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
We wrote to the BC Minister of Health to urge the province to immediately eliminate the three-month waiting period for newly arrived migrants to access provincial healthcare coverage. This policy disproportionately affects women, especially those women who require pre-and postnatal care, and contravenes the rights to equality and security of the person guaranteed by the Charter … Read more Letter on eliminating the waiting period for migrant healthcare coverage
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]
West Coast LEAF provided a written submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee to inform the Committee’s preparation of a General Comment on Article 6 (Right to Life) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). We made this submission in order to ensure that the right to life under the ICCPR reflects … Read more Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee on Article 6 (Right to Life)
We wrote to TransLink enquiring about their priority seating policy for transit vehicles. In particular, we urged TransLink to consider ensuring that public transit is accessible to all by creating priority seating designation for pregnant passengers. Read the letter. (PDF, 427 KB) Read TransLink’s response. (PDF, 2 MB) Submissions
We made submissions to the BC’s Ministry of Justice in response to the federal, provincial, and territorial Draft Justice Framework to Address Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Girls. We recommended that the Framework expressly recognize the history of colonization and its impact on Aboriginal people, the extensive research already done resulting in the call for a … Read more Letter on the Justice Framework to Address Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Girls
Cities should be inclusive, welcoming places where people’s basic needs are met. Women who are accessing services to deal with the impacts of violence must not have to choose between their safety and their liberty. West Coast LEAF is calling on the City of Vancouver to become a “sanctuary city” in which everyone can access … Read more Letter on the Sanctuary City Policy