CBABC In the Media

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.”

The Canadian Bar Association BC branch gave the B.C. government's 2019 budget lukewarm praise as it sets out some goals in providing greater access to justice, but it was cool on providing funding details to ensure it happens.

The B.C. legislature is considering legislation to allow the provincial law society to give more powers to paralegals, but the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch (CBABC) is asking the government to delay the move, saying it requires more study and may have significant consequences on the practice of family law in the province.

The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch encourages the provincial government to assess legal costs the way they would be assessed in any business, including asking: Is ICBC adjudicating claims in a way that leads to higher legal costs?

British Columbia’s decision to classify psychiatric issues and mild concussions as minor under new automobile insurance regulations is being called troubling by members of the B.C. bar, adding that recent changes at the provincially owned insurance provider are reducing individuals’ chances to have their issues properly addressed.

The Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch (CBABC) is asking the B.C. government to increase funding for legal aid and to make changes to the recently transformed auto insurance system in the province as part of a number of recommendations it says will help to serve modern needs and lead to the efficient resolution of legal conflicts in B.C.