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
At West Coast LEAF, we’re proud to make the news regularly, to share our expertise widely, and ultimately to shift public opinion, laws, and policies. Here’s some of what we’ve been up to in 2025. February
What: Rise Women’s Legal Centre and West Coast LEAF at Supreme Court of Canada to intervene in Ahluwalia v Ahluwalia, a case on family violence. When: February 11-12. Intervenor oral arguments will be heard on February 12. Where: Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.Tune into the hearings via the SSC webcast page. Ottawa, ON (unceded … Read more Media Advisory: Gender justice organizations to challenge harmful myths and stereotypes about family violence at Supreme Court of Canada
December 10, 2024—For Immediate Release What: West Coast LEAF at BC Court of Appeal to intervene in R.R. v Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society. When: Hearing datesare December 11-13, 2024. Where: BC Court of Appeal (Vancouver). See hearing list for courtroom and broadcast link. Vancouver, unceded Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) … Read more Media Advisory: BC Court of Appeal to hear case on human rights oversight over family policing agency
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 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
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
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
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