEY


5. Fill in the Take Action Chart with your plans for how to carry out this project.

Take Action Chart

Activity Sheet 4-3: Project Planning Sheet

Lesson 4

Step # Action Who will do this? Deadline

1. Collect evidence that there is a prob-lem. a) Take digital pictures of the streetb) Make a map of the street and

intersectionsc) Have volunteers stand at the

intersections on a Tuesday morningbetween 8:30 am and 8:50 amcounting the number of kids cross-ing road. Write a report about yourfindings.

d) Write a survey asking parents at theschool if they worry about roadsafety on Almond Bay Road and ifthey want crosswalks. Ask permis-sion to distribute it through theschool by having students bring acopy home and then returning it.Collect it and figure out the results.If the survey results show a problem,continue.

a) Samb) Sarahc) Nathan and Henryd) Ryan and Mya

Oct. 1

2. Find supporters for our plan:a) Write a petition asking the city for

crosswalks and a speed zone. Walkaround the neighbourhood collect-ing signatures. Ask the PAC at theschool to get signatures from par-ents.

b) Ask for permission to visit classes atthe school to get kids involved.

c) Ask the principal and PAC of theschool for letters agreeing with yourplan.

a) Zosha and Maxb) Jack and Allister

Oct. 10

3. Present plan and petitions to city staff:a) Call the Engineering Department

and invite someone to visit the class.b) Create a presentation on evidence

collected about the problem andcommunity support for our solution.

a) Jennb) Class

Oct. 20

4. Wait for response from Engineering. If“yes” then celebrate! If “no” make anew plan to continue project by involv-ing the mayor and council or themedia.

KEY


Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________

Local Action Project

Put a check mark on the box that applies and then total the score.

Total

/20

Not MeetingExpectations

2 Marks

MinimallyMeetingExpectations

3 Marks

MeetingExpectations

4 Marks

ExceedingExpectations

5 Marks

Knowledge/understandingof local issuesand activecitizenshipstrategies.

Demonstrateslimited knowledgeof the local issue oractive citizenshipstrategies.

Demonstratessomeunderstanding ofthe local issue andstrategies.

Demonstrates solidunderstanding ofthe local issue andactive citizenshipstrategies.

Demonstrates amature andthoroughunderstanding ofthe local issue andapplication ofstrategies.

Effectiveness ofideas andactions taken.

Approachedproject withinsufficientseriousness,suggesting ideas oractions that werenot appropriate ornot considered.

Limited number ofwell chosen ideasor actions.

Ideas and actionswere well-suitedfor problem andappropriate toaccomplish withtime and resourcesavailable.

Ideas and actionswere highly suitedfor the problemand ambitious.

Quality ofcontribution togroup effort.

Contributed verylittle or nothing tothe project orfailed to carry outtasks.

Carried outassigned tasks toan adequatedegree.

Active insuggesting projectideas and carriedout assigned tasksthoroughly.

Took leadershiprole in guidingdirection of theproject andencouraging peers.Carried out tasksbeyond what wasexpected.

Quality ofanalysis inwritten debrief.

Incomplete orinsufficientanalysis.

Basic analysis ofthe effectiveness ofthe project andactive citizenship.

Proficient andthorough analysisof the project andof activecitizenship.

Sophisticatedanalysis of thereasons for success/ failure of projectand of activecitizenship.

Activity Sheet 4-4: Teacher Evaluation RubricLesson 4


Name: _____________________________________ Block: ________ Date: ____________________

Group Evaluation Rubric: You are to use this to evaluate your group members during debates, jigsaws andcooperative group activities. Read each of the descriptions of the Individual Contribution to the GroupDynamic (ICGD). Give each student in your group a number in the chart provided below and total his orher score. Make sure to comment as to why you gave your group members what you gave them. Pleasehand to your teacher.

Levels Very Weak Weak Competent Accomplished Outstanding

ICGD Majorimpediment,off task oftenand did notcontribute.

Contributedtwo or moreitems, often offtask and hardto focus.

Participatedoften andcontributed tothe harmony ofthe group.

Most of thetime waspositive forceandparticipated inshaping thegroupdynamic.

Regularly madesignificantcontributionsto the groupand theeffectiveoperation ofthe group.

Marks 2 4 6 8 10

Full Name Total Mark /10 Comment

1.

2.

3.

4.

Self

Activity Sheet 4-5: Group/Self Evaluation RubricLesson 4


■ Basics for the Teacher

See Activity Sheet 5-1: Youth Curfews for information for this lesson.

Council MeetingsMunicipal councils hold regularly scheduled council meetings week-ly, bi-weekly or monthly depending on the municipality. Meetingsare open to the public with the exception of limited “in camera”portions of meetings where council is dealing with confidentialmatters like personnel or land deals.

Most local governments provide time for residents to address thecouncil or board. Many reserve time on the agendas of regularcouncil meetings for these presentations while some, often largercities, reserve time at so-called “Special Council Meetings” or meet-ings of municipal committees.

To speak at these meetings, citizens usually have to apply to appearas a delegation hours or days in advance. Municipalities also seekpublic input at public hearings, usually in response to requests tochanges in zoning or the Official Community Plan. In addition,Open Houses are used to get public feedback on issues such as theexpansion of dog parks or the building of a new swimming poolin the municipality.

■ OverviewIn this lesson, students will par-ticipate in a simulation of aspecial council meeting. Themeeting will simulate thedebate concerning a proposalfor a new youth curfew bylawfor the community. Studentswill play the roles of mayorand council, city staff andmembers of the public whohave asked to appear as dele-gations to speak in favour oragainst the proposed bylaw.This lesson will likely take a lit-tle longer than a standard 80-minute class, so it can bedivided between two classes –a portion of one class forpreparation and one full classfor the simulation.


arguments in favour andagainst youth curfews inCanada.

• Be introduced to theprocess and workings of acouncil meeting.

• Gain skills in public speak-ing, defending a positionand open-mindedness.

Lessons 5: Model Council Meeting Simulation


■ Student HandoutsActivity Sheet 5-1: Youth CurfewsActivity Sheet 5-2: Profile CardsActivity Sheet 5-3: Request to Appear as a DelegationActivity Sheet 5-4: Council Meeting AgendaActivity Sheet 5-5: Safe Port Allard Committee Report on YouthCurfew By-lawActivity Sheet 5-6: Public Meeting Procedure Instructions

■ Instructions for TeacherActivity 1: Preparation for the Simulation

• Introduce the concept of youth curfews by having students readActivity Sheet 5-1: Youth Curfews. Discuss their reactions to theidea of such a curfew.


• Explain to students that they will be doing asimulation of a special council meeting. Explainto them what a council meeting is and whathappens there. See the background informationunder Basics for the Teacher. You might also want to show a video clip of a real councilmeeting. The City of Vancouver has them avail-able on its website at http://www.vancouver.ca,as do some other municipalities including Burn-aby http://www.city.burnaby.bc.ca. Check if yourmunicipality has the same.

• Assign roles by distributing Activity Sheet 5-2: Pro-file Cards. You should cut them up to distribute.Explain to students that they will be represent-ing a perspective that they may or may not sup-port. They are to adopt the perspective of theperson who is described on the role card. Theprofile card does not include detailed informa-tion – rather it is just a general description of theperson’s perspective. In preparing for the simu-lation, the students should add further details tothe person’s story to make it sound more realis-tic and interesting. Ensure that the student play-ing the mayor will be comfortable in the role ofchairing the meeting and controlling debate.

• If there are fewer students than the number ofprofile cards, reduce the number of council ormembers of public, ensuring that you maintaina balance of perspectives. Ensure as well thatthere is an uneven number of members of coun-cil so when there is a vote of mayor and councila tie will not result. If there are more studentsthan profile cards, assign students to act as mem-bers of the media and to write news stories onthe outcome of the meeting and arguments pre-sented.

• Have students who are representing members ofthe public fill in Activity Sheet 5-3: Request toAppear as a Delegation and submit them to your“Clerk.” Organize the speakers into the order thatyou would like to have them speak and fill outthe agenda template for use in the simulation.

Activity 2: Simulation of a Special CouncilMeeting• Set up the classroom to model a council cham-

ber. Have a semi-circle at one end of the class-room with enough seats for the councillors andthe mayor (in the middle). Arrange chairs in anaudience for members of the public and visitingcity staff. Set up a place in the front of the audi-

ence for the city clerk and a lectern for delega-tions to use when presenting.

• Distribute copies of your completed agenda forall present, Activity Sheet 5-4: Council MeetingAgenda and Activity Sheet 5-6: Public Meeting Pro-cedure Instructions to all students. Have them readboth before beginning the meeting.

• The mayor will call the meeting to order and thenwill chair the meeting using the agenda, callingfirst on Councillor Lee to present Activity Sheet 3-2: Safe Port Allard Committee Report on Youth Cur-few Bylaw. The mayor will then call upon delega-tions and then chair a debate between membersof council. End with a vote by mayor and coun-cil on whether to refer this issue to the bylawsdepartment, to write up the bylaw or to stop theprocess by rejecting the idea now.

• A balance between realism and simplicity in theinstructions and format has been developed forthe meeting. Council does not vote after eachdelegation speaks and motions are not second-ed as in actual meetings.

■ AssessmentEvaluate student performance in the simulationusing the Activity Sheet 2-4: Model Council MeetingEvaluation.

■ Extension Activities1. Research to see if a similar bylaw has ever exist-

ed or been proposed in your community.

2. Writing Activity. After the simulation, have stu-dents write three paragraphs. One will summa-rize the arguments in favour of a curfew; onewill summarize the arguments opposed to acurfew; and one will articulate the student’sviewpoint on the issue.

3. Think piece or class discussion: We have agerestrictions for activities such as driving, votingand buying alcohol. In what circumstances is itreasonable for the government to limit therights of children and youth?

■ Get InvolvedAttend a council meeting in your community.Make a presentation on an issue that you feelstrongly about.


Does your community have a bylaw limiting how lateat night youth are allowed to be out? It is possiblethat there is an old bylaw still in effect, but if you livein BC it is probably never enforced by police. Start-ing in the 1960s and ‘70s most Canadian communi-ties, concerned about the rights of youth, stoppedenforcing these bylaws or got rid of them entirely.

The trend to get rid of curfews began to change inrecent years. During the 1990s, in response to an increase in youth crime, thou-sands of American cities and towns, including more than three quarters of citieswith a population of more than 100,000, enacted youth curfew laws. New curfewlaws were also enacted in Britain in recent years.

Several communities in Canada have introduced curfews recently. Fifteen munici-palities in New Brunswick introduced curfews in 2001 and Huntington, Quebec fol-lowed in 2004. Strathcona County Council in Alberta introduced a curfew in 2006that would prevent anyone under 18 years old from being in a public place between1 am and 6 am, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents or guardianswhose children were found out during the curfew period could be fined $100 fora first offence and $250 for subsequent offences.

The issue of youth curfews is controversial in many communities in Canada. Thomp-son, Manitoba, introduced a curfew bylaw in 2005 that would have set a curfewof 10 pm for those under 12 years old, 11 pm for those 12 to 15, and midnight for16 and 17-year-old youth. Fines of up to $500 were to be the potential penalty forbreaking curfew, though in the first two years of the curfew police had only issuedwarnings. The curfew was voluntarily removed by Thompson City Council in 2007after lawyers for two parents and a 17-year-old boy began a law suit to challengethe bylaw. Lawyers for the parent and youth argued that the curfew violated youngpeople’s freedom of association and right to be free from arbitrary detention.

