Updates & Press

Release: Gender justice groups urge BC government to repeal harmful name change ban

07/11/2024Access to justice, Gender-based violence, Healthcare Press

Vancouver, unceded Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) homelands – Gender justice groups from across the province are calling on the BC Government to repeal Bill 26 the Name Amendment Act (No 2) 2024. The bill changed the Name Act, restricting access to legal name changes for many British Columbians. The new Name Act … Read more Release: Gender justice groups urge BC government to repeal harmful name change ban

West Coast LEAF statement of solidarity with Palestine

20/08/2024Access to justice, Criminalization, Economic security, Family well-being, Gender-based violence, Healthcare Update

West Coast LEAF stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Congrats to Monique Pongracic-Speier

11/07/2024Access to justice Update

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

Supreme Court of Canada affirms the dignity of sexual assault complainants

14/03/2024Gender-based violence Press

Ottawa, unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe territory, March 8, 2024 – Today’s Supreme Court of Canada’s (SCC) decision affirms the importance of protecting survivors’ equality and dignity rights in the trial process, says West Coast LEAF and LEAF. In its decision in R v Kruk and R v Tsang, the Court ruled against recognizing the proposed rule against “ungrounded common-sense assumptions” as grounding an error … Read more Supreme Court of Canada affirms the dignity of sexual assault complainants

Budget 2024: Historic legal aid expansion, but lots left to do

22/02/2024Access to justice, Criminalization, Economic security, Family well-being, Gender-based violence, Healthcare Update

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

Release: $29M legal aid expansion for people experiencing family violence

15/02/2024Access to justice, Family well-being, Gender-based violence Press

VANCOUVER unceded Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) homelands – More people in B.C. will soon have a historic level of access to legal aid services, including legal representation through a new family law clinic model and a significant expansion of legal aid eligibility criteria. The Province, Legal Aid BC (LABC) and the Centre … Read more Release: $29M legal aid expansion for people experiencing family violence

Release: BC Supreme Court confirms Human Rights Tribunal jurisdiction, but sends Indigenous mother back for a rehearing

25/01/2024Access to justice, Family well-being Press

Vancouver, unceded Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) homelands – Earlier this week, the BC Supreme Court (BCSC) released a decision in Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS) v R.R. that impacts how families can hold child welfare agencies accountable for discrimination. In November 2022, the BC Human Rights Tribunal ruled that … Read more Release: BC Supreme Court confirms Human Rights Tribunal jurisdiction, but sends Indigenous mother back for a rehearing

2024 Media coverage

01/01/2024Access to justice, Criminalization, Economic security, Family well-being, Gender-based violence, Healthcare Press

We’re proud to make the news regularly, to share our expertise widely, and ultimately to shift public opinion, laws, and policies…

Release: BC Supreme Court to review Human Rights Tribunal’s decision on discriminatory practice by child welfare agency

30/10/2023Access to justice, Family well-being Press

Vancouver, unceded Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) homelands – Today, West Coast LEAF will be at the BC Supreme Court, intervening in the review of a human rights decision concerning discrimination in the context of the family policing (or child welfare) system. The outcome of this judicial review has the power to impact … Read more Release: BC Supreme Court to review Human Rights Tribunal’s decision on discriminatory practice by child welfare agency

Release: Rights Groups Urge BC Government to End Harmful and Discriminatory Involuntary Drug Testing of Parents

10/07/2023Criminalization, Family well-being Press

July 10, 2023 – For immediate release Vancouver, unceded Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) homelands – West Coast LEAF and Parents Advocating Collectively for Kin (PACK) are calling on the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) to end the harmful and discriminatory practice of involuntary drug testing of parents engaged with the … Read more Release: Rights Groups Urge BC Government to End Harmful and Discriminatory Involuntary Drug Testing of Parents