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Make changes, lawyer tells Stittsville W1 Ottawa lawyer Judy Oyen not only told about recent changes in the law, but also advised Women’s Institute members how they could bring about changes in the law, in an address to members of four branches of the W] in Stittsville a few months ago. Mrs. Oyen, who is a partner in the law firm ofBell, Baker ofOtlawa, ad- vised more than 60 women at the meeting hosted by the Stittsville Women’s Institute that there are many good reports around about possible changes in the law. “But,” she said, “until people pick it up and push for it,” the law is not changed. l t "aw t i She explained that there was a report clone in 1976 about changes of name and children keeping the mother’s maiden name. The report contained various recommendations about how to sort out the growmg confusion about names. But, Mrs. Oyen pointed out, nothing has been done by the provm» cial government on this report. She urged WI members to study the proâ€" posed legislation and to write to the provincial attorney-general, asking for action on this report. Another report that is “languish- ing", Mrs. Oyen said, is one dealing with divorce, which is a federal con» .“ - 1 Ottawa lawyer Judy Oyen, centre, talks with members of the four Women 's In- stitute branches which were represented at the Sttttsvth’e WI meeting last fall. From let to right, the members are, Mrs. June Gibbs, president of the South March WI; Mrs. Harold Munro of the Huntley W], who is president of the Carleton West District WI; Mrs. Oyen; Mrs. Doris Sweetmzm, president of the Stittsvt‘lle W1; aners. Catharine Wytenberg, president of the Richmond WI. Maintaining family documents Paper plays an important part in our lives. It is used to record various events from birth to death, including education, employment, marriage, property owned and bills paid. Unfor» tunately, knowing what to keep and where to keep family documents can be a problem. An estate inventory can ease the search for information in case of emergency. If documents are lost by fire, theft or other means it is easier to replace them if recorded details are available. Ownership of property, cost oftax- able items, a net worth statement, inâ€" vestment records, and insurance policy numbers are some important items to include in an estate inventory. Keep two copies, one in your safety 6 deposit box and one in your current files where it can be updated. Store family records which are difâ€" ficult to replace in a safety deposit box. Such items would be birth, death or marriage certificates, citizenship papers, wills, stocks/bonds, house- hold inventories and real estate papers. It is a good idea to keep a copy of wills and household inventories in your current file so family or friends can locate them quickly in emergen- cies. Also include your safety box location and list of contents. When you complete an estate inventory and careful storage of family documents, you have the satisfaction of comâ€" pleting a necessary but often overlooked task. You and other fami- ly_membe_rs will be better able to cope wtth family or financial matters. cern. She said that there is now a report that is on the justice minister‘s desk recommending the grantint» of divorces after one year of Separattnn‘ not three as present. However, nothing has been c .115 with this report. Mrs. Oyen, a lawyer for 18 ye ‘3 said the initiative for legisla \E changes, such as these two reports seeking, must come from warn 15 groups, since men are not interestt in such topics. However, there have been som- V. cent changes in the law, and l \_ Oyen, daughter of one-time fed t1 MP and cabinet minister Dick 1 t pointed out some of the changes She explained the chief co |. quences of the Family Law Rel- n Act which came into effect in l‘ . One consequence is if a co- 5 separates, each spouse is entitledt n equal share of the family assets. T e assets are the house and cottage, l r contents, plus the family car. Other assets, such as bank acco .3 and shares, are divided accordiit a the manner in which the title is h Another basic premise in the F: Iy Law Reform Act is each spou: *5 now responsible for the suppor >i himself or herself and also of e children. Each spouse is also resp' » ible for the support of the other spt e ifthe other spouse has a need for t h support. There is also a new Power of torney Act which has resulted in a ple oneâ€"page form for making pr A sion for power of attorney. Under the new act, the power or torney can now carry on when the i 7 son becomes senile or incapacita. . Previously, once a person bec. e senile or incapacitated, the powe= ' attorney ceased unless a compiler; I procedure involving doctors undertaken. There is also a new Succession I Reform Act under which a person i I now draft a will entirely in their c handwriting, with no witnesses nev ed. The only essential is that the i must be signed. Mrs. Oyen feels this is bad legis tion, since it leads to a lot of ca where the courts must interpret wli the person meant in a will. This ct lead to costly legal battles. continued to p. ’ ro