In British Columbia, Fort St. John council began the process of enacting a new cur-few bylaw in the fall of 2008; but after strong opinions on both sides of the curfewdebate were made by citizens, it put its plans on hold in order to consult the pub-lic more.

Activity Sheet 5-1: Youth CurfewsLesson 5

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Council and Staff

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Name:Position: Mayor of Port AllardAge: 53

Undecided. You were on council 15 years ago when the issue last came up. At that time you voted against thebylaw because it seemed unnecessary. You know that there are more complaints by the publicabout youth now, so you are considering voting for the curfew.

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Name: Jordan LeePosition: Port Allard City CouncillorAge: 44

Strongly in favour of a curfew.You were elected to council for the first time six months ago with a campaign that included apromise to propose a youth curfew. You are the chair of the Safe Port Allard Committee that wrotethe report suggesting a curfew. You will be the person who reads out the report and explains whyPort Allard should have a curfew.

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Name:Position: Port Allard CouncillorAge: 62

Strongly against the curfew.As a former teacher, you think youth are unfairly blamed for problems in Port Allard and shouldhave their rights protected. You are a member of the Safe Port Allard Committee but voted againstthis proposal there.

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Activity Sheet 5-2: Profile CardsLesson 5


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Undecided. You are the youngest ever person elected to Port Allard Council and you campaigned saying youwould represent the ideas of the youth in your community. You know this is an idea that is verypopular with a lot of the public, though, so you want to keep an open mind until you hear thearguments.

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Name: Position: Port Allard CouncillorAge: 51

Undecided. As a parent of two teenagers, you have mixed feelings. First you do not understand why someparents let their 14 year olds roam around town late at night. However you also know that mostyouth are responsible, so you are concerned about treating them unfairly.

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Undecided. You honestly can see both sides of this issue and will be making your mind up based on what youhear tonight.

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Undecided. You are tempted to support the curfew because your small business has had to deal with theheadache and cost of cleaning up graffiti a number of times. But you have also heard that a cityin Alberta was threatened with an expensive lawsuit for trying to do the same thing.

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Activity Sheet 5-2: Profile Cards

Lesson 5


Members of the Public Profile Cards- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Name: Age: 41Job: Manager of a local convenience store

In Favour.Background details: Some weekend nights the parking lot of your store is filled with up to 100kids and teens. While they do come in and buy things in the store, there are problems too. Therehave been several fights in the last six months and you have trouble getting staff to agree to worknights because they worry about violence or shoplifting.

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Name:Age: 48Job: Retail clerk and parent of two teens and a 10-year-old.

In Favour.Background details: You consider yourself to be a responsible parent. You always know whereyour kids are if they are out. You make sure the teens are home by 11 pm if they are not stayingover at a friend’s house. You have seen reports in the news about kids as young as 12 being outlate at night and you cannot believe it. You think there should be penalties to push parents to notlet their kids go wild.

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Name:Age: 62Job: Retired police officer and member of the Safe Port Allard Committee

In Favour.Background details: You remember how much time you had to spend stopping to check onthe activities of groups of kids you would see when out patrolling. If they were at home, policecould spend their time focusing on the people actually getting into trouble.

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Name:Age: 20Job: Student

In Favour.Background details: You were confronted by a group of youth several months ago when walk-ing home from a movie one night. The youth, ranging in age from 13 to 16, attacked you, result-ing in injuries that are still healing. You had to take time off from college, are unable to work andare suffering from depression.

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Lesson 5


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Name:Age: 79Job: Retired

In Favour.Background details: You are scared to go out to evening events because of the “gangs” ofyoung people you see walking on the streets. You are worried for your safety and for your home.

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Name:Age: 35Job: Social Worker

In Favour but with a suggestion.Background details: You have worked as a social worker in this city for 10 years. You think thatthere are larger numbers of unsupervised youth hanging around at night than there were 10 yearsago. You think this is a dangerous situation for youth at risk. You recommend the city increasefunding and support for youth drop in centres that run evening programs.

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Name:Age: 49Job: Downtown store owner

In Favour.Background details: One side of your store building is an alley. You find graffiti tags on thebuilding’s wall almost every weekend. It is costing you a lot of money to keep having it removedand it makes your business look run down.

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Name:Age: 42Job: Accountant

In Favour but with a suggestion.Background details: You are a parent of kids aged 12, 10 and nine. You have heard of thisbylaw in other municipalities and support it for younger kids. You suggest having a strict curfewfor kids aged 14 and under but relaxing it for youth who are old enough to work.

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Lesson 5


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Name:Age: 32Job: Warehouse supervisor

In Favour.Background details: You remember going out with your friends at night as a youth so you aresurprised with yourself that you favour a curfew. You think things have changed with today’s youthbecause your warehouse has seen graffiti and broken windows recently and you are tired of it.

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Name:Age: 36Job: Emergency Room nurse

In Favour.Background details: You have been on shift when kids have been brought in after a fight orbecause of binge drinking or drug use. You support the curfew for the safety of young teenagers.

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Name:Age: 17Job: Grade 12 student / Student Council President of Port Allard Secondary

Opposed.Background details:You think that the bylaw is unfairly making youth look like they are all criminals. You want to explainhow youth are doing positive things in the city and are, for the most part, responsible and lawabiding.

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Name:Age: 15Job: Student and part-time dishwasher at a restaurant

Opposed.Background details: You work at night on the weekends and could get in trouble trying to gethome after your shift.

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Lesson 5


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Name:Age: 44Job: Nurse

Opposed.Background details: You are a single parent of twin 15 year olds. You work shift-work and whenyou are on evening shift you cannot be driving them home from movies or their jobs at a localfast food restaurant.

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Name:Age: 29Job: Youth Worker

Opposed.Background details: You worry that this will make relations get worse between police andyouth if police are hassling youth who are out for legitimate reasons and not doing anything wrong.You also worry the police will target low income youth more if they cannot afford to be in thesame activities in evenings as other youth.

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Name:Age: 51Job: Travel Agent

Opposed.Background details: You moved to Port Allard two years ago from a town that has a curfew.You do not think it worked there and just created a lot of headache, cost and bad feelings.

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Name:Age: 49Job: Former police officer

Opposed.Background details: You think enforcing this bylaw would be really hard with the current num-ber of police officers in Port Allard and would take their time away from other work. You also believethat it will not work as you think it is more likely that youth who are going to get in trouble willdo it in the hours after school than at night.

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Lesson 5


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Opposed.Background details: You think this law would treat youth unfairly and deny them their rights.It would discriminate based only on age.

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Opposed.Background details: Many movies and other events end after 11pm and some parents do nothave cars so youth have to get home on the bus. You think that if there are kids getting into trou-ble it is also because there is not much to do in Port Allard.

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Name:Age: 21Job: University student

Opposed.Background details: You argue that council will not find any evidence that youth commit morecrimes than older people and that they are being unfairly stereotyped and singled out.

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Name:Age: 27Job: Manager of a youth drop in centre

Opposed.Background details: You urge the city to instead put more funding in to having more for youthto do in the evening that is positive and organized, like recreation programs and fun activities. Youthink that would be a positive approach while a curfew is negative.

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Lesson 5


Date of Meeting: ________________________________________________________

Name of Presenter: _______________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________

Phone numbers: _________________________________________________________

Email address: ___________________________________________________________

Details of Presentation: ___________________________________________________

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Activity Sheet 5-3: Request to Appear as a DelegationLesson 5


City of Port Allard Special Council Meeting Port Allard Council Chambers

Date:__________________________________________

Topic: Proposal for Youth Curfew Bylaw

Call to order time: ______________________________

Chair: Mayor __________________________________

1. Report of Safe Port Allard Committee. Presented by Councillor Jordan Lee.

2. Delegations

Name In Favour / Opposed1. __________________________________________ ___________________2. __________________________________________ ___________________3. __________________________________________ ___________________4. __________________________________________ ___________________5. __________________________________________ ___________________6. __________________________________________ ___________________7. __________________________________________ ___________________8. __________________________________________ ___________________9. __________________________________________ ___________________10. __________________________________________ ___________________11. __________________________________________ ___________________12. __________________________________________ ___________________13. __________________________________________ ___________________14. __________________________________________ ___________________15. __________________________________________ ___________________16. __________________________________________ ___________________17. __________________________________________ ___________________18. __________________________________________ ___________________19. __________________________________________ ___________________20. __________________________________________ ___________________

3. Council discussion and debate.

4. Council votes on the motion “Council will request that Bylaw Services draft abylaw to impose a youth curfew based on the recommendations of the Safe PortAllard Committee.”

5. Adjournment.

Activity Sheet 5-4: Council Meeting AgendaLesson 5


Report on Increase in Youth Violence and Vandalism

The Safe Port Allard Committee is a regular standing committee of the City of PortAllard. Our committee, made up of members of council, representatives of the staffof the City of Port Allard, representatives of local police and several volunteer citi-zen members meet monthly to discuss ways to keep Port Allard a safe communityfor all its citizens.

Our committee received letters from more than 50city residents in the last year concerning an increasein vandalism by youth and violence in our commu-nity. The most serious incident involved an attack byseveral youth on an innocent victim several monthsago which resulted in serious injuries. Police havereported an increase of roughly 30% in the report-ed cases of vandalism in the last 12 months.

Proposed Bylaw

We propose to Port Allard Council that they enact a bylaw creating a youth curfewwith the following features:

• Children aged 12 and under would have a 10:00 pm curfew.• Youth aged 13 to 15 would have an 11:00 pm curfew.• Youth aged 16 and 17 would have a 1:00 am curfew.

Children and youth found in public without a parent or guardian between the cur-few time and 6:00 am would be breaking the bylaw. Parents and guardians couldbe ticketed with a bylaw infraction ticket of $100 for a first offence and $250 forsubsequent offences.

Activity Sheet 5-5: Safe Port Allard Committee Report on Youth Curfew By-law

Lesson 5


Instructions for the Mayor1. You are the person who is running this meet-

ing. It is your job to move the meeting throughthe agenda, control who is speaking and to callfor the final vote. Make sure that you are firmbut fair so that you do not allow people tospeak when it is not their turn.

2. Begin by welcoming the public and saying thatyou have called this special meeting of coun-cil to hear delegations on a proposal for ayouth curfew bylaw.

3. Ask Councillor Jordan Lee to rise to read outthe report of the Safer Port Allard Committee.Allow him or her to also comment on the issue.At the end of the presentation say, “Motion toaccept the report of the Safer Port Allard Com-mittee – all those in favour?” Count votes ofmembers of council who will raise their hands.You should vote in favour too. Then say “Allthose opposed?” and count those hands.

4. Say, “We will now proceed to hearing delega-tions”. Work through the agenda in order, call-ing each delegation up by name. After a dele-gation speaks, ask members of council if any-one has a question for the delegation.

5. After each delegation speaks, say thank youand move on to the next delegation.

6. After all delegations have spoken say, “We willnow proceed with council debate on the fol-lowing motion”. “Council will request thatBy-law Services draft a bylaw to imposea youth curfew based on the recommen-dations of the Safe Port Allard Commit-tee.”

7. Beginning at one end of the table, invite coun-cillors to state their opinions on whether coun-cil should vote in favour or against. You shouldalso express an opinion. After everyone hasspoken once, ask if any councillors would liketo speak again. Keep track on a speakers list.

8. Cut off debate when everyone has spoken oryou are directed to do so by the teacher. Say,“We will now proceed with a vote on themotion. All those in favour? (Count hands) All

those opposed? (Count hands).” Make sureyou vote too! Then declare that the motion ispassed or is defeated.

