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Effective, Mon, May 16, 2022, in Kamloops a pilot of an informal trial process is being launched for family law trials under the Family Law Act in the Provincial Court.

On April 6 the government introduced Bill 10, the Labour Relations Code Amendment Act, 2022. The proposed amendments to the Labour Relations Code establish a single-step union certification system, enabling workers to join a union when a clear majority of employees indicate they want to.

This Practice Direction describes the procedure for requesting the assignment of a case management judge in a proceeding that is commenced under the Class Proceedings Act. It also sets out the requirements for submission of originating process and other documents to the National Class Action Database.

In 2021, the Government formed a Special Committee to reform the Police Act. A public consultation was conducted and the final report of this Special Committee has now been published, along with recommendations for modernizing the legislation and policies around policing in BC.

The BC government has introduced Bill 24, the Anti-Racism Data Act as a first step to dismantle systemic racism and discrimination faced by Indigenous, Black and people of colour in BC. The new anti-racism legislation builds upon recommendations in the BC Human Rights Commissioner’s report, “The Grandmother Perspective” which were supported by CBABC in its submissions to Government.

The Government has released new directives for civil litigation involving Indigenous Peoples, in alignment with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. These directives will provide legislative tools and policies to support new approaches to disputes while avoiding costly, lengthy and adversarial litigation.

The British Columbia government has hired two experts to investigate and report on how best to prevent cycles of crime involving prolific offenders and those who commit random violent attacks.

The Government has recently introduced legislation to allow amendments to the Mental Health Act. BC’s Mental Health Act allows people with a severe mental-health illness to be admitted and treated at designated mental-health facilities involuntarily for the person’s own protection, or the protection of others. The proposed amendments will ensure that people have access to an independent rights advisor to discuss their rights and options.

The British Columbia Law Institute has released a paper on how public hearings could be changed to improve the consultation process on land use and land planning in BC. This study paper may play a helpful role for groups interested in law reform. CBABC Members are invited to indicate their interest in responding to this study paper and developing CBABC recommendations for reform by contacting the Director of Advocacy at advocacy@cbabc.org, by May 19, 2022.

The BC government has established a working group to review the adult abuse and neglect framework contained within the Adult Guardianship Act. The working group would appreciate the input of CBABC in their review. Some topic areas that have been identified for consideration include the scope and application of the Act, responses by designated agencies, and the adult’s involvement in the process and their rights.