A new law comes into effect in B.C. today that limits the amount of time people have to file lawsuits.
B.C.'s old laws contained a garden variety of limitations on lawsuits to be filed.
The government says that led to confusion and complex trials.
The new law caps a single filing period at two years for most civil claims, like those for personal injury.
The act also sets up a limit of 15 years for legal claims that may not be discovered right away, such as undetected medical complications.
Lawyer Bill Veenstra is a member of the Canadian Bar Association.
"In the past, people were often, they'd sit back and wait, maybe negotiate a little bit, and then give someone some time. You're going to have to be a lot more careful in doing that."
The B.C. government says the new limitation period matches what's happening in other provinces.