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"The Honourable Karen Horsman, a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver, is appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. Justice Horsman replaces Justice M. Saunders (Vancouver), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 1, 2022."

CBABC has made a request to the Deputy Attorney General to amend section 203 of the Family Law Act. The current section creates a higher threshold to meet before the court can order a legal representative for a child who is involved in a family law matter. The proposed amendment would align the BC legislation with other jurisdictions by removing barriers to appointing counsel to assist children with their rights.

The Canadian Bar Association BC Branch is proud to join Access Pro Bono’s Everyone Legal Clinic as a Founding Service Partner, in a move to support alternative paths to traditional articling. In addition to a financial contribution, CBABC will provide free membership to the articling students and CBABC exclusive training content.

John McAlpine, QC, former CBABC Branch President from 1972-1973, passed away Wednesday, March 23 at the age of 91. One of Canada's leading barristers, his career spanned 60 years and was involved in a number of high-profile cases, acting as counsel in major Aboriginal and public interest cases, and also representing high-ranking government officials in inquires. 

The Law Society of BC (LSBC) reviewed a report of their Access to Justice Advisory Committee in the fall of 2021 which looked into ways to improve access to justice in family law disputes. CBABC prepared a written submission with recommendations and further considerations for both LSBC and the BC Government as improvements are made to alleviate challenges for those needing to resolve family law matters.

This Notice replaces the Notice Regarding Modified Court of Appeal Procedures and Access to Court Proceedings during the COVID-19 Pandemic dated February 9, 2022. The information in section 2 is updated to reflect changes to pandemic related measures in courthouses and courtrooms that take effect on April 11, 2022.

This year’s Barry Sullivan Law Cup takes place on May 17 from 4:30-7:00pm. High school students from across the province will come together to compete in this annual speaking competition, in honour of Barry Sullivan.

The Government of British Columbia is appointing two new Supreme Court of B.C. masters to support the judiciary with the resources needed to continue providing access to justice.

The Rules of Contempt are under review by the BC Supreme Court Civil and Family Rules Committee (Rules Committee). The existing rules are outdated and do not reflect the range of options that are used under the court’s inherent jurisdiction when a court order is violated.

The Government has introduced a program that reviews eligible orders and written agreements for child support; this expansion follows a pilot program offered in Kelowna and changes to the Family Law Act have expanded that program. This free service will help BC families identify adjustments needed to child support.