9. Adjourn the meeting.

Instructions for Delegations1. When your name is called to speak, stand up

and walk to the podium facing the mayor andcouncil. Address the mayor as “Your Worship”.You might say something like “Thank you YourWorship and members of council”. State yourname and address and say either, “I would liketo speak in favour of this bylaw,” or, “I wouldlike to speak against this bylaw”. Explain brieflywho you are (your job or age if relevant, orwhy you have an interest.) Then explain yourposition on the issue, giving details or logicalreasons or made up examples where required.

2. Answer any questions that the members ofcouncil have for you.

Instructions for Councillors1. When the mayor calls for a vote to accept the

recommendation, vote in favour by raisingyour hand.

2. Listen carefully to the arguments made by del-egations. You are allowed to ask a questionafter a member of the public speaks as a dele-gation. Your teacher might cut off the numberof questions if the meeting is moving slowly.

3. Take notes on the arguments that are made.4. During the council debate, raise your hand

when you would like to speak. When the may-or acknowledges you, explain your viewpointon the bylaw as clearly as possible and give rea-sons for the position you are taking. Follow thegeneral guidelines on your profile card. If thecard says you are in favour, you must argue infavour. If it says you are against, you mustargue against. If the profile is undecided, youmay choose your own position based on bothyour profile and the arguments you heard.

5. When the vote is called, vote by raising yourhand based on your profile and where appli-cable, your opinion.

Activity Sheet 5-6: Public Meeting Procedure InstructionsLesson 5

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Evaluate student performance for each of the fol-lowing three criteria below with a rating of 4(exceeded expectations), 3 (fully met expectations),2 (met expectations at a minimal level or 1 (did notmeet expectations).

Criteria to fully meet expectations: Arguments: Student adopts perspective of theindividual described on role card. Arguments are

developed beyond basic description on role card. Public Speaking: Student makes eye contact,speaks rather than reading from notes and commu-nicates clearly and with sufficient volume andemphasis.Citizenship: Student listens quietly and respect-fully to other speakers and responds politely tospeakers who express a differing point of view.

Role Student Arguments

/4

Public speaking

/4

Citizenship

/4

Comments

Mayor

Councillor Lee

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Councillor

Public

Activity Sheet 5-6: Model Council Meeting EvaluationLesson 5

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________

Total Mark: /12


■ Basics for the TeacherAs Canadians, we are well aware that we live in a democracy.According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democra-cy, we share this status with roughly half the population of theworld. However only 14% of the world’s population lives in a coun-try designated by the Economist as a “full democracy”. Other coun-tries have been defined by the Economist as “flawed democracies”,“hybrid states” and “authoritarian states”. Countries may changestatus over time as events and policies in the country become moreor less democratic.

See Activity Sheet 6-1: Democratic Rights for the basics for this les-son.

Additional Features of a DemocracyBeyond these democratic rights, there are other factors that con-tribute to Canada’s status as a highly democratic country. Defini-tions of democracy will generally include factors such as:• A competitive, multi-party political system.• Universal adult suffrage.• Free and open campaigning.• Free media.• An electoral system featuring secret ballots, voter security and

absence of fraud.

Other factors which might enhance the degree of democracy in acountry might include:• Diversity of participation in politics (gender, ethnic or reli-

gious minorities).• Voter turnout.• Voter confidence in democratic institutions.• Other general aspects of freedom and liberty, including eco-

nomic and social freedoms.• Freedom from corruption in government.

Even a highly democratic country such as Canada might be limit-ed in one or more of these features. In Canada’s case, results ofrecent elections demonstrate some weakness in voter turnout andelection of women to parliament.

■ OverviewDemocracy is a concept that,as Canadians, we all under-stand at some basic level. Wetend to think of it as anabsolute – Canada is a democ-racy while many other coun-tries are not. This lesson willintroduce students to both thenature of the democratic rightsthat are enshrined in the Cana-dian Charter of Rights and Free-doms as well as some of thecomplexities of defining coun-tries as democratic and unde-mocratic.

■ ObjectivesStudents will:• Analyze the wording of

the Democratic Rights sec-tions of the CanadianCharter of Rights and Free-doms and their practicalapplication.

• Explore aspects of the fac-tors that contribute to acountry being considereddemocratic.

Lesson 6: Democratic Rights




Activity 1: Democratic Rights

• Write the word “democracy” on the board andelicit responses from students regarding a defi-nition for what makes a country a democracy.

• Provide students with Activity Sheet 6-1: Democ-ratic Rights which contains the wording for thedemocratic rights section of the Charter. Remindstudents of the Charter and its place enshrined inthe Constitution. Read each section as a class anddiscuss the meaning of each clause.

• Go back to the definition of democracy on theboard and have students add any more conceptsthat may have come from reading these sectionsof the Charter.

Activity 2: Case Studies

• Hand out Activity Sheet 6-2: Democracy Case Stud-ies and Activity Sheet 6-3: Which Country is LeastDemocratic? to your students. Have them prepareto read the case studies using coloured high-lighters or pencil crayons.

• While reading, students should use two coloursto highlight aspects of each country that aremore democratic or less democratic.

• In pairs, have students determine a ranking ofthe seven countries from most to least democrat-ic.

• Ask a volunteer pair to share their ranking withthe class. Discuss if other students agree with thatranking or not.

• Return once more to the definition of democra-cy on the board and ask students to add morefactors that make a country democratic.

Activity 3: Voting Survey

• Introduce Activity Sheet 6-4: Voting Survey for ahomework assignment.

■ AssessmentAssess the participation and responses of the stu-dents during the activities.

■ Student HandoutsActivity Sheet 6-1: Democratic Rights

Activity Sheet 6-2: Democracy Case Studies

Activity Sheet 6-3: Which Country is LeastDemocratic?

Activity Sheet 6-4: Voting Survey

■ Extension Activities

1. Look at these two ranking projects that areavailable online. Discuss the ratings of differ-ent real countries. Did you find anything thatsurprised you? Report back to your class.

a. Freedom House is an American organizationestablished in 1947 to promote democracy.It publishes a series of annual reports, includ-ing “Freedom in the World”, which scorescountries on their degree of democraticrights and civil liberties and rates them “Free,Partially Free, or Not Free”. The reports anda map demonstrating the rankings are avail-able free on the website. While there hasbeen some criticism of a pro-American biasin Freedom House’s approach, it is otherwisea thorough resource.http://www.freedomhouse.org

b. This is a 2008 report by the Economist Intel-ligence Unit. It expands on the methodolo-gy of Freedom House by also including datarelated to such things as voter turnout,female participation and international sur-veys of voter attitudes. It is produced by theBritish magazine The Economist. More infor-mation is available through the online edi-tion of the magazine, but for a cost.http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/25828/20081021185552/graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy%20Index%202008.pdf

2. Write a paragraph defining a very democraticcountry. What are the key five factors thatmake a country highly democratic? Comparethis country with Canada.

■ Get InvolvedVolunteer in your community with an organiza-tion which promotes democratic rights eitherhere or abroad. OR Do some research on voter turnout at the 2008elections in BC and Canada. Come up withsome ideas of how to improve that turnout.Interview students at your school who are ableto vote and find out why they voted or why theydid not vote. Report back to your class.


Democratic Rights protected by Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Some of the factors that makeCanada a fully democraticcountry are enshrined in theCanadian Charter of Rightsand Freedoms. The Charterprotects the democraticrights of citizens regardingsuffrage (the right to vote),the requirement for electionsand the requirement for par-liament to work.

Section Three – Democratic Rights ofCitizensEvery citizen of Canada hasthe right to vote in an elec-tion of members of the Houseof Commons or of a legisla-tive assembly and to be qual-ified for membership therein.

Section Four – Maximum Duration of Legislative BodiesNo House of Commons and no legislative assembly shall continue for longer than five years fromthe date fixed for the return of the writs of a general election of its members.

Section Five – Continuation in Special CircumstancesIn time of real or apprehended war, invasion or insurrection, a House of Commons may be con-tinued by Parliament and a legislative assembly may be continued by the legislature beyond fiveyears if such continuation is not opposed by the votes of more than one-third of the members ofthe House of Commons or the legislative assembly, as the case may be.

Section Six – Annual Sittings of Legislative BodiesThere shall be a sitting of parliament and of each legislature at least once every twelve months.

Activity Sheet 6-1: Democratic Rights Lesson 6

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


SulisiaThis country has been ruled for 62 years by only twoleaders – the original “Excellent Leader” for 40 years,and his son “Super Leader” for the last 22 years.There are no elections of any sort for any level ofgovernment. The country is extremely isolated, withonly one television station that broadcasts govern-ment propaganda and no Internet access for thepopulation. Few foreigners are ever allowed to vis-it. Anyone expressing any concern about the gov-ernment can expect a long prison sentence doinghard labour.

PolaraniaThis country was one of the first in the world to allowwomen to vote, in 1905, and currently has both afemale president and a government with equal num-bers of male and female elected members. The onlypeople restricted from voting are residents who donot have citizenship and criminals serving sentencesin jail. Elections are seen as fair and free, and thereare a wide variety of political parties. At election time,on average 78% of eligible voters cast a ballot.Recent polls show that the majority of citizens havehigh confidence in government.

NanistanThis country was formed 60 years ago. There arefour major political parties that compete for powerin elections every four years. 60 of 450 seats in theparliament are reserved for women. Election cam-paigns are exciting but can be dangerous, with attimes violent demonstrations between supporters ofdifferent parties. The military has carried out coupsd’etat against prime ministers that they have notliked several times over the last two decades. Afterseizing power, the military allows elected politiciansto take over again after a period of months or years.A popular former prime minister was assassinatedduring the last election, perhaps by the military.

North DominionaThis country has a system of elections that is respect-ed around the world for being fair and free. The con-stitution protects the right of all citizens over 18 tovote, including criminals in jails. While everyone hasthe right to vote, the percentage of people whoactually vote is now approximately 60%. Only 30%of youth aged 18 to 24 voted in the last election.

Approximately 22% of elected members to thenational government are women. Opinion pollsshow that citizens have a high level of trust in theirgovernment.

HengaryThis highly-populated country allows all citizens overage 18 to vote. As a good percentage of the popu-lation cannot read or write and as it is hard for thegovernment to keep an accurate list of voters, therehave been some concerns about cheating in elec-tions in some parts of the country. The overall out-come of the elections seems fair, however. One con-tinuing problem is with corruption. Politicians andgovernment workers regularly accept bribes fromcitizens who want the help of government.

TarvuThis large country has been ruled by the leaders ofjust one political party since a revolution decadesago. Other political parties are not allowed to exist.The only elections are for village councils. In theseelections, all the candidates are from the same par-ty and are screened ahead of time by party leaders.People in this country are quite free to travel, startbusinesses, become educated and can access theInternet and satellite TV. The government blocks cer-tain Internet sites. People are not allowed to protestagainst the government. If they do, they will bearrested or could face violence from police.

JarrarThis country has only one official religion, and thereligious leaders in that country have ultimate pow-er over the government. While there are political par-ties and elections, the religious leaders choose whowill be allowed to run for president. If the people areset to elect someone who is not the favorite choiceof the religious leaders, these religious leaders falsi-fy the election results to have it turn out the waythey want. Women are highly educated in this coun-try and are allowed to vote and be elected as politi-cians but they are not allowed to be judges. It canbe very dangerous to be a journalist here. In recentyears, journalists who have openly criticized the gov-ernment have been arrested, with a few being beat-en to death in jail, likely under government orders.

