Equal Pay Day is on April 16 in BC. This year, it’s taken racialized women 106 more days of work to earn the same pay as white men in the previous year. This form of inequality is known as the pay gap. The gap widens for workers who are gendered, Indigenous, racialized, disabled, trans, non-binary, … Read more Equal Pay Day 2025
West Coast LEAF stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Huge congratulations are in order for Monique Pongracic-Speier, KC, for receiving the 2024 Harry Rankin, QC Pro Bono Award from the Canadian Bar Association of BC. Monique is a brilliant litigator, a dedicated advocate, and —we’re grateful to say—a long-time friend of and collaborator with West Coast LEAF. We know from working alongside Monique that … Read more Congrats to Monique Pongracic-Speier
Today, we were at BC’s 2024 Budget presentation in Victoria on the unceded Coast Salish homelands of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples to hear whether the government will implement our key recommendations. Lawsuit settlement provides some much-need support, but not enough Last week, we announced a historic win as the government settled our lawsuit brought … Read more Budget 2024: Historic legal aid expansion, but lots left to do
We offer legal education that is based on our feminist and social justice values. In addition to providing information about law…
Over the past few years, we have continued to deepen West Coast LEAF’s work to advance justice and equality for all women and people who experience gender-based discrimination. Our work is rooted in relationship-building and sustained community engagement. In all we do, we center the people most impacted and marginalized by systems of injustice and … Read more Our new visual identity
In a historic move, BC has become the first Canadian province to end immigration detention in its jails!…
Many of you have been following the challenge to the Safe Third Country Act (STCA) and its impact on refugees seeking safety and freedom from persecution in their country of origin. The case has now made it up to Canada’s highest court, and West Coast LEAF will be there to highlight how the STCA endangers refugees, and … Read more Help us ensure safety for women and gender diverse refugees
Today, the Supreme Court of Canada released a decision that improves protections for sexual assault survivors in criminal trials. The decision in R v J.J. and A.S. v Her Majesty the Queen et al. will have a major impact on how courts handle sexual assault cases, and how a survivor’s private records can be used. Learn more about the protections for … Read more More good news from the Supreme Court of Canada!
In an important victory for survivors of family violence, the Supreme Court of Canada released a decision in Barendregt v Grebliunas that will have far-reaching impacts on how the courts identify family violence, protect survivors, and ensure the best interests of children. We’re thrilled that the Court adopted many of our arguments that we set out alongside our friends … Read more Victory for survivors of family violence