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]
Case summary The case is about when and how the governing bodies of healthcare professions can act to protect the public in response to a complaint of sexual misconduct. The College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia received a complaint from a woman alleging that, during a massage therapy session, her massage therapist masturbated twice … Read more College of Massage Therapists of BC v Scott [2015]
VANCOUVER – Today, West Coast LEAF released its seventh annual report card on women’s rights in BC. While the situation for women in BC has seen minor improvements this year, unfortunately for many women, BC continues to fail to deliver on its responsibilities. In particular, BC has not taken action to address the ongoing violence against … Read more RELEASE: Report card finds that BC fails to make the grade in women’s equality
West Coast LEAF is proud to be a legal education partner and contributor to From the Ground Up, a youth anti-violence workshop guide by Girls Action Foundation. This educational resource is designed to spark discussions about how to respond to violence and to inform young women’s about their rights and about the services and resources available to them. The activities … Read more From the Ground Up: A Workshop Guide by Girls Action Foundation
Case summary This case concerns the BC government’s approval of a proposed faculty of law at Trinity Western University (TWU), an evangelical Christian post-secondary institution in Langley. TWU requires all of its students and staff to sign a Community Covenant that includes a promise not to engage in “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a … Read more Trinity Western University and Volkenant v Law Society of BC [2015]
