Media Releases

The Law Foundation of British Columbia, Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) and People’s Law School are pleased to announce Dial-A-Law is now available through the People’s Law School. In 1983, CBABC identified a need for public access to legal information on a variety of law topics. With funding from the Law Foundation of British Columbia, CBABC initiated Dial-A-Law, featuring over 125 scripts of legal information written and edited by volunteer lawyers in British Columbia.

“We are pleased to welcome the report’s recommendations for meaningful change to legal aid in British Columbia,” said CBABC President Margaret A. Mereigh. “Recommendation 1 endorses the Canadian Bar Association’s proposal for national benchmarks, set in 2016, for integrated public legal assistance services that are sustainably funded, evidence-based and people-centred.”

“We are disappointed that today’s budget announcement, Making Life Better, overlooks additional funding for legal aid,” said Margaret A. Mereigh, CBABC President. “There are real families all over the province desperate for this public service, but they don’t have access due to lack of government investment."

​The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) celebrates an exceptional lawyer with bestowment of the 2018 Georges A. Goyer, QC Memorial Award for Distinguished Service on Terence E. La Liberté, QC.

The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) announces the release of Taking Action on Reconciliation – a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) Calls to Action. The legal profession is called to focus on new approaches to the relationship between Canada’s legal system and Indigenous peoples. CBABC’s planned actions focus on justice issues within provincial jurisdiction.

The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) today released An Agenda for Justice – Platform Updates 2018. This document, an update to An Agenda for Justice 2017, acknowledges increased government investment in key areas and details several issues still needing support.

Margaret is senior appellate Crown Counsel with the BC Prosecution Service and prosecutes criminal appeals in the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Highlights of her 27 year career as Crown Counsel, include working as trial counsel in R. v. Gladue (a just approach to sentencing aboriginal offenders) and the Air India trial (a prosecution of an act of aviation terrorism).

The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) acclaimed three exceptional legal professionals on Saturday, June 23 at its annual branch awards luncheon in Richmond, BC.

CBABC Branch President Bill Veenstra calls on Attorney General David Eby and Premier John Horgan to withdraw provisions in proposed new legislation introduced yesterday that restrict the rights of citizens to receive full and fair compensation and create new exclusive resolution processes for disputes outside of the Courts.

The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) invites all British Columbians to Law Week activities around the province including free public law classes, courthouse tours, mock trials and free legal advice from volunteer lawyers.