Pipestone Flyer
“Sorry Sir, no cameras, recorders and please put all your loose change, phone and other metal objects in this tray and proceed through the detector.” It wasn’t the Edmonton International Airport proceeding through the security section prior to departing for another adventure of travel. It was clearing security at the Wetaskiwin Court House to attend the first ever Law Day held on Friday, April 19, 2013 from 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
As explained by Helen Lowman, Library Coordinator, Alberta Law Libraries, “This year we are celebrating Law Day in Wetaskiwin Courthouse, 4605-51 Street. This is a free and fun event open to the public and families. Our goal is to promote public awareness of the legal process by this opportunity to learn about legal resources and services that are available in our community and area and to assist in the navigation of legal information and resources. Our audience is everyone who is interested in learning more about legal information, their rights and responsibilities such as students in the social studies class, law students and new Canadians.”
Law Day is a free informative event fostering public understanding of the legal profession and the legal institutions that support the law. Law Day is celebrated through programs and activities across the province in the Courthouses. Three schools, Parkdale, Clear Vista and Centennial, brought more than 100 students to, “access many legal resource booths, witness a mock trial, tour the Alberta Law Library and have members of the Law Society available to answer some of your legal questions.”
Law Day is the largest public legal education event of its kind in the entire country. Law Day started in 1983, when Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau sent a letter to the Canadian Bar Association proclaiming Law Day in April celebrating the proclamation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. April 17 was the date of the Charter's proclamation and Law Day takes place on the Saturday closest to April 17. Law Day is aimed at educating and informing the public about the role and importance of the law. Since many people have a limited knowledge about the law and how the legal system works, Law Day empowers the public at large. It provides an excellent opportunity for the profession to educate the public about the vital role that lawyers and the judiciary serve in guaranteeing an open, independent and unbiased judicial system. http://www.albertadebate.com/competitions/lawday.htm