Tuesday, January 6. 2015

Today's schedule is C-AG-D-A-B

C & A Blocks Social Studies 10 - Yesterday we looked at the crazy stupid idea of building a railway from coast to coast (A Mari Usque ad Mare). Today, we'll learn about Andrew Onderdonk and the railway through BC. We'll focus on John A. Macdonald's "National Policy" and look at the connection between Sir Hugh Allan's Pacific Railway Company, the Pacific Scandal and Macdonald's defeat in 1873. We'll then look at George Stephen & Donald A. Smith's Pacific Railway Company which hired William Van Horne and Andrew Onderdonk to build the railway.

Here are some websites that can help you understand the rail experience in Canadian history (HINT for your upcoming project):

Revelstoke Railway Museum Photo Archive
The Canadian Encyclopedia - Building the Railway
The Kids site of Canadian Settlement - Chinese & the Railway
Vancouver Public Library - CPR History
BC Archives - CPR
Kamloops Art Gallery - Andrew Onderdonk & the CPR
Library & Archives Canada: Canada by Train
Library & Archives Canada: The Kid's site of Canadian Trains
Musee McCord Museum: CPR form sea to sea
Musee McCord Museum: Forging the National Dream
Canada Science and Technology Museum: Railways

Today I'll have you work on questions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 from page 202 of the Horizons text.

D Block Law 9/10 - Today we will continue our look at criminal forensics by looking at how investigators estimate time of death, how fingerprints are "lifted" at a crime scene (including what AFIS is), what the "Four T's" are for marks at a scene, how fibres are used, and what ballistics is. After this, you may continue your work on the crime scene investigation project (Clue Us In). You'll have three blocks of time in the library next week to finish up this crime scene reconstruction activity. For more on Forensic Science, check out SFU's "So you want to be a Forensic Scientist" webpage or check out the "All you ever wanted to know about Forensic Science in Canada but didn't know who to ask" booklet compiled by Dr. Gail Anderson and posted by the Canadian Society of Forensic Science.

Please remember that I have books on crime scene investigation here in the classroom. Use these resources to aid you in the development of your project. Remember you need to create a crime...replicate the crime scene...investigate the crime as if you were an R.C.M.P. officer...and prepare a dossier file to hand over to Crown Counsel so that they may prosecute the case. Good Luck.

B Block Law 12 - Today we'll start by looking at commercial and social hosts. After, you may work through the case study project. Please take some time to review invitees, licencees, and tresspassers for occupiers' liability (which is relevant for cases 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8). You can talk to each other as long as it’s about your project. You should be searching for information related to your cases and can use this class blogsite entry for information on negligence, the defences to negligence, civil damages, Good Samaritan , occupiers' liability, the Liquor control and Licensing Act and damages. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has a great webpage to help with Occupier's Liability called Slip/Trip and Fall. On this site it indicates:

As an occupier, you and/or your organization are required to keep areas such as aisles, stairs, ramps, walkways, driveways and parking lots reasonably safe for persons who are using them. Some common hazardous conditions include:

• ice and snow that has not been cleared
• unexpected elevation changes
• uneven surfaces (e.g., cracks, gaps, potholes)
• slippery surfaces (e.g., wet floors, tile flooring)
• missing or loose handrails on stairs
• debris on walking paths (e.g., boxes in aisles)
• inadequate lighting.

An occupier may be held liable for slips, trips and falls if he/she/it fails to provide a reasonable standard of care in keeping the premises free from hazards. In cases where there is more than one occupier – such as a landlord and a tenant or in the case of shared spaces – it is possible for liability to be shared. Who is held liable depends on the circumstances of the loss. The following are some of the criteria used to determine whether or not the appropriate standard of care was applied:

• Whether the danger was foreseeable.
• Whether the occupier’s conduct was in accordance with acceptable standards of practice.
• Whether there was an adequate system of inspection (considering the risks involved) in place and carried out.
• Whether the danger was allowed to exist for an unreasonable amount of time.
• The ease with which the danger could have been prevented.

I would highly recommend that you check out some web pages to help with your project:
Occupiers Liability Act [RSBC 1996] Chapter 337
Products Liability Act
Doing Business in Canada (Product Liability)
Family Compensation Act [RSBC 1996] Chapter 126
Medical Malpractice Canada
Lawyers BC Medical Malpractice
John McKiggan Medical Malpractice Informed Consent (minors)