Submitted by Neil Hain
Summary of Activities
Number of Meetings Held: 10
September 20, 2011
Guest Speaker: Gabe Somjen
Reviewing the impact of social media on civil disobedience and the ADR opportunities in dealing with civil and criminal claims arising from same.
October 18, 2011
Guest Speaker: The Honourable Judge Donna Senniw, Provincial Court of British Columbia
Should Judges be Mediating
November 15, 2011
Guest Speaker: Jeff Campbell, Peck and Company
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) and the Criminal Justice System (Trends and Opportunities).
December 13, 2011
Guest Speakers: Peter R. Grant, Peter Grant & Associates
Deanna Sitter, Acting Senior Resolution Manager, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
Brian Thorpe, Former Senior Advisor to the United Church of Canada on Indian Residential School
Reviewing the IRS Process and how/where ADR plays a critical role.
January 17, 2012
Guests Speakers: Dr. Frank Fowlie, Internet Ombudsman, Fellow of the National Centre of Technology and Dispute Resolution
David Bilinsky, Practice Advisor, Law Society of BC
A broad overview of the current ODR models in place worldwide and identification of potential application for BC.
February 21, 2012
Guest Speakers: Neil Hain, Solvit Dispute resolution
Murray Clemens, QC, Nathanson Schachter & Thompson LLP
Anna Lopez, TransLink
A review of Med-Arb in the Workplace and Commercial Contexts. Identification of current trends and opportunities.
March 13, 2012
Guest Speaker: Nicole Garton-Jones, Heritage Law
Elder and Guardianship Mediation. A review of the current state of the law/process and identification of future opportunities.
April 17, 2012
Guest Speaker: John Wade
Mr. Wade considered how we can push the limits of mediation orthodoxy.
May 15, 2012
Guest Speakers: John Berry - President, Baseball BC
Patrick Waslen - Executive Director, Football BC
Jeff Sauve - Chief Executive Officer, BC Rugby Union
ADR processes and opportunities in amateur sports.
June 19, 2012
Elections. Confirmation of Speaker Series Topics for 2012-2013
Comments and Observations of the Chair
Over the past year I was privileged to be part of a dedicated team of executive and Section members committed to advancing their professional development in this area of law. We accomplished this task by learning from each other and calling on other Section members as well as, members of the broader business, academic, government and social communities across the province. Our group considered opportunities for providing dispute resolution services to previously untapped markets, discussed how to improve our delivery of existing services, and sharpened our awareness of the potential practice pitfalls and ethical issues arising from this type of work.
As Chair, I have been given an incredible gift of observing first hand, the collective dedication, intellect and vibrancy of our Section and I truly look forward to another exciting year! Thank you very much for this opportunity.