Happy Holidays from Pihl Law Corporation!
From all of us at Pihl Law, have a safe and joyful holiday season!
Bree Hankins – Shareholder!
Pihl Law Corp. is thrilled to announce Bree Hankins’ promotion to Shareholder in our firm! Her wealth of knowledge and passion for what she does is evident in all her endeavours, and we are proud to have those attributes (and her many other skills!) on our team.
Protecting Against Tenant Created Builder’s Liens
Kelowna’s reputation as a hot bed of entrepreneurialism is well earned and as a result, many people invest either in commercial real estate or in rental residential units. An owner of land, however, faces risk when their tenant engages in work within the premises. If a contractor or sub-contractor goes unpaid, they may lien the…
Welcome Michael Sinclair
We are proud to welcome Michael Sinclair to the Pihl Law team! Michael was previously a partner in a Kelowna law firm. He has also practiced in Vancouver and Alberta. Michael is a qualified family law and civil mediator with extensive experience in all areas of family law, and estate litigation. Contact Michael if you…
Welcome Brad Savoury
We are delighted that Brad Savoury has joined the Pihl Law team! Brad is originally from Newfoundland, where he practiced in St John’s, and Gander, NL, before relocating to Alberta where he worked as in-house counsel for the City of Edmonton. Now practicing in Kelowna, his 11 years of experience in various jurisdictions and areas…
COVID-19 Changing Courts
Covid-19 has affected everyone around the globe in many ways since its arrival. As a result of technology, some business have been fortunate enough to find ways for employees to work remotely from their homes, while others have not been able to transition as easily or have chosen not to adapt to a new reality. …
Impact of COVID-19 on Construction Projects?
In light of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on all industries throughout the world, this article will discuss how a force majeure clause could impact a construction project. Although outside of the standard form construction contracts (i.e. CCDC contracts) each contract will likely have its own specific language relating to force majeure events.…
Proposed Simplification of the Builders Lien Act
The current version of the Builders Lien Act, SBC 1997, ch. 45 (the “Act”) is legislation put into place by the Province to provide security and certainty for parties engaged in the construction of improvements. Unfortunately, the Act contains a number of provisions that make it difficult to understand and in some cases difficult to…
Welcome Remy Ventura
We are delighted that Remy Ventura has joined the Pihl Law team. Remy has recently relocated to Kelowna from the Maritimes where she completed her Juris Doctor at the University of New Brunswick. Remy is looking forward to building a litigation practice with our firm. Contact Remy if you are looking for a friendly, intelligent, hardworking professional to provide…
Limitations on the use of Progressive Release and Statutory Declarations
Section 7 of the Builders Lien Act allows for what is commonly known as the progressive release of the holdback funds during the course of a project. These provisions of the Act are commonly used on larger projects to allow subcontractors to receive the holdback funds in relation to their specific work by requesting the…