VANCOUVER, UNCEDED COAST SALISH HOMELANDS – A two-day hearing that has significant implications for how courts handle sexual assault cases commences today at the Supreme Court of Canada. West Coast LEAF and Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre (formerly WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre) (“the Coalition”) are intervening together in two appeals being heard at the same … Read more Release: Supreme Court set to review protections for sexual assault survivors in criminal trials
West Coast LEAF and Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre, formerly WAVAW, have been granted leave to jointly intervene in two appeals before the Supreme Court of Canada that address the constitutionality of new protections for complainants in sexual assault trials. The cases, R. v J.J. (an appeal and cross-appeal arising out of BC), and A.S. v Her Majesty the Queen (an … Read more Defending the privacy and equality rights of sexual assault survivors
Case summary This case is about whether the Criminal Code recognizes that a person can consent to sex on the condition that their partner wears a condom. When a person insists on condom use, does their partner commit sexual assault if they sabotage their condom, remove their condom during sex without their partner’s knowledge (a practice often … Read more R. v Kirkpatrick [2021]
The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in Colucci v Colucci today, setting out much-needed clarifications in child support law that will make it easier for single mothers to receive the child support that they are owed. The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) and West Coast LEAF are thrilled that the Court adopted many of the arguments that they set … Read more Release: Supreme Court of Canada improves child support law, addressing economic insecurity of single mothers and their children
In May 2021, West Coast LEAF wrote to the BC government to call for action to ensure that kinship caregivers have fair and equal access to the BC Recovery Benefit, which is designed to support families during the pandemic. Kinship families are made up of grandparents, aunts, cousins, older siblings, and other relatives who are … Read more Letter on the denial of the BC Recovery Benefit to kinship caregivers
This case is about the constitutionality of s. 96 of BC’s child welfare legislation, the Child, Family, and Community Service Act. Under s. 96…
On April 30, 2021 West Coast LEAF made a written submission to the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act…
VANCOUVER, UNCEDED COAST SALISH HOMELANDS – With BC Budget 2021 released yesterday, the province has missed an historic opportunity to leverage the federal commitments to gender equity and rebuild crumbling provincial systems that have been gutted or allowed to languish over many decades. “Today’s budget announcement is disappointing. We were hoping to see the provincial … Read more Release: BC Budget 2021: A missed opportunity to foster gender-based equity, leverage federal budget commitments
In March 2021, the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity and West Coast LEAF made a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, urging against more punitive restrictions of online sex work and pornography, and calling for policy informed by meaningful consultation with sex workers. The harms of … Read more Submissions on the impacts of criminalization and punitive regulation of online sex work
This case is about the constitutionality of certain rules of evidence in criminal sexual assault cases…