Activity Sheet 6-2: Democracy Case StudiesLesson 6

Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________


Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________

Handout Activity Sheet 6-2: Democracy Case Studies. These are not real countries, but they are basedon real countries in the world.

Read the descriptions using highlighters of two different colours. When you read something thatmakes the country seem more democratic, shade it one colour. When you read something thatmakes a country seem less democratic, shade it a different colour.

Share your colouring with a partner and work together to fill out the following table. Rank the sev-en countries from “Most Democratic” to “Least Democratic”.

Be prepared to share your rankings with the class.

Rank Country Name How did you decide this ranking?

1. Most democratic

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7. Least democratic

Activity Sheet 6-3: Which Country is Least Democratic? Lesson 6


As there is legitimacy for a few different versions of the overall ranking, this key places thecountries in just 3 broad categories.

Rank Country Name How did you decide this ranking?

Highly democraticcountries

Polarania

North Dominiona

P – Female participation, universalsuffrage, fair and free elections,voter turnout and confidence are allstrong.N.D. – Strong in fair and free system,trust and universal suffrage.Concerns in voter turnout.

Partially or moderatelydemocratic countries

Nanistan

Hengary

Jarrar

N – Political parties and regularelections. Reservation of female seatsenhances or detracts. Weakness inrole of military (praetoriansim) andviolence. H – Universal suffrage and perceptionof fair elections. Weaknesses incorruption and electoralirregularities.J – Political parties and regularelections. High participation ofwomen in education and work force.Weaknesses in control of electoralprocess by theocratic religiousleaders, lack of free press and lack offull participation by women ingovernment.

Low degree ofdemocracy

Tarvu T – Citizens enjoy some economic andsocial freedoms. Considerableweaknesses in being a single partystate which limits freedom of speechand press.

Least democratic Sulisia S – Single party totalitarian statewith no elections, high degree ofcensorship and harsh penalties fordissent.

Activity Sheet 6-3: Which Country is Least Democratic? Lesson 6 KEY


Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: ____________________

Your homework is to speak to five people who are eligible to vote in elections in Canada. Theymust be at least 18 years old and Canadian citizens. Choose people to interview who are of a vari-ety of ages and from more than one family if possible.

1 2 3 4 5

Age

Male /Female

Did you vote inthe last feder-al election?

If not, why?

Did you vote inthe lastprovincialelection?

If not, why?

Did you vote inthe last localelection?

If not, why?

“It is essential tovote.” Do youstrongly agree,somewhatagree, some-what disagreeor strongly dis-agree?”

Activity Sheet 6-4: Voting SurveyLesson 6


■ Basics for the TeacherVoter turnout has diminished in many western democracies in recentdecades, including in Canada. Prior to 1980, it was not common to havea voter turnout of less than 70%.

Federal Election Turnout for Selected Elections (Source: Elections Canada)

Elections Canada commissioned a major study of non-voters after the 2000general election’s historic low voter turnout. It found that one of the majorfactors in diminished voter turnout was low turnout by the youngest vot-ers. Only 25% of 18 – 25 year olds and only 22% of 18 to 21-year-old vot-ers participated that year. Youth voter turnout for 18 – 21 year oldsimproved for the 2006 election, rising to 38%. Results for youth turnoutfor 2008 are not yet available.

Provincial and local elections in BC have experienced an even lower voterturnout in recent years.

BC General Elections (Source: Elections BC http://www.elections.bc.ca)

Local elections in British Columbia have an often lower turnout than fed-eral or provincial elections, but there is a great degree of difference betweenmunicipalities from election to election. Likely voter turnout is higher whenthere is a controversial issue or a more contested election than if some posi-tions such as mayor are acclaimed.

Year Voter Turnout (%)2001 552005 582008 50.99

General Election Date Voter Turnout (%)4 September 1984 75.3

21 November 1988 75.3

25 Oct 1993 69.6

2 June 1997 67

27 November 2000 61.2

28 June 2004 60.9

23 October, 2006 64.7

14 October, 2008 58.8

■ OverviewAs students learned in les-son six, democratic par-ticipation is a factor thatenhances the degree andquality of democracy in acountry. In Canada, whileour democratic rights arewell protected and ourelectoral system is sound,we have seen an erosionin the participation rateof eligible voters in ourfederal, provincial andlocal elections. In this les-son, students will exam-ine and debate whetherwe, as citizens, have aresponsibility to vote.

■ ObjectivesStudents will:• Become familiar with

common reasonsthat some citizens donot vote.

• Develop and defenda position onwhether or not vot-ing is a responsibility.

• Practice attitudes ofopen mindedness.

Lesson 7: Debating the Responsibility to Vote



Selected examples of voter turnout inNovember 2005 election (Source: Union of BC Municipalities http://www.civicnet.bc.ca)

Municipality Voter Turnout (%)Stewart 84Terrace 24Vancouver 32Nanaimo 32Saanich 19Sidney 9

■ Student HandoutsActivity 7-1: Tallying Survey ResultsActivity 7-2: Debate Preparation

■ Instructions for the TeacherActivity 1: Homework Survey Results• Ask a small team of students to compile the results

from the Activity Sheet 6-4: Voting Survey from Les-son 6 using Activity Sheet 7-1: Tallying SurveyResults prior to the start of the lesson. Have thestudents hand in their surveys at the very begin-ning of the day.

• Alternatively, produce the tally sheet on a whiteboard, overhead or with a digital projector andtally results together.

• Show students the results from the most recentelections from the websites of Elections Canadahttp://www.elections.ca, Elections BChttp://www.elections.bc.ca and your local gov-ernment.

• Compare results from their poll with broaderresults.

• Discuss the most common reasons that partici-pants gave for not voting. Do the students thinkthese are legitimate reasons?

Activity Two: Debate on Responsibility toVote• Ask students to define the word “responsibility”

– what sort of responsibilities do they have athome or school?

• Pose the question “What responsibilities do citi-zens of Canada have to our country?”

• Explain to the class that they will be debating thefollowing resolution: “Canadian citizens have aresponsibility to always vote.”

• Distribute and have students complete Activity 7-2: Debate Preparation.

• Divide class chairs into three sections on differentwalls of the room. On one wall, have a sign thatsays “Responsibility to Vote” and on the oppositewall have one that says “No responsibility toVote”. Place chairs between the two positions forstudents who are entirely undecided or are lean-ing to one perspective or the other.

• Invite students to speak and keep a speakers list,alternating between speakers from different per-spectives. Students who are undecided should beencouraged to make comments, ask questions ofeither side and to move to one side or the otherby the end of the debate.

• Encourage students to demonstrate open-mind-edness by choosing to move from one position inthe classroom to another when another student’sargument convinces them to change their view-points.

• Debrief the debate by listing arguments that couldbe made for each side of the debate (see ActivitySheet 7-2: Debate Preparation Answer Key for someideas).

• For homework have students write a paragrapharticulating their post-debate position on theissue.

■ Assessment Using Activity Sheet 7-3: Debate Evaluation QuickChart, evaluate students’ debate performances con-sidering degree of activity in debate, quality of argu-ments made, clarity of speaking style and respectful-ness of other students.Have the students hand in their paragraphs nextclass. Evaluate the paragraphs based on quality oftopic sentence, use of appropriate support argumentsfor position taken and quality of writing. Let the stu-dents know what criteria you are using.

■ Extension Activities1. Research the idea of making voting compulso-

ry in Canada, as it is in some other jurisdictionssuch as Australia. This issue was the topic of anunsuccessful Senate bill, S-22, sponsored bySenator Mac Herb in 2005.

■ Get InvolvedCreate a public awareness project related to theimportance of voting for a healthy democracy. Thiscould include visuals such as posters, brochures oronline public service announcement. Ask yourschool to support this issue.


Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________

Go through the surveys, tallying findings with ticks or lines below.

Voted in federal election

Voted in provincial election

Voted in local election

Reasons for not voting:

Not eligible at the time (too young, not citizen)

Forgot to vote

Was away / too busy

Did not think I knew enoughto make a good choice

Not interested

Did not like any of thecandidates / parties

Did not know it was electionday / where to vote

Did not think voting makes adifference

Other

Activity Sheet 7-1: Tallying Survey ResultsLesson 7


Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________

Debate Resolution: “Canadians have a responsibility to always vote.”

1. Fill in the chart below with as many arguments you can think of on each side ofthe debate.

2. Where do you stand on the issue before the debate?Place an X above the continuum line showing where your opinion lies at the start of the debate.

Responsibility Unsure No Responsibility

3. Where do you stand on the issue after the debate?Place a new X below the line showing where your opinion lies after hearing other arguments.

4. Homework ParagraphDo Canadians have a responsibility to vote in all elections? Write a paragraph explaining yourposition. You should begin with a clear topic sentence and should support your position withat least three clearly explained arguments.

Arguments in favour Arguments against

Activity 7-2: Debate PreparationLesson 7


Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________

Debate Resolution: “Canadians have a responsibility to always vote.”

1. Fill in the chart below with as many arguments you can think of on each side ofthe debate.

2. Where do you stand on the issue before the debate?Place an X above the continuum line showing where your opinion lies at the start of the debate.

Responsibility Unsure No Responsibility

3. Where do you stand on the issue after the debate?Place a new X below the line showing where your opinion lies after hearing other arguments.

4. Homework ParagraphDo Canadians have a responsibility to vote in all elections? Write a paragraph explaining yourposition. You should begin with a clear topic sentence and should support your position withat least three clearly explained arguments. (Answers will vary.)

Arguments in favour Arguments against

• When most Canadians vote, the resultsof the election reflect the wishes ofCanadians better.

• Health of our democracy requiresactive citizenship through voting andother means.

• Voting encourages citizens to becomebetter informed.

• Canadians are lucky to have the rightto vote and should not take it forgranted.

• If we see voting as a civic duty, we aremore likely to do it.

• If we have the right to vote, we shouldhave the right not to vote.

• Some voters are not informed aboutpolitical issues, parties or candidates,so they might not make the best choic-es in voting.

• Some citizens will not find any candi-dates or parties that reflect their viewsso they should not feel compelled tovote.

• Some citizens think that others will dothe voting so they do not have to.

Activity 7-2: Debate PreparationLesson 7 KEY


List student names in the left column. Keep track of the number of times they speakin the first column. Assess the students while listening and at the end of the debateusing a numerical score out of four for each of the listed criteria.

Student Number of contributions

Quality ofarguments andpoints

Confidence andclarity in publicspeaking

Respectful ofother studentsin the debate

Total

/16

Activity Sheet 7-3: Debate Evaluation Quick ChartLesson 7



Levels and Jurisdictions of BC Courts

Provincial Court

The majority of BC’s court cases are heard in the Provincial Court ofBC. Approximately 145 Provincial Court judges hear 130,000 civil andcriminal cases each year in 88 locations around BC. The Provincial Courtonly hears certain types of cases as permitted by federal legislation(such as the Criminal Code) and by provincial legislation.

Category

Criminaland

Youth

• 99% of criminal cases begin and end here.• Hears all criminal matters except murder committed by

adults and a few obscure offences such as “alarming hermajesty”.

• Examples of crimes heard are mischief, simple assaults, theftunder $5,000 and more serious crimes such as sexual assaultwhere the accused chooses to have the trial heard in thiscourt.

• The accused has an “election” or choice between ProvincialCourt and Supreme Court for serious crimes such as kidnap-ping, manslaughter or break and enter.

