The British Columbia Law Institute (“BCLI”) is BC’s non-profit law reform agency. The Canadian Centre for Elder Law (“CCEL”) is its division focused on aging. We conduct research and develop law reform reports and educational resources.

Robust law reform requires broad consultation with community. The impact of laws and policies will depend on factors such as sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, immigration status, disability, socio-economic status, and Indigenous identity. The CCEL’s Older Women’s Dialogue Project reports illustrate this dynamic, bringing an intersectional lens to elder law and policy analysis.

Two current CCEL projects explore inclusion and discrimination in the exercise of decision-making rights. Inclusive Investing examines barriers people living with dementia or intellectual or developmental disabilities face in making investment decisions. Further education and regulation are needed to resist discriminatory assumptions about capacity and remove barriers to supported decision-making. The study paper and tools will be launched in April.

CCEL is working with people living with different disabilities to identify strategies to support people living with dementia to be meaningfully involved in everyday decision-making. The Engaging People Living with Dementia in Decision-Making Project is led by a Dementia Advisory Council. Watch the CCEL website for how to participate in upcoming consultation.