Submitted by Rolf Warburton, Chair
Summary of Activities
Number of Meetings Held: 4
November 10, 2011
Guest Speaker: Dr. Keith Archer, Chief Electoral Officer for British Columbia
Dr. Archer provided a description of Elections BC as an instrument of representative democracy (through general elections and bi-elections) and as an instrument of direct democracy (through recall, initiatives and referenda). He explained the role of independent officers of the Legislature and described the core values, principles and mandate of the Elections BC. Dr. Archer also discussed recommendations for legislative change
December 6, 2011
Guest Speakers: Chris Rolfe, Legal Counsel, Resource, Environmental and Land Group, BC Ministry of Attorney General; Colleen Sparks, Director of Carbon Neutral Operations and Climate Outreach, Climate Action Secretariat, BC Ministry of Environment
A Carbon Neutral Public Sector: BC’s Legislative Framework and the Future. Mr. Rolfe spoke about the current legislative framework that has been established in British Columbia regarding carbon neutral government. He spoke about the scope and applicability of the legislative regimes and their requirements. Ms. Sparks spoke about the policy aspects of the legislative framework, including desired outcomes, challenges and the future.
February 10, 2012
Guest Speakers: Nancy Brown, British Columbia Ministry of the Attorney General (spoke in Victoria); Bill Buholzer, Young, Anderson LLP (spoke in Vancouver); John Clark, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (spoke in Vancouver)
The legislative scheme for managing development in riparian areas and the role of local governments, the provincial government and the federal government in that scheme, and the implications and significance of Yanke v. Salmon Arm (City), 2011 BCCA 309.
June 14, 2012
Guest Speakesr: Samiran Lakshman, Crown Counsel Association; Sandra Wilkinson, Legal Services Branch Lawyers Association; Karen Truscott, Association of Justice Counsel
A panel discussion of current employment issues facing public sector lawyers and some of the challenges and opportunities faced by various employee associations.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
It continues to be a pleasure to serve on the executive of this section. Meeting the interests of our very diverse membership continues to be a challenge given the variety of legal practice represented. However, many of our topics interested practitioners despite the subject matter being outside their daily experience. We successfully co-hosted events with other sections, invited other sections to our events and were invited to other sections' meetings. This reflects the overlap in mandates between our section and others and it is a goal of the new, incoming executive to continue to exploit these synergies over the coming year. The Public Sector Lawyers section continues to offer an important nexus for public sector lawyers to communicate and collaborate on both employment and legal issues unique to their practices.