• If the accused elects to have trial in Supreme Court, the pre-liminary inquiry is still held in Provincial Court to see whetherCrown has sufficient evidence to proceed.

• Provincial Court hears virtually all criminal cases involvingyouth aged 12 to 17, including murder.

• Children under 12 cannot be charged with a criminaloffence.

Family • Provincial Court deals with roughly half the family matters inthe province, including problems of neglect or abuse andchild protection.

• Divorce trials are heard in Supreme Court, but custody,access and child support issues can be heard in either court.

• The large majority of family cases are solved before going totrial through a process involving mediation.

SmallClaims

• Civil cases that involve $25,000 or less. These disputesinclude claims for debt and damages, construction disputes,personal injury claims, recovery of personal property orenforcement of agreements and contracts involving personalproperty or services.

• Claims for some issues such as bankruptcy, wills and estatesor libel / slander are heard in Supreme Court.

• A large majority of cases are settled without trial and can besettled at any time during the proceedings.

Trafficand

By-laws

• This function allows for disputing traffic tickets and bylawoffences like walking a dog off leash. Under the Local Govern-ment Bylaw Notice Enforcement Act, 26 BC local governmentshave the authority to implement there own bylaw courts butonly 3 have done so. In 2004, the District of North Vancou-ver, City of North Vancouver and District of West Vancouverbecame the first municipalities to start their own By-lawEnforcement System. These municipalities now have a spe-cial adjudicator to hear bylaw disputes, such as parking tick-ets, thus diverting small cases from the court system.

■ OverviewIn this lesson, students willlearn the basics of the organ-ization of BC’s courts and theprocess of criminal and civillaw proceedings.

■ ObjectivesStudents will:• Learn the names and

purposes of the differentlevels of courts in BC’scourt system.

• Become familiar withcourt procedures inboth criminal and civilcases.

Lesson 8: Courts of BC and Court Procedures

Unit Three ~ Law


New! Civil Reform Pilot

A Civil Reform Pilot is being piloted at the RobsonSquare and Richmond provincial courthouses.

• Senior civil or arbitration lawyers will determinematters between $0 – $5,000 in an expeditedarbitration-like process.

• All institutional debt claims between $5,000 –$25,000 (claims like credit card debt) will bediverted to a separate track which will be heardand determined by judges in a summary processwithout a settlement conference.

• All other claims between $5,000 – $25,000 willbe mediated by trained and qualified mediatorsprovided through the Dispute ResolutionPracticum Society, relieving judges of the require-ment to conduct settlement conferences.

• Those cases which are not resolved by the medi-ators will come before a judge for the purposeof a pre-trial conference to focus and narrow theissues for trial.

Supreme Court of British Columbia

The Supreme Court of BC is a trial court. It also hearssome appeals from the Provincial Court of BC.

The Supreme Court of BC is a court of “inherentjurisdiction” and may hear any type of case.

Court of Appeal for British Columbia

This court is an appellate court, so it hears only pre-viously-decided cases. The court hears criminal andcivil cases. The appeals come from cases heard inthe Provincial Court, Supreme Court of BC andadministrative tribunals such as the Worker’s Com-pensation Board. An appeal can be made if some-one is unhappy with the result or judgment in hisor her case.

Three judges hear an appeal in most cases. Fivejudges are required if the court is asked to overturnone of its own decisions.

Criminal Law and Civil Law ProceedingsOur court system deals with two types of cases: crim-inal and civil. A criminal case is one that occurs whenan individual has been accused of committing anoffence contrary to the Criminal Code or other crim-inal-like legislation. A civil case occurs when at leasttwo parties are disputing something.

Criminal Law: The Process

Once a crime has been committed, the accused maybe arrested and remanded into custody by thepolice. The accused is then called to court to answerthe charge or charges. A crime has two essentialparts: the action and the intent. In a criminal case,the lawyer who represents the government and thepeople is called Crown Counsel. If the Crownapproves the charges, the victim or the accused can-not stop the proceedings from taking place. Thecharges will read: “R. v. the Accused”. The “R” standsfor Regina which is the Latin name for the Queen,our symbolic Head of State.

The Crown is responsible for proving “beyond a rea-sonable doubt” that the accused is guilty of thecrime. If there is any reasonable doubt in the mindsof the jury or the judge, the accused must be foundnot guilty. For more serious crimes, the accused maychoose to have a trial heard by a judge alone or bya judge and jury.

At the end of a trial, after Crown and defence havehad their say, the judge or jury deliberate and reacha verdict. If the accused is found guilty of the crime,he or she will be sentenced by the judge. Sentencesmay include absolute and conditional discharge,probation, a fine, a suspended sentence and/orimprisonment.

Examples of types of cases heard

Civil Cases • Bankruptcy, personal injury andcontract disputes.

• Claims involving over $25,000. • Judicial reviews of administrative

tribunals such as Worksafe. • Libel, slander and malicious prosecu-

tion. • Divorce, division of family assets and

child custody.

CriminalCases

• Murder, manslaughter, aggravatedassault, bank robbery, major drugcases and contempt of court.


Civil Law: The Process

A civil case involves two (or more) parties who arehaving a dispute over something. In a civil case, thePlaintiff starts the action by filing court documentsand the Defendant replies. In most cases, variousprocesses are used that require the parties to sharerelevant information about the case, e.g. exchang-ing copies of relevant documents.

Most civil cases in BC are heard solely by a judge. Ifa jury is used, there are eight members and the deci-sion can be six out of eight deciding together if theyhave deliberated for at least three hours. The deci-sion is made “on the balance of probabilities” mean-ing that the judge (occasionally, a jury) listens toboth sides of the story and weighs the facts for adecision. The side who presents evidence that ismore probable succeeds in the case. The majority ofcivil cases are settled before this point — out ofcourt. The judge or jury in a civil case can determinethe amount of damages to be awarded if the plain-tiff is successful.

■ Instructions for the TeacherActivity One: Introduction to Levels ofCourt in BC

Choose one of the following activity options:

• Option One: Computer Lab Activity■ Distribute Activity Sheet 8-2: Courts of BC to

students.■ Have them use the Courts of BC website at

http://www.courtsofbc.ca to find theanswers.

■ Additional activities are available in the

Teacher’s Guide for this resource. It may bedownloaded free on the website.

• Option Two: Classroom use of Courts of BC videovignettes.■ The Courts of BC resource contains useful

video vignettes about the levels of court. Ifclassroom technology permits, they may beviewed on the Courts of BC website. Youmay also order the DVD and accompanyingTeachers Guide from the Justice EducationSociety.

■ Show the video vignettes, stopping to dis-cuss each court afterwards.

■ Have students complete Activity Sheet 8-2:Courts of BC either while watching thevideos or afterwards as a review activity.

• Option Three: Chart and Direct Instruction■ Distribute the Activity Sheet 8-1: BC’s Law

Courts and discuss the roles of the differentlevels of court.

■ Distribute and have students completeActivity Sheet 8-2: Courts of BC.

Activity 2: Civil and Criminal Process

Introduce the Civil Process and Criminal Process byhanding out Activity Sheet 8-3: Understanding HowCriminal and Civil Process Works.

Students complete the fill in the blank Activity Sheet8-4: The Criminal and Civil Process: What Happens?

■ AssessmentUse Activity Sheet 8-2: Courts of BC and Activity Sheet8-4: The Criminal and Civil Process: What Happens?for assessment.

■ Student HandoutsActivity Sheet 8-1: BC’s Law Courts

Activity Sheet 8-2: Courts of BC

Activity Sheet 8-3: Understanding How Criminaland Civil Process Works

Activity Sheet 8-4: The Criminal and CivilProcess: What Happens?


■ Get InvolvedVisit the courts. Contact the Justice Education Soci-ety (http://www.JusticeEducation.ca) to book atime for your class to see the Provincial Court ofBC, the Supreme Court of BC or the Court ofAppeal for BC. The Justice System Education pro-gram is a popular program which allows partici-pants to visit the courts, speak with justice systemprofessionals and experience court in action. Activ-ities include:

• Courthouse orientations• Courtwatching• Mock trial simulations• Q&A sessions with judges, lawyers, and / or

sheriffs

For more information, contact your nearestoffice of the Justice Education Society.

Vancouver Law Courts 604.660.2919

Lower Mainland West Region 604.775.2524

Lower MainlandSouth Fraser Region 604.572.2276

Interior Region Okanagan(Kelowna) 250.470.6965

■ Extension Activities

1. Perform a mock trial.

Mock trials are available through the JusticeEducation Society. Ordering information anda full list of resources is available at http://www.JusticeEducation.ca

a. The resource “Legal Quest” contains script-ed and non-scripted criminal and civil mocktrials that are appropriate for the Grade 8level.

b. Advanced Mock Trials contains seven trials.This resource is better suited to the seniorsecondary level.

c. “Being An Active Citizen” Grade 7 has twonew mock trials, one criminal and one civ-il (R v. Frank N. Stein and Humpty Dumpty v.the King).

2. Invite a judge to visit your classroom. TheJustice Education Society has partnered withthe Supreme Court of BC and the ProvincialCourt of BC to offer this program. More information at http://www.JusticeEducation.ca


Activity Sheet 8-1: BC’s Law CourtsLesson 8

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Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

1. What are the three levels of court in British Columbia?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

2. A ___________________ case is one in which two individuals or groups cannotcome to an agreement. A ______________________ case is one in which andindividual is accused of committing an offence.

3. The Provincial Court deals with what four areas of law?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

4. What does the Court of Appeal for BC do?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

5. In the following cases, which level of court would have conduct of the trial?

a. Murder. _________________________________________________________

b. A 14-year-old is charged with assault. ________________________________

c. A couple takes the contractor of their home renovation to court for the loss of $9,000 because the contractor did not complete the renovation. ___________________________________

d. Lawyers for a person accused of murder do not agree with their client’s conviction. _______________________________________

e. Divorce. _________________________________________________________

f. Shoplifting or theft under $5,000.00. ________________________________

Activity Sheet 8-2: Courts of BCLesson 8


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

1. What are the three levels of court in British Columbia?Provincial CourtSupreme CourtCourt of Appeal

2. A civil case is one in which two individuals or groups cannot come to anagreement. A criminal case is one in which and individual is accused ofbreaking a law.

3. The Provincial Court deals with what four areas of law?Family - YouthTrafficSmall claimsCriminal

4. What does the Appeal Court for BC do?Reviews decisions of lower courts.

5. In the following cases, which level of court would have conduct of the trial?

a. Murder. Supreme Court

b. A 14-year-old is charged with assault. Provincial Court

c. A couple takes the contractor of their home renovation tocourt for the loss of $9,000 because the contractor did notcomplete the renovation. Provincial Court

d. Lawyers for a person accused of murder do not agree withtheir client’s conviction. Court of Appeal

e. Divorce. Supreme Court

f. Shoplifting or theft under $5,000.00. Provincial Court

Activity Sheet 8-2: Courts of BCLesson 8 KEY


Criminal Process

Arrest or Summons: The first step in thecriminal process is to arrest or summon theaccused person.

Indictment or Information: The secondstep is to charge the accused by using an Indict-ment (for more serious crimes) or Information(for less serious crimes). The investigating policeofficer records the facts about the case thatform the basis of the charges and then sendsthe material to the Crown Counsel for chargeapproval.

First Appearance: The third step is to havethe accused appear in Provincial Court. If theaccused is being held in custody, a bail hearingis called to decide if the accused is considereda risk to the community and should be kept incustody. The accused is given time to find legalrepresentation.

