Summary of Activities
During 2006-07, the Section continued with its program of meetings to provide information, education and resources to our members, and to encourage non members to join the CBA to benefit from the services offered. Members of the executive were also involved with the National ADR Section and provincial council. The Chair attended monthly teleconference meetings of the national committee and attended the national in-person meeting in Ottawa in January 2007. The Vice Chair continued to take an active role in the provincial and national discussions around faith based ADR but has reported that the national faith-based committee was not as active as in the previous year.
The Section’s meetings that drew the greatest numbers were the ones co-sponsored other Sections, the Mediator Roster Society and the University of Victoria. It is apparent that involving other areas of law and the community is of consider benefit to all communities. Two of the Sections planned meetings – Appreciative Inquiry with Jane Grant (originally planned for February 2007) and Dealing with Clients in Crisis with Richard Rutledge (April 12, 2007) – had to be canceled for reasons outside the Section’s control.
The following is a summary of the meetings, topics and speakers. Following that is a list of the executive for 2005-06.
January 10, 2007: Report of the Civil Justice Reform Working Group, a Joint Meeting of the ADR and Civil Law Sections. The speakers were Chief Justice Brenner and Deputy Attorney General Allan Seckel. The speakers presented the report from the reform group and sought feedback from the CBA members. This was a dinner meeting that was very well attended (approximately 35 participants) and sparked enthusiastic discussion.
March 26, 2007: The Place of ADR on the Civil Justice Reform Agenda. The members of the Mediator Roster Society were invited to attend. Jerry McHale, Assistant Deputy Minister of Justice Services Branch, presented an update on the civil justice reform initiates and led a discussion about the role of ADR in those reform efforts. This was a continuation of the discussion held in January however Mr. McHale was able to provide a broader view and greater detail of experiences in other jurisdictions. The after work meeting was held at a local restaurant; it attracted approximately 27 participants.
May 30, 2007: Michelle LeBaron, Director of the Program on Dispute Resolution and Professor of Law, University of British Columbia. Prof. LeBaron’s noon hour talk was entitled Fire in the Song: Religion, ritual and Reconciliation. The Section cosponsored this public lecture with the MA in Dispute Resolution Program and the Faculty of Human and Social Development, University of Victoria. Prof. LeBaron tackled one of the most pressing issues for dispute resolution internationally and locally. Her approach was poetic and political, calling upon creative use of “music and arts-based rituals for creating understanding and smoothing the edges of hurt and grief.” Annually, this public lecture attracts a broad audience from the legal profession, law students, the university generally and various communities.
June 13, 2007: Review of the Working Group Family Relations Act, a joint meeting with the Victoria ADR and Family Law Sections, held from 4:45 to 6:00 pm. Nancy Cameron, QC, led this discussion reviewing the proposals that have been sparked through the provincial government’s review of the Family Relations Act.
June 28, 2007: Notice to Mediation (Family) Regulations, a joint meeting of the Victoria ADR and Family Law Sections and the Mediator Roster Society. David Merner, Director of the Dispute Resolution Office, and Ron Tucker, council with the DRO and member of the Victoria ADR executive, led a discussion on the proposed Regulations introducing Notice to Mediate in Supreme Court family cases. This lunch hour meeting drew approximately 24 participants who had many questions and recommendations for the speakers.
June 28, 2006: Following the guest presentations, the Section held its annual business meeting. The Chair reported on the work over the past year, the budget, and some proposals for three meetings this coming year. The members elected the incoming executive. The executive will hold a business meeting in September/October to discuss what would be of assistance to the membership, exchange ideas for the coming year, and delegate the planning of some future meetings.
Executive for the Alternate Dispute Resolution-Victoria Section 2006/2007
Chair until October 2007, Gwen Taylor
E: gwentaylor@shaw.ca
T: 250-361-9587
F: 250-383-8350
Chair as of October 2007, Mary Mouat
E: marymouat@quadralegal.com
T: 250-380-1566
Vice Chair, Catherine Morris
E: cmorris@lampion.bc.ca
T: 250-477-0129
Secretary, Mary Clare Legun
E: mclegun@hotmail.com
T: 250-881-0115
Treasurer, Victoria Pitt
E: victoria@salmondashurst.com
T: 250-477-4143
Program Coordinator, Ron Tucker
E: ronald.tucker@gems9.gov.bc.ca
T: 250-387-6888
Legislative Liaison, Jennifer Ang-McCaughey
E: ajmccaughey@shaw.ca
T: 250-881-1891
Members at Large
Michael Lomax
E: mjlomax@mediator.bc.ca
T: 250-385-5523
Kathleen McIsaac
E: kathleenmcisaac@shaw.ca
T: 250-995-1325