Winter 2021 Section Meetings

As we progress into the year, CBABC Sections continue to host a growing number of meetings, holding 66 in November and December 2021 alone! Most sessions are still held virtually, and recordings are largely available.
Here are some highlights of the great work many Sections have been doing.

SPECIAL COMMITTEE INCLUDES CBABC RECOMMENDATIONS IN FINAL PIPA REPORT

The BC Legislative Assembly’s Special Committee to Review the Personal Information Protection Act released their final report, Modernizing British Columbia’s Private Sector Privacy Law, to government on December 6, 2021. This final report included many recommendations made by CBABC in the August 2020 submission to the Special Committee. We thank and congratulate the volunteers from the Freedom of Information & Privacy Law Section for their hard work preparing this submission. Learn more.

FINDING FULFILLMENT IN THE LAW AND YOUR PROFESSION

The Women Lawyers Forum hosted Ellen Gavin, legal recruiter at Impact Recruitment, Sara Forte, founder of Forte Law, and Alice Davidson, Chief Legal Officer at Mogo Inc., who explored topics such as:

• What female lawyers are looking for these days beyond compensation and how they are negotiating in order to get it.
• Unique career trajectories, including founding your own firm and moving in-house; career alternatives for lawyers who want to make a change.
• The role and influence of women lawyers in senior positions.
• Important and useful resources for lawyers looking to make a career transition.

The session was moderated by Bena Stock, former Lawyer, now Counselor and Workplace Wellness Consultant.

BC VACCINE CARD: RIGHTS AND WRONGS 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented limitations on the personal liberties of Canadians, but the impact of those limitations is not evenly felt across the population. The recently introduced BC Vaccine Card promises to protect public health but also raises serious concerns around privacy, state surveillance and the impact of identification requirements on marginalized groups such as transgendered persons and people living without homes. Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties hosted Mark Gervin, Adrienne Smith, and Laura Track as they explored the constitutional and human rights implications of this measure.

VIRTUAL MEDIATION — REFLECTIONS AND MOVING FORWARD

ADR — Vancouver hosted Lisa Hamilton, QC, Hamilton Fabbro Lawyers, Simon Margolis, QC, Cornish Margolis Boyd, and Mark Tweedy, Mark Tweedy Mediation and Arbitration, who discussed the current state of virtual mediation and its future. They covered questions such as: What advantages and disadvantages have you seen to virtual mediation as opposed to in person (both from the perspective of mediator and parties)? What can mediators and parties do to ensure success at a virtual mediation? Have you done any hybrid mediations with some in person and some virtual participants — if so, how has that worked and what benefits/issues have you had with that?

HEALTH LAW AND VACCINES

Health Law hosted Rose Keith, QC, who presented on the emerging issues in health law relating to government issued mandates, including mandatory vaccines requirements for healthcare professionals, vaccine passports, mask requirements,