Plea: The fourth step depends on whether theaccused pleads guilty or not. If he or she pleadsnot guilty, a preliminary hearing may be setdepending on the type of charge. If the accusedpleads guilty then the sentencing may be doneon a different date because a pre-sentencingreport has to be prepared by a probation offi-cer.

Preliminary Inquiry: In some cases, a prelim-inary inquiry may be held in Provincial Court.The Crown must show that a conviction mightbe granted if a full trial is held. If the Crown failsto show that, the charges will be dismissed. Theaccused seldom presents anything in defenceand is not required to do so.

Trial: The next step is a trial where the Crownpresents evidence against the accused and theaccused may offer a defence.

Judgment: The final step is the judgment bythe judge or jury. If the accused is found guiltythen he or she is sentenced by the judge aftera pre-sentence report is prepared.

Civil Process (there will be significantchanges effective 1 July 2010 due to newSupreme Court rules.)

Writ: The plaintiff is the person who has a com-plaint and starts the civil action. A “writ” is adocument filed by the plaintiff which starts thecourt action and is served on the defendant.

Statement of Claim: A document that statesthe nature of the dispute.

Statement of Defence: The defendant, theperson being sued, files a statement of defenceand then the case can move towards a trial.

Discovery: The two parties exchange relevantdocuments and can question the opponentswhile the opponent is under oath. This ques-tioning under oath is called “examination fordiscovery”. The exchange of documents iscalled “discovery of documents”.

Trial: Each side presents its evidence to a judgeor jury.

Judgment: After the trial a decision is madewhich can include an order for damages andcosts if the plaintiff is successful.

Activity Sheet 8-3: Understanding How Criminal and CivilProcess WorksLesson 8

AccusedRegina

vs.

Plaintiff Defendant

vs.

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________

being suedstarts case


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

Instructions: Read the following scenarios and decide what process mustbe followed.

Criminal ScenarioBob needs money and decides that he will find a housewhere no one is home and break and enter. A neighboursees Bob and calls the police. Bob is stopped a few blocksdown the road and is questioned by police. Fill in theblanks.

Vocabulary to use: Preliminary inquiry, Arrest, Jury, Trial,Defence, Crown Counsel, Not guilty, Defence lawyer, Break and enter, Firstappearance, Sentences.

1. The police investigate and ________________________ Bob.

2. _______________ proceeds with charges because there is overwhelmingevidence that Bob did the break and enter.

3. Bob hires a ________________________.

4. Bob has a _____________________ in Provincial court.

5. Bob pleads _________________. He elects to go to Supreme Court to be triednot by a judge but by a _____________________.

6. A _________________________ is held in Provincial Court to show the Crownhas sufficient evidence to go to trial.

7. The judge in Provincial Court commits Bob for __________________inSupreme Court.

8. Bob is tried in Supreme Court and presents a ___________________ of alibi.

9. The jury makes its decision. It finds Bob guilty of the crime of___________________.

10. The judge ________________________Bob to a 3 year jail term.

Activity Sheet 8-4: The Criminal and Civil Process: What Happens?Lesson 8


Civil ScenarioKirsten is walking on a busy street in downtown Vancouver. A local construc-tion crew working for BoS Co Construction has left its equip-ment and materials on the pavement and did not put up signs.Kirsten falls and injuries herself because of this. She has doctors’bills and misses a lot of work due to this accident. Fill in theblanks.

Vocabulary to use: Defendant, Plaintiff, Discovery, Trial, Judgment,Statement of Claim, Settlement, Statement of Defence, Writ.

1. Kirsten sees a lawyer to start a civil action against BoS Co Construction.

2. Kirsten is the _______________________ because BoS Co Construction injuredher. BoS Co Construction is the _______________because the company isbeing taken to court.

3. Kirsten serves a _______________ on BoS Co Construction.

4. Kirsten files a __________________ in court. Kirsten has to show that BoS CoConstruction injured her and caused her to lose time from work and pay fordoctors and specialists.

5. BoS Co Construction files a _______________________ in court.

6. Kirsten and BoS Co Construction may agree at any time. An agreement iscalled a ____________________.

7. Kirsten and BoS Co Construction’s lawyers may want to question the oppo-nent in ________________________ to find out what the evidence is.

8. If Kirsten and BoS Co Construction cannot agree then the case will go to_______________________.

9. The judge or jury may decide that BoS Co Construction has to pay Kirstenmoney because BoS Co Construction injured Kirsten and caused her to taketime away from work. In a civil case, the decision is called a _______________.

Activity Sheet 8-4: The Criminal and Civil Process: What Happens?

Lesson 8


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

Instructions: Read the following scenarios and decide what process mustbe followed.

Criminal ScenarioBob needs money and decides that he will find a house where no one ishome and break and enter. A neighbour sees Bob and calls the police. Bob isstopped a few blocks down the road and is questioned by police. Fill in theblanks.

Vocabulary to use: Preliminary inquiry, Arrest, Jury, Trial, Defence, CrownCounsel, Not guilty, Defence lawyer, Break and enter, First appearance,Sentences.

1. The police investigate and arrest Bob.

2. Crown Counsel proceeds with charges because there is overwhelmingevidence that Bob did the break and enter.

3. Bob hires a Defence Lawyer.

4. Bob has a First Appearance in Provincial court.

5. Bob pleads not guilty. He elects to go to Supreme Court to be triednot by a judge but by a jury.

6. A preliminary inquiry is held in Provincial Court to show the Crown hassufficient evidence to go to trial.

7. The judge in Provincial Court commits Bob for trial in Supreme Court.

8. Bob is tried in Supreme Court and presents a defence of alibi.

9. The jury makes its decision. It finds Bob guilty of the crime of break and enter.

10. The judge sentences Bob to a 3 year jail term.

Activity Sheet 8-4: The Criminal and Civil Process: What Happens?Lesson 8 KEY


Civil ScenarioKirsten is walking on a busy street in downtown Vancouver. A local construc-tion crew working for BoS Co Construction has left its equipment and mate-rials on the pavement and did not put up signs. Kirsten falls and injuries her-self because of this. She has doctors’ bills and misses a lot of work due tothis accident. Fill in the blanks.

Vocabulary to use: Defendant, Plaintiff, Discovery, Trial, Judgment,Statement of Claim, Settlement, Statement of Defence, Writ.

1. Kirsten sees a lawyer to start a civil action against BoS Co Construction.

2. Kirsten is the plaintiff because BoS Co Construction injured her. BoS Co Construction is the defendant because the company is beingtaken to court.

3. Kirsten serves a writ on BoS Co Construction.

4. Kirsten files a statement of claim in court. Kirsten has to show that BoS CoConstruction injured her and caused her to lose time from work and pay fordoctors and specialists.

5. BoS Co Construction files a statement of defence in court.

6. Kirsten and BoS Co Construction may agree at any time. An agreement iscalled a settlement.

7. Kirsten and BoS Co Construction’s lawyers may want to question the oppo-nent in discovery to find out what the evidence is.

8. If Kirsten and BoS Co Construction cannot agree then the case will go to trial.

9. The judge or jury may decide that BoS Co Construction has to pay Kirstenmoney because BoS Co Construction injured Kirsten and caused her to taketime away from work. In a civil case, the decision is called a judgment.

Activity Sheet 8-4: The Criminal and Civil Process: What Happens?

Lesson 8KEY



Vancouver’s Downtown Community Court

The Downtown Community Court (DCC) opened in 2008(http:/www.communitycourt.bc.ca). The court provides integrat-ed justice, health and social services to offenders while holdingthem accountable in a timely fashion. The court offers new oppor-tunities for residents, businesses and organizations in the commu-nity to participate in the criminal justice system. The jurisdictionserved by the DCC includes the Central Business district, China-town, Coal Harbour, Downtown Eastside, Gastown, Strathcona,Yaletown and the West End including Stanley Park.

Aboriginal Justice

In 2006, the Honourable Judge Marion Buller-Bennett, at the timeBC’s only female First Nations judge, began a pilot program for aFirst Nations Court, operating out of a deliberately less formal con-ference room in the New Westminster Courthouse. The FirstNations Court provides a holistic and restorative approach to sen-tencing incorporating aboriginal practices. The court has the ben-efit of hearing about an offender’s education, employment histo-ry, past criminal history, as well as information about the offend-er’s extended family, his or her current needs for housing and healthservices, the availability of community-based resources and theviews of the community toward the offence. If there is a Family orYouth Court file, or a related matter, those issues are heard at thesame time as the criminal matter.

■ OverviewMuch of the focus of the pre-ceeding lessons has been cen-tered on the relationshipbetween citizens and their localgovernments, and how bothcan work together to improveour communities. Some of thegreatest challenges faced byour communities see theinvolvement of a new partner– the justice system and ourcourts. This lesson will use acase study of the Vancouver’sDowntown Community Courtto highlight a new problem-solving approach being testedby the criminal justice systemand health and social serviceagencies.


concept of criminal justicereform and the role ofVancouver’s DowntownCommunity Court.

Lesson 9: The Vancouver Downtown Community Court

Unit Three ~ Law



Activity 1: Top Three Community Concerns

• Ask students to take a few minutes to brainstormthe top three problems facing their community.Have students take turns coming to the board towrite down their responses. They should usecheck marks to indicate support for responseswhen something already on the board was ontheir own list.

• Examine the list. How many of them are issuesthat end up involving the courts? Highlight theseissues and explain that today’s lesson will focuson aspects of how the justice system fits into theircommunity.

Activity 2: Vancouver’s DowntownCommunity Court

• Distribute Activity Sheet 9-1: Vancouver’s Down-town Community Court and its accompanyingquestion sheet to students

• Have them read about the court and answer theaccompanying questions

• Discuss their reactions to this court in class

■ Assessment Activity Sheet 9-2: What Do You Know About the DCC?

■ Student HandoutsActivity Sheet 9-1: Vancouver’s Downtown Com-munity Court

Activity Sheet 9-2: What Do You Know About theDCC?

■ Extension Activities1. If you live in the Lower Mainland, invite a pro-

fessional from Vancouver’s Downtown Com-munity Court or First Nations Court in NewWestminster to speak to class. Interview themabout the impact that these courts are hav-ing.

2. Visit the First Nations Court in New Westmin-ster. Write a report on what you observe andreport back to your class.

Vancouver’s Downtown Community Court

■ Get InvolvedIn other communities, invite a member of CrownCounsel from your closest Provincial Court to talkto the class about challenges your communityfaces regarding repeat offenders or offenderswho face challenges of homelessness, drug oralcohol addiction, mental health issues or a dualdiagnosis. Does your community have any spe-cific programs to address this sort of circum-stance? If they do, how could you get involved?


Downtown Vancouver has some uniqueissues in handling people who commitcrimes. According to the Ministry of theAttorney General, “many offenders indowntown Vancouver have a mental ill-ness, a drug addiction or both and arerepeat offenders. They are frequentlyhomeless or lacking job skills and socialsupports.”

To meet the unique needs of downtownVancouver, the provincial governmentopened the Downtown CommunityCourt (DCC) in September 2008.

This community court uses a problem solving approach to help offenders deal withthe underlying causes of their criminal behaviour.

Community court cases are heard quickly so that offenders can begin making “repa-rations” (making up for their crime) almost immediately.

Community service sentences might include cleaning up the neighbourhood, work-ing in community kitchens or cleaning up and maintaining roads, alleys, sidewalksand city gardens.

