Newsroom

The BC Government has released the final report from the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering. The Commissioner adopted many CBABC recommendations, including maintaining independent regulation of lawyers and protecting solicitor-client privilege.

The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch honoured several outstanding BC lawyers in 2022, all of whom have contributed to the cause of justice. This year’s deep pool of nominations led to a record number of six award recipients.

In our 2023 Budget Consultations, CBABC appeals to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services to expand the scope of coverage for legal aid, establish a robust data collection and disclosure infrastructure to understand the experience of the users of the court and justice system, and complete the digital transformation of the court system.

The Law Society of British Columbia’s 2022 Annual General Meeting is taking place virtually on Wednesday, June 22.  The AGM will include the election of the Second Vice-President-elect for 2023, appointment of Law Society auditors, and consideration of six member resolutions.

The Land Owner Transparency Registry office has responded to CBABC, providing updates on the Land Owner Transparency Registry filing forms.

The Government has responded to CBABC’s briefing note on section 203 of the Family Law Act, which recommends changes to reduce existing barriers in appointing counsel to assist children.

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.

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.

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.