Vancouver – Today, the BC Court of Appeal (“BCCA”) rendered judgment in Scott v. College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia. In this case, the complainant alleged that her massage therapist engaged in sexual misconduct. The Court was called upon to determine how governing bodies of healthcare professionals may respond to such allegations in order to protect the … Read more Release: BC Court of Appeal rules in favour of protecting the safety of women
Every year, West Coast LEAF issues our CEDAW Report Card on how BC is measuring up when it comes to international obligations under the UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Learn more about this project or download the 2015 CEDAW Report Card. Publications
As a member of the Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence Against Indigenous Women (LSC), West Coast LEAF is one of 20 signatories to a statement demanding full participation of the provinces and territories in the upcoming National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The LSC calls for federal, provincial, and territorial governments to take all … Read more Statement on Provincial and Territorial Cooperation With the Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
In April 2016 West Coast LEAF wrote a letter calling on the Burnaby Board of Education to establish a Sanctuary Schools policy so that all parents, regardless of immigration status, can feel safe sending their children to school without jeopardizing their lives in Canada. Such a policy would also reduce barriers for undocumented women experiencing abuse because … Read more Letter in Support of Sanctuary Schools Burnaby Proposal
Together with members of the Coalition on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, West Coast LEAF has written Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several key Cabinet Ministers regarding the promised national public inquiry on violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada. In it, we highlight the need for a robust pre-inquiry consultation process … Read more Letter on recommendations to the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
VANCOUVER – Today, West Coast LEAF will be in BC Court of Appeal as an intervenor in College of Massage Therapists of BC v Scott. The case considers when and how the governing bodies of healthcare professions must act to protect the public in response to a complaint of sexual misconduct against a healthcare practitioner. The … Read more Release: BC Court of Appeal to decide how healthcare governing bodies can protect the safety of women
Read our 2015 Annual Report to learn about West Coast LEAF’s work for gender justice in the 2014/2015 fiscal year. Publications
VANCOUVER – Today, in Trinity Western University and Brayden Volkenant v. Law Society of British Columbia, the BC Supreme Court found that the Law Society of BC made procedural errors when it decided to deny the accreditation of a proposed law school at Trinity Western University. The Court set aside the Law Society’s decision finding that … Read more Release: BC Supreme Court sets aside decision to deny accreditation to Trinity Western law school for procedural reasons
Tomorrow we release our 10th annual CEDAW Report Card. A lot has changed in BC since our last election in April 2017. A lot of promises have been made, and a lot of words spoken. This year, we are measuring whether all this talk has trickled down to make a real impact in the lives of women. … Read more Why a Report Card? CEDAW as a Tool for Accountability
Case summary The case challenged the constitutionality of section 5(3)(a)(i)(D) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which created a mandatory minimum jail sentence of one year for drug trafficking in certain situations. In particular, the case looked at the impacts of mandatory one-year jail sentence on a variety of offenders to determine whether the sentence … Read more Lloyd v R. [2015]