The court handles most kinds of offences committed in downtown Vancouver. Theseinclude theft from auto, shoplifting, drug possession and assault.

When an accused person arrives at the court, he or she is met by the defence lawyer.That lawyer will represent the accused unless he or she chooses to use their ownlawyer. The accused can then choose to have the case heard in a community courtor go through a regular court process.

If necessary and if the accused agrees, they then meet with other professionals in thecommunity court who will try to help them solve problems that might be causes oftheir criminal behaviour. These other people include experts in health and social serv-ices, victims services and probation. If the person is Aboriginal, there is also a nativecourt worker.

Activity Sheet 9-1: Vancouver’s Downtown Community Court Lesson 9

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

1. What are some of the reasons that downtown Vancouver has special needs inhandling its crime problems?_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the purpose of the community court?_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. Which of the following crimes can be handled by the DCC?a) Murderb) Assault Causing Bodily Harmc) Assault

4. What kind of sentences might be imposed here?_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. How does the community court do more to help criminals address the under-lying issues that lead them to commit crimes?a) Give them lighter sentences.b) Send them to jail for rehabilitation.c) Works in an integrated way with justice, housing, health, social services, vic-

tim services and probation when they attend court.

6. What is your reaction to the community court? Do you support the idea of thiskind of court? Explain your answer._____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Activity Sheet 9-2: What Do You Know About the DCC? Lesson 9


Name: ______________________________ Block: ______ Date: __________________

1. What are some of the reasons that downtown Vancouver has special needs inhandling its crime problems?Many offenders are dealing with mental illness, drug addiction, or bothand are frequently repeat offenders may be homeless and lack job skillsand social supports.

2. What is the purpose of the community court?To use a problem-solving approach to deal with offenders’ needs and theunderlying causes of their criminal behaviour.

3. Which of the following crimes can be handled by the DCC?c) Assault. Most kinds of offences that are committed in the neighbour-hood and normally handled in Provincial Court, i.e., theft from auto,shoplifting, drug possession and assault.

4. What kind of sentences might be imposed here?Sentences range from community service (to compensate for harm done bythe crime) to community supervison to jail time.

5. How does the community court do more to help criminals address the under-lying issues that lead them to commit crimes?c) Works in an integrated way with justice, housing, health, social servic-es, victim services and probation when they attend court. Uses a problemsolving approach and court cases are heard quickly.

6. What is your reaction to the community court? Do you support the idea of thiskind of court? Explain your answer.Answers will vary.

Activity Sheet 9-2: What Do You Know About the DCC? Lesson 9 KEY



Introduction to Consumer LawThe law of consumer protection in BC is guided by both commonlaw and statute law regarding consumer contracts. The transac-tions that youth will be handling in their teenage years will in mostcases not involve written contracts. Consumer protection can existunder both common law and, more usually, statute law.

The following information is adapted from the Law Students’ LegalAssistance Program Manual, 2008.

Common Law

Under common law, consumer transactions are subject to the basictenets of contract law. A contract is an oral or written agreementwith four fundamental characteristics: intention, capacity, agree-ment and consideration.

1. IntentionTo be enforceable, a person must intend his or her promise tobe contractually binding. Evidence of intention is present in thewords and actions of a person.

2. CapacityOnly a person of suitable age, intelligence and ability can enteran enforceable contract. This element is particularly importantin transactions conducted by persons less than 19 years of age.*See Consumer Law and Youth below

3. AgreementAn agreement requires both offer and acceptance of the offer.An offer must communicate the material terms of the agree-ment: price, quantity, quality and subject matter. Acceptanceis the communication of agreement with all the essential termsof the offer. Once an offer has been accepted, for the most part,the contract cannot be altered or cancelled without mutualagreement.

4. ConsiderationThe law of contracts enforces exchanges, not gifts. Considera-tion is what the parties agree to exchange. There must be con-sideration given by both contracting parties. Almost anythingthat provides the other party with a benefit can be good con-sideration, including the performance of a task or even thepromise not to do something.

■ OverviewThe interests of consumers inBC are protected by a numberof pieces of legislation. Grade8 students are at an age whenthey are becoming increasing-ly independent consumers.This lesson will make themaware of some of the morecommon aspects of the con-sumer laws protecting theirinterests and will use role play-ing to allow them to practiceappropriate responses to sce-narios where their interests asconsumers are threatened.

■ ObjectivesStudents will:• Become aware of con-

sumer laws in place and amechanism for complaintsagainst businesses.

• Practice oral communica-tion and problem solvingskills in handling consumercomplaints.

Lesson 10: Consumer Law

Unit Three ~ Law


Consumer Law and Youth

The BC Legislature and the general law of contracthave developed particular rules with respect to theenforcement of contracts entered into with“minors”. Under section 1 of BC’s Age of MajorityAct, a “minor” is a person who has not reached 19years of age — the “age of majority”. On one hand,the law recognizes that, on account of their age,minors may not have the capacity to appreciate theconsequences of a given contractual transaction.On the other hand, a blanket-rule that simplyrelieved minors of their contractual obligations couldproduce unfairness for vendors who may contractwith minors in good faith. It could also harm minorsthemselves given that vendors might simply refuseto enter transactions with minors — even where thetransaction was for the purchase of food, clothing,shelter or other necessities of life.

Under section 7 of BC’s Sale of Goods Act, the BCLegislature has left the treatment of a person’scapacity to enter into a contract to buy goods (and,therefore, the enforceability of the contract) fordetermination in accordance with the general lawthat governs a person’s legal capacity to enter a con-tract. However, section 7 of the Act also providesthat even if a person with a legal incapacity (age, forexample) enters into a contract for the purchase ofgoods referred to in the Act as “necessaries”, andreceives those necessaries, then that person mustpay a “reasonable price” in spite of that person’sincapacity to enter a contract.

In this way, a vendor is assured that, notwithstand-ing any incapacity a person may have to enter intoa contract on account of age, the vendor is at leastentitled to a “reasonable price” for any goods in thenature of “necessaries” that the vendor provides tothe person.

In most cases, the prevailing market price of goodsis an important consideration with respect to whatconstitutes a “reasonable price”. Therefore, this lawboth protects the reasonable expectations of ven-dors who contract with minors for the provision ofnecessaries and restricts the ability of vendors to takeadvantage of the incapacities— both those of minorsand of others.

The Sale of Goods Act defines “necessaries” broadly:“goods suitable to the condition in life of a person,and to the person’s actual requirements ... “. This

provides discretion in the law to protect the inter-ests of vendors and minors (and other persons withlegal incapacities) based upon the specific circum-stances of each case. However, a vendor needs toexercise caution if the transaction relates to the saleof goods that are not “necessaries” as section 7 ofthe Act will not protect the vendor if the minor isotherwise, at law, incapable of entering a particularcontract on account of the minor’s age.

Regardless of the law, the utility of this area of lawis limited, given the limited legal remedies.

Statutes

There are a number of different statutes dealing withdifferent types of consumer law. They include:

1. The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act(2004)http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/B/04002_00.htmThis Act prohibits unfair practices, for exampledeceptive or unconscionable practices. A decep-tive act or practice is one in which the represen-tation (oral, written, visual, descriptive) or anyconduct by the supplier has the capacity, tenden-cy or effect of misleading the consumer. The con-sumer does not have to have been deceived ormisled, as long as the practice could have led tothis.

An unconscionable act involves high pressure tac-tics or demanding consideration (i.e. money) farin excess of the market. If an unconscionable actor practice happened during, before or after thetransaction, it becomes non-binding. The courtwill also look at any vulnerabilities of the con-sumer (age, illiteracy, mental infirmity, ignoranceor inability to understand the transaction). Theburden of proof is on the supplier to prove theunconscionable act was not committed.

2. The Sale of Goods Act (1996)http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/Stat/S/96410_01.htmThis legislation regulates contracts for the sale orlease of goods but not services. According to theLaw Students’ Legal Advice Program manual, theSale of Goods Act is concerned with the perform-ance of a contract, e.g., if the goods are not deliv-ered or are unfit for the stated purpose. Protec-tions are stronger for new goods rather thangoods the purchaser knows are used.

3. The Motor Dealer Act (1996)http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/M/96316_01.htm

This Act contains important information aboutdisclosure requirements for car dealers selling toconsumers. It requires written disclosure of theprior history of the car (for example its use as ataxi) and any damage suffered over $2,000.

Common Unfair Sales Practices

1. More than one price tag

Under the federal Competition Act, 1985, shop-keepers must charge the lowest price on anytags, unless the lower price was crossed out anda new tag covers the old tag.

2. Advertising a sale price

If a business advertises a sale price, it must chargethat price throughout the sale period.

3. Bait and switch

If a business advertises a sale, it must stock a rea-sonable quantity of the item. Bait and switchingoccurs when the business advertises an item at abargain price to attract customers but, having nointention of selling the item at that price, doesnot adequately stock it. Rather the business thenuses sales pressure to get customers to buy oth-er, higher-priced items. If the business does nothave adequate stock of the sale item, it must issuerain checks. Rain checks are not required, how-ever, if the advertisement states “while quanti-ties last”.

4. False or misleading advertising

All advertising (TV, radio or newspaper ads, onwebsites, flyers or store posters) is subject to fed-eral and provincial laws that prevent businessesfrom making false claims that may mislead con-sumers. Purchasers have the right to know whatthey are buying. If a person asks for informationand the sales agent volunteers it, the informationmust be correct and not deceptive. The agentcan make statements of opinion designed to pro-mote a product. This is called puffery. “Thosejeans look great on you!” would be an exampleof puffery and not actually a deceptive practice.

Remedies and Resources

A consumer who is unhappy with a transaction willnormally approach the business first to try to find aremedy or solution. When this fails, or in the case ofdeceptive or unconscionable practices, the consumercan turn to outside bodies for assistance.

1. The Business Practices and Consumer ProtectionAuthority – Investigations1-866-564-9963 http://www.bpcpa.ca/This independent agency, created by the govern-ment of British Columbia, enforces provisions ofthe Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act,the Motor Dealer Act and the Sale of Goods Act.The agency can act on consumer complaints.

2. Better Business Bureau 604-682-2711http://www.bbb.org/canadaA non-profit association which provides self-polic-ing within the business community. Complaintsagainst a company can be lodged with the officeand information about companies can beobtained.

■ Instructions for TeacherActivity One: Introduction to ConsumerLaw

• Ask students if they have ever had any disputesor have felt they have been treated unfairly byany businesses. Relate an anecdote yourself (leav-ing out the name of the business), if appropriate.

Activity Two: Scenarios

• Break the class into small groups of three to fourstudents to work through Activity Sheet 10-1:Consumer Law Scenarios. Discuss responses as aclass.

• Have students read Activity Sheet 10-2: Basics ofConsumer Laws.

• Highlight how the information on the sheetrelates to scenarios.

■ Student Handouts

Activity Sheet 10-1: Consumer Law Scenarios

Activity Sheet 10-2: Basics of Consumer Law

Activity Sheet 10-3: Honesty

86 Lesson 10 ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ GRADE 8

Activity Three: Skits

• Have each group choose one of the scenarios anddevelop a series of two very brief one minuteskits. In the first skit, the group should have thecharacters handling the situation in a problem-atic way. In the second skit, the characters shouldmodel better communication and problem-solv-ing skills.

• Lead a class discussion of which communicationand problem solving skills are most and leasteffective in these circumstances. Record studentresponses on the board. Student responses willvary, but a guideline of what you might expectbelow.

The ultimate resolution of the conflict may see thestore offering to give in to the customer where notlegally necessary or may see the store only meetingits legal obligations.

