A piece of feminist history: Celebrating 35 years of West Coast LEAF
This month, West Coast LEAF officially turns 35 years old…
Updates & Press
21 Days of Paid Sick Leave: A Feminist Issue
As Canada and the world adapts to a “new normal,” we’re grappling with the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened economic precarity…
Addressing the Child Support Crisis in Canada
In 2018, in anticipation of amendments to the federal Divorce Act, Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, brought public attention to the vast scope of unpaid child support in Canada. “There are billions of dollars in unpaid child support payments in Canada and we need to do something about it – parents have to meet their obligations – and … Read more Addressing the Child Support Crisis in Canada
Six Things to Know about The DTES Ethical Research Manifesto
Back in February 2020, which now seems like a lifetime ago, West Coast LEAF signed on as an organizational endorser of Research 101: A Manifesto for Ethical Research in the Downtown Eastside. The Manifesto was developed by peer workers in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) through a six-part workshop series, in collaboration with SFU researchers. It “provide[s] guidelines … Read more Six Things to Know about The DTES Ethical Research Manifesto
Release: BC Gender Equality Report Card reveals areas of progress and areas of serious concern
VANCOUVER, UNCEDED COAST SALISH HOMELANDS – Today, West Coast LEAF released a report card assessing the BC government’s recent progress on gender equality and human rights. While recognizing that BC has taken some steps in the right direction between December 2018 and early April 2020, the BC Gender Equality Report Card also finds that many of these … Read more Release: BC Gender Equality Report Card reveals areas of progress and areas of serious concern
Meet the Report Card Partners
On May 27, we will launch our Gender Equality Report Card. We are excited to share this report assessing what the BC government has done—or failed to do—to advance gender justice and human rights between December 2018 and early April 2020. This year’s report builds on the work we have been doing over the last … Read more Meet the Report Card Partners
Mind the Pay Gap: How Legislation Could Help End Pay Discrimination in BC
We, Anastasia, Ashley, Megan and Zev, are graduate students at the School of Public Policy at SFU. We are taking over this week’s FThis! Blog to speak about our partnership with West Coast LEAF on the BC Priorities Project, to analyze a pressing and long-standing societal problem: the gender pay gap. Below, we share our work … Read more Mind the Pay Gap: How Legislation Could Help End Pay Discrimination in BC
Release: Survivors of sexual assault will be supported by a new legal toolkit to protect against invasive disclosure of private records and sexual history
VANCOUVER – Today, West Coast LEAF launched a toolkit for navigating the admissibility of evidence of a survivor’s sexual activity and the production of third-party records in criminal proceedings. Designed for lawyers representing survivors, the toolkit addresses section 276 and 278 Criminal Code matters. It provides an overview of the evolution of this area of law, practical advice for advancing … Read more Release: Survivors of sexual assault will be supported by a new legal toolkit to protect against invasive disclosure of private records and sexual history
Community in action: Ways you can support our most marginalized communities during Covid-19
In these times of uncertainty where events are rapidly unfolding, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed and daunted by the challenges we must confront. Like many of you, West Coast LEAF’s staff team is in our fifth week of working remotely and maintaining social and physical distance to quell the spread of COVID-19. We … Read more Community in action: Ways you can support our most marginalized communities during Covid-19
Refugee Rights are Human Rights: The United States is no safe country for refugee survivors of gender-based violence
While settling into work-and-do-everything-else-from-home mode, I’m thinking about those who must leave their homes and brave uncertain and potentially hostile terrain to secure safety and freedom from violence. Refugees are among those hardest hit by global crises – COVID-19 is no exception. At the time I write this, the border between Canada and the United States … Read more Refugee Rights are Human Rights: The United States is no safe country for refugee survivors of gender-based violence