Submissions and Legislative Updates

CBABC has delivered a submission to the Supreme Court of British Columbia requesting a return to virtual Chambers hearings for short matters in civil and family law proceedings with the ability to obtain in-person appearances where circumstances warrant.

On July 18, 2022 the Court of Appeal Act, S.B.C. 2021, c. 6 will be brought into force along with new Court of Appeal Rules. The new rules clarify existing procedures, simplify language and make the appeals process more efficient.

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 provincial government has introduced an Attorney General Bill for amendments to the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act, Notaries Act and Legal Profession Act.

In September, the Court Services Committee of CBABC made a submission to reform court scheduling entitled Modernizing the Supreme Court of British Columbia’s Scheduling System for Civil Matters. The Chief Justice of the BC Supreme Court has considered this submission and provided a letter in response.

Guided by members’ concerns and recommendations, CBABC prepared a written submission to the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Ministry of Attorney General with recommendations to improve efficiency of court scheduling and e-filing.

CBABC was invited to present before the Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services as part of a public consultation by the provincial government for the 2022 budget.

As the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a digital transformation of BC’s court system, access to justice increased, but some people are being left behind. CBABC identifies those people, suggests some considerations to follow, and invites dialogue with the courts, Court Services, Justice Services and the Law Society of BC to ensure no one is left behind.