What do you do if you find yourself in need of legal help in Canada, but are unable to afford legal services? This may apply to criminal charges, but also to housing issues, employment law, disability issues, and other civil issues. Although we like to think that we’ll never encounter any legal issues, it can happen to any of us. The Canadian government wants to help ensure that all Canadians have access to legal representation, regardless of

Fourteen “indie” music acts, ranging from Japanese acid punk to thrash metal, have been selected to receive government grants in a bid to find a new wave of artists who can follow Mumford & Sons’ path to international success.

Metronomy, the acclaimed electro-indie group and Band of Skulls are among the artists hand-picked by Lord Livingston, Trade Minister, to receive grants of up to £50,000, awarded to “support UK music exports” and help artists break into overseas markets.

What does microfinance lending have to do with the small entrepreneur, the independent contractor, or self-employed? It turns out, plenty.

Have you ever heard of microfinance? You might have, especially insofar as the developing world goes. Traditionally, microfinance has occurred in third-world countries where, say, a farmer gets a $100 loan to buy some cows so as to become self- sufficient. That’s microfinance.

How do you help make a healthy community even healthier?

Recent research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation suggests that sometimes our zip code can have a bigger impact on our health than our genetic code.

In other words, much of what influences our health happens outside the doctor’s office, in our communities. Community factors, such as safety, access to healthy foods and recreational spaces, and the support of families and social networks, undeniably contribute to our health. Where we are born and raised, plus where we live and work, matter to our health. Yet too many kids are growing up in communities that put barriers to good health in front of them.

Every public school student should have an equal opportunity to learn as much as he or she is willing and able to. Unfortunately, not all schools offer the same level of potential learning experience. This can be due to a number of factors. There may be poor curriculum, lack of teacher support, a shortage of learning materials, difficult home circumstances among some students, or other issues that may lead to subpar outcomes. Government grant funding has been allocated to help improve some of these circumstances,

$9 million in federal grants will soon be going toward Michigan advanced vehicle technology projects. The federal government is giving grant money to eight Michigan projects focused on developing advanced vehicle technologies, with a particular focus on better fuel efficiency, the office of U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D – Mich.) announced Wednesday.

FIRST-home buyers are rushing to beat changes in subsidies aimed at encouraging them into the market. Real estate agents, mortgage brokers and conveyancers are seeing increased interest since the State Government announced it would dump the $7000 first-home buyer government grant for established homes.

For many of us, our smartphones and tablets are enjoyable diversions and even an integral part of our work and leisure lives. But they’re even more than that to some persons with disabilities. They’ve helped take the place of other forms of assistive technology. In case you’re not familiar with assistive technology, it consists of devices

Do you have a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for your child? Remember the age 15 deadline if you have not yet opened an RESP for your child. If your child was born in 1999, this is the year to open an RESP and deposit $2,000 before Dec. 31. You will be rewarded with a $500 matching federal government grant for 2014.

For a newly opened RESP with a 15-year-old beneficiary, you must deposit at least $2,000 in 2014 to qualify for grants in 2015 and 2016. By making optimum catch-up RESP deposits of $5,000 in each of the following two years, you can earn up to $2,000 of federal grants.

If you do nothing in 2014, then in 2015, when your child turns 16, you’d be too late for a government grant for a first-time RESP deposit.

Special Olympics BC – Ridge Meadows athletes will benefit from a $21,000 community gaming grant, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows MLA Doug Bing announced Wednesday.

SOBC Ridge Meadows is a non-profit sport organization providing individuals living with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to enhance their lives and celebrate personal achievement through positive sport experiences.