Discuss with students how each scenario should haveultimately been resolved.

Activity Four: Think Piece on Honesty

Distribute Activity Sheet 10-3: Honesty to students.Have them write a think piece paragraph for home-work. Assess the paragraph based on quality of thetopic sentence, uniqueness of argument, quality ofwriting and soundness of arguments provided.

■ AssessmentAssess student understanding of consumer law usingtheir homework think piece and verbal responses inclass discussions.

Effective consumer Ineffective consumer

Be polite. Explain complaint clearly. Demonstrate knowledgeof rights and stand up foryour rights (be assertive). Have necessary receiptsor information. Listen carefully to storeemployee. Ask to speak to managerif clerk cannot help you. Explain that you will becontacting BBB or BPCPA.

Angry, aggressive oremotional. Unclear explanation. Lack of understanding ofrights. Too passive – willing tobe taken advantage of. Speaks but does notlisten.

Effective storeemployee

Inappropriate or ineffective employee

Polite. Listens carefully tocomplaint. Explains business policyclearly. Tells customer who theymight speak to if youcannot help them.

Rude or becomes angry. Does not listen. Dismissive attitudetoward complaint. Lack of understanding ofpolicies.

■ Extension Activities1. What are the laws regarding the download-

ing of music and movies in Canada?Research current developments in legislation.Write an opinion piece or have a class debateon whether or not Canadians should beallowed to participate in online file sharing ofmusic and movies.

2. Look up local businesses that you frequent onthe website of the local or regional chapterof the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Are thesebusinesses members of the BBB? Do theyhave a history of consumer complaints? Howdid they deal with these complaints? See ifyou can get a speaker to come in to speakabout the work of the BBB.

■ Get InvolvedCreate a public awareness project to sharewith students in the school concerning yourconsumer rights. Choose an issue such as giftcards, misleading advertising, high pressuresales tactics or bait and switching. Research theissue and create an awareness campaign forother students. This could take the form of apublic service announcement on the morningannouncement, posters or use of display casesin the school.

87GRADE 8 ■ BEING AN ACTIVE CITIZEN ■ Lesson 10

Scenario 1: The Gift CardYour Grandma gave you a $100 gift card fromyour local mall. It is good at any of the 130 storesin the mall. You put your gift card in a “safeplace” and then forgot where that was. Finally,18 months later you found it again and headedstraight to the mall to buy those shoes you havebeen looking at. The price after tax comes to$99.75. The cashier informs you that you do nothave enough money – the card is now worth only$92.50.

Prediction – Is this is mistake? What happened tothe $7.50?

What should you do now?

Activity Sheet 10-1: Consumer Law Scenarios Lesson 10

Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________

Be a Smart Consumer!Read each of the scenarios and answer the questions below to see how much you knowabout consumer laws.

Scenario 2: The Polyester ShirtYou and your friends were downtown one dayand you saw the craziest vintage shirt in the win-dow of a little store. It is purple and the sort ofpolyester they used when your parents were kids.You decide you need to try it on and it is prettyfunny. Your friends convince you that you haveto buy it. You buy it and go home and put it onagain. It is terrible. You have made a big mistake.You keep the tag on and go back to the store thenext day with the receipt and ask for a refund.The clerk refuses. You ask to exchange it for some-thing else. Again the answer is no.

What do you think? Does the store have to giveyou a refund or exchange?

Scenario 3: The Unbelievable SaleYou have been saving up for a new computer forthe last several months. You open a Boxing Day fly-er for a major electronics chain and see the verycomputer that you have been looking for on thefront page with the words “Unbelievable Sale!!!”While the regular price is around $999, the adver-tised sale price is only $299. You and your friendgo to the mall with hot chocolate and sleepingbags at 3am Boxing Day morning to wait for thedoors to open. You are #2 and #3 in line. You spenda cold six hours waiting for the doors to open. Theyfinally do, and person #1 grabs your computerfrom the display case. You look frantically for anoth-

er one. There is not another one. You ask a storeclerk and she says, “Sorry – we only had one. Butwe do have some other great deals.” She offers toshow you a $799 computer which is not as goodas the one you want.

Is the store allowed to do this?

What should you do as the consumer in this situation?


Scenario 1: The Gift CardYour Grandma gave you a $100 gift card fromyour local mall. It is good at any of the 130 storesin the mall. You put your gift card in a “safeplace” and then forgot where that was. Finally,18 months later you found it again and headedstraight to the mall to buy those shoes you havebeen looking at. The price after tax comes to$99.75. The cashier informs you that you do nothave enough money – the card is now worth only$92.50. Prediction – Is this is mistake? What happened tothe $7.50?This was not a mistake. While expiry dates aregenerally not permitted on most cards, they areallowed for cards issued for a charitable or pro-motional purpose, for cards for a particularservice (ie a haircut), and for mall cards. Mallcards may charge a $1.50 fee on purchase, thendeduct a fee of $2.50 per month on the balancebeginning 15 months after purchase.

What should you do now?You may request a three month extensionbefore fees have to be paid. This should reversethe $7.50.

Activity Sheet 10-1: Consumer Law Scenarios Lesson 10

Name: ___________________________________ Block: ________ Date: _____________________

Be a Smart Consumer!

Read each of the scenarios and answer the questions below to see how much you knowabout consumer laws.

Scenario 2: The Polyester ShirtYou and your friends were downtown one dayand you saw the craziest vintage shirt in the win-dow of a little store. It is purple and the sort ofpolyester they used when your parents were kids.You decide you need to try it on and it is prettyfunny. Your friends convince you that you haveto buy it. You buy it and go home and put it onagain. It is terrible. You have made a big mistake.You keep the tag on and go back to the store thenext day with the receipt and ask for a refund.The clerk refuses. You ask to exchange it for some-thing else. Again the answer is no.What do you think? Does the store have to giveyou a refund or exchange?Most stores have a posted return or exchangepolicy that they follow. However, if they do nothave such a policy, they are not required underBC law to provide a refund or exchange for thissort of reason. They are only required to pro-vide this if the consumer finds out after pur-chase that the item has a defect or was not asadvertised. You are legally stuck with the shirt.

Scenario 3: The Unbelievable SaleYou have been saving up for a new computer forthe last several months. You open a Boxing Day fly-er for a major electronics chain and see the verycomputer that you have been looking for on thefront page with the words “Unbelievable Sale!!!”While the regular price is around $999, the adver-tised sale price is only $299. You and your friendgo to the mall with hot chocolate and sleepingbags at 3am Boxing Day morning to wait for thedoors to open. You are #2 and #3 in line. You spenda cold six hours waiting for the doors to open. Theyfinally do, and person #1 grabs your computer fromthe display case. You look frantically for anotherone. There is not another one. You ask a store clerkand she says, “Sorry – we only had one. But we dohave some other great deals.” She offers to show

you a $799 computer which is not as good as theone you want.Is the store allowed to do this?If the store included a line in the flyer that said“While Quantities Last” they are legally (if notnecessarily ethically) in the clear. If not, they arecommitting what is known as bait and switchingto lure customers in with no intention of honour-ing the sale.

What should you do as the consumer in thissituation?1. Ask the store to issue a rain check, so that youcan purchase the item at the sale price when itcomes back into stock.2. If the store refuses, file a complaint with theBusiness Practices and Consumer Protection orthe Better Business Bureau.

KEY


Whenever you buy something, you are probably notaware that there are all kinds of laws that are pro-tecting you as the consumer. The laws are compli-cated but there are organizations who can help youunderstand what your rights are and what rules busi-nesses have to be followed.

Here are some examples of consumer laws that youshould know about.

Advertising• Stores and other businesses cannot try to mis-

lead or deceive you. They cannot tell you thatthe frozen yogurt is fat free if it is not or that thet-shirt is made of hemp if it is made of cotton.

• Store employees have to tell you correct infor-mation, though they are allowed to use “puffery”to make the item sound good.

Sales• If a sale is advertised to last for a week, the store

cannot end the sale after fewer days.• If there is more than one price on an item’s price

tag, you pay the lowest price unless it is coveredup or crossed out.

• Businesses need to stock a reasonable quantityof a sale item. If they run out of the sale item,they need to give you a “rain check” so you canget the item at the sale price another day. Theexception is when they have words such as“While Quantities Last” on the ad.

Refunds or Exchanges• Check carefully to see what the written policy is

for refunds or exchanges before you buy some-thing. While most stores allow refunds orexchanges with receipt, they do not legally haveto do this unless there is something defectivewith the item or it is not what was advertised.

Gift Cards• Most gift cards are not allowed to have expiry

dates or fees.• Mall cards are allowed a fee of $1.50 on purchase

and to charge a fee of $2.50 per month on thebalance after 12 months. You can ask for a threemonth extension before paying the fees.

• Cards that are promotional (like points cards) areallowed expiry dates.

• Cards for specific items or services like haircutsor hamburgers are allowed to have expiry datesbecause prices go up over time.

Unconscionable Acts• Some unethical vendors have used practices

which are defined as “unconscionable” to takeadvantage of people. This is particularly concern-ing people who can be more easily taken advan-tage of because of their age, mental infirmity orilliteracy. There are now laws in place in BC whichdefine what this means. ■ High pressure sales tactics can’t be used. For

example, if someone is considering taking outa membership in a gym, the gym managercannot tell them that they have to sign thecontract before leaving the gym that day orthe deal that was offered will expire.

■ Businesses cannot demand money far inexcess of what is reasonable to pay. For exam-ple, a roofing company cannot demand asenior citizen pay double the going rate for anew roof.

Help!• Consumers can find out more information about

consumer laws and can lodge complaints aboutbusinesses with two bodies.1. The Business Practices and Consumer Pro-

tection Agency is a body created by theprovincial government to take actionagainst businesses on behalf of consumers.http://www.bpcpa.ca

2. The Better Business Bureau is a non-profitorganization that investigates complaintsagainst local businesses and maintains a listof businesses that it rates as having goodpractices. Find your local bureau at http://www.bbb.org/canada

Activity Sheet 10-2: Basics of Consumer LawLesson 10

Name: __________________________________ Block: ___________ Date: __________________


What does it take to be an honest person? Is following what the law says enoughto make you honest? Can you do anything else that is not specifically against thelaw? Or should you expect more of yourself as a citizen?

Laws set out what the minimum expectation is for how we will behave. They donot generally set a higher bar of what you SHOULD do to be a good citizen andhelp society be a better place.

Think about the following scenarios and what you would do in each case. Thenwrite a “think piece” about your feelings about being honest. Your paragraph canuse these situations as examples or others that you think of.

• You are walking down the school hallway and find that someones dropped acalculator. Should you keep it (finders keepers!) or turn it in to the office?

• You are on the bus and find a man’s wallet with $27 and some cards in it. Whatdo you do?

• You are moving away and need to sell your car. It was in a bad accident a cou-ple of years ago but seems to run fine now. Do you tell the buyer of the car aboutthe accident?

• Your favorite band has a new CD out. You can buy it at a store or online or youcan burn it from your friend’s copy.

• You bought a new jacket and wore it for the first time last night for a couple ofhours. You forgot to take the price tag off but nobody noticed, as it was small.You caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and decided you do not really likeit. Do you keep it or return it? If you return it, what do you say to the store?

Activity Sheet 10-3: HonestyLesson 10


Documents

Grade 8 Resource Package...opportunities for summative assessments, assigning marks to activities such as reflections, quizzes or pro-viding students with the opportunity to self-evalu-ate