2019

British Columbia’s legal aid lawyers are getting a raise, as the provincial government reached a new deal with the Association of Legal Aid Lawyers and the Legal Services Society.

The B.C. government has announced an agreement to increase legal aid tariff rates and to have more conversations about changes to eligibility and coverage, a deal which the association representing legal aid lawyers in the province is calling unprecedented in Canada.

The new president of the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch (CBABC) says there is a crisis in the provincial legal aid system that is seeing too many people miss out on the proper supports they need.

Over 50 justice sector organizations in B.C. have pledged to work toward improving access to justice in the civil justice and family law field, and the group spearheading the move says the plan is not about prescribing solutions but ensuring collaboration among different players in the system.

The government of British Columbia has announced a public inquiry into money laundering in the province, but legal observers are raising concerns about some of the recommendations made in a recent report aimed at stemming the flow of dirty money in the province.

Interview with CBABC Past President, Bill Veenstra, QC

An organization representing legal aid lawyers in British Columbia has overwhelmingly voted to withdraw their services to protest what they characterize as serious underfunding and strain on the system.

A review of the B.C. legal aid system says change is needed in order to reverse years of underfunding and make it more effective, but an organization representing legal aid lawyers in the province is saying it does not go far enough because of a lack of focus on financial concerns and is threatening to withdraw its services unless action is taken to put more money into the system.

The B.C. government should radically change the way it delivers legal aid by opening community clinics staffed by lawyers and advocates to serve the needy, says a new review that lawyers immediately discounted.

“[The plan to fund the clinics] sounds really positive and ambitious, but I’m not sure with $2 million being put to that what it can deliver,” Ms. Mereigh said. “I’m not sure this is speaking to the change we want to see in terms of where people need legal advocates.”