. 7 ‘ * 1 ce “nt ‘ . , ,
1 : , C ‘
. £ 7

tw . a { . je \

VANCOUVER (CP) +

‘ . years of growing pains, but

~-to- abuse ‘by <cllents who

_ Bottish Columbia’s legal aid
system has survived. 12

. Critics say it still ty subject

sald: many, applicants ean

alford to pay thelr ‘bills.’

Lawyers are required. to
report any ‘susplelous cases

to the society but he ‘said
that poses: problems for’
those who: are largely.

dependent on egal ald for .

income,

“It a lawyer: shakes them -

downi, they (the clienta) just

. 80 to another one - down the . -

street,” Allen said," '

of abuse are deceiving”
For instance, in a family ©

law care, & woman may

have a house- with a mor-
tage, but-no-cash, Ralph:
said society directors’

~ reject applications . from
such people, but concluded’

it would not be fair to force

them (0 refinance their
mortgages, at brevalling -

high rates, in order to pay a a

The Herald, Tuesday, August 31, 1902, Page # \°

SECOND SECTION

On the other side. of ‘the 7
¢oin, both--Cranston and

Allen argue thal there are

many people in the middle _
class’ who have the same’

difficulty In {nding money

because. 7 of: ‘arbitrary
guidelines cannot. obtain
free legal ‘help.

Allen suggests the society’
introduce © ..a'

should ;
graduated rather than an

legal. aid system open: to continued abuse

assistance in ‘which aid is
based on ability to pay.
_ Contributions from legat ald
clieata ‘could: dramatically
- reduce the annual cost and:
. this enable more people to

could pay their own legal” “recently debated whether to legal bill. _ to pay: legal bitls, yet obtain legal sid. _

hg tee

“Ralph sald appearances absolute system™’ of

“Lawyers aay ‘clients can ee
foo) the screening process, . ;
“concealing assets suchas fo - |

| ‘houses, cars and. in- |-
{ vestments, while obtalning
a legal advice paid for by: the.
- publie, : og
. Legal aid was’ “made }  -
available in B.C. as early as
1994-"when local - bar
associations. were” -en-
couraged to set-up: legal —
' services societies to provide
free advice to ‘the. un-
’ derprivileged, 2
In 1970: the. Legal ‘Aid a
Soclety was formed and a ;
schedule of fees was.
_ established for lawyers. in
private practice who agread —
to handle hardship cases. It.
ranges from $35 for a simple
_ Court appearance to $450 for
a half-day in the Supreme
Court of Canada; =
” Last year, Legal Aid paid
out about $6 million to B.C.
lawyers to represent legal
‘aidclients. |. .
. Bryan Ralph, : the
-_society’s executive director,
“ gald in an: interview the’
' number of actual cases of
"abuse is amaljl considering
the 106,000 applications ‘the
society handles every year.
“The majority of clients.
are on social assistance so -
they have already been.
screened ‘by other
. authorities. yO
erate of abuse is leas
than five per cent although
the society is looking at
procedures to lower it, he
_ bald. ae
--The society also employs
a private investigator who
checks suspicious cases grid F
-others at random. . There |
have never ~ been ‘any
prosecutions for fraud, .
although two casees NOW
‘are hefore the: Crown:
Counsel's office for con- .
.. sideration of charges.’
- ~However, several lawyers
_, in Vaneguver who. handle.
- legal aid cases say the rate
* of. abuse actually TUnS as”
. high as 25 per cent, :
Greg Cranston, a “Van-
couver criminal -lawyer,
said he suspects about a
- quarter. af. his legal aid
clients could actually pay.
The abuse often is subtle. .
“They ask on the legal aid__[. .
application form if you own
a car, The client might put
‘Nd’. because the car ac-
tually - is in his wife's
. name. uy
Cranston said he sym:
pathizes with the soclety’s
problem of detecting abuse.
“They just don’t have the | °
Tesources to check these -
~ (abuses) out." 7
Tony Allen, -another
Vancouver criminal lawyer,

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“Baha'i is
optimistic

MONTREAL. (CP) —
Members of the Baha'i faith
are eternal optimists.

- While the world verges on
. ‘Gepression, they speak of a.
new international economic —
‘arder where all (nations '
- “would be subservient to. the
United Nations." — ”
>. And, while nations fight i
- seemingly endless rounds of. 2a
war, the Baha'i work to-| =

“Assorted Flavour - 6

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Package ¢ of 12-50 ml nt PODS. .

‘build a universal: religion ~
ich ‘combines the Beat af
all falths. |
» “Our main. mission is to
create thé-- spiritual. ‘con-
" ditions for the unification of | >:
.mankind” dectares Douglas: “{ :
Martin, leader'of Canada's |“
20 ,000member Baha® i ot
; community. *: ;
Although ihe Baha'i Pe
7 (pronoimeed b-hi) say. they oy de
-. ‘da not proselytize, part of J
' "their strategy for spreading
the. faith is through well-.

See oe
“Pera Pe
page 2

_ Prices Effective Aug.
* 30-Sept. 1/1982 |

» In Felendly
:. Terrace Safeway. Store. |

_- We Reserve the Aight. to Ae
" Limit Sales to Retail’
Quantities. . ;

—F

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