Submitted by Section Chair Drew Mildon
Summary of Activities
Number of Meetings Held: 5
October 28, 2010
Guest Speaker: David Eby, BC Civil Liberties Association
Synopsis: RCMP Accountability in British Columbia: Current Oversight Mechanisms and Proposed Legislative Reforms
November 25, 2010
Guest Speaker: Micha Menczer
Synopsis: New Developments from the First Nations Finance Authority
February 3, 2011
Guest Speaker: Robert Janes, Janes Freedman Kyle
Synopsis: Year in Review
May 31, 2011
Guest Speakers: Jack Woodward and Barbara Yates, Woodward & Company
Synopsis: Ethics and Conflicts in General Practice and Aboriginal Law
June 27, 2011
Guest Speakers: Tim Thielmann and Sean Nixon
Synopsis: Consultation, Species at Risk Act and the West Moberley and Beaver Lake Cree Nation judicial reviews
Comments and Observations of the Chair
The job of Chair was a real pleasure this year with support from our then-secretary (now Co-Chair) Tim Thielmann and our treasurer, Leigh Anne Baker. We has some really great and well-attended Section meetings.
It was particularly helpful to be able to provide the required conflict and ethics 2-hour CLE to our members in a way that dealt with both general practice issues and with aboriginal law specific issues. In addition, we were able to host this as a webinar to sections and lawyers in other provinces.
On top of the CLE's we hosted directly, we were able to provide group attendance at the joint Aboriginal Law-Vancouver and Environmental Law Sections meeting. This brought our total CLE hours up to 8, I believe.
I really enjoyed the opportunity as Chair to bring back to my Section news on some of the happenings at the Provincial Council meetings and at the National Aboriginal Law Section. These were highlights of my tenure, and really brought to the forefront for me the advantages of networking, mentoring and learning opportunities that those events, and the CBA generally, can provide to its members. As a fairly recent call, I know that my time at those meetings with senior counsel have tangibly taught me approaches that improve my practice and ability to serve my clients.
An important take-home from the National Executive meeting for our Section was that not all provinces have British Columbia's stable of experience in aboriginal law. In the future, it will be important for our Section to stay in contact with Section leaders, and non-Section lawyers where they do not have one, and try to provide further shared CLE opportunities.
I was a bit frustrated by the dramatic decrease in our budget. While I understand that greater amounts were available on request, when in the middle of organizing an event, it is a bit of a time-consumer to have to stop and pursue the question with the CBA.
I would like to thank all the members and the staff at the CBABC Sections for making this such a fun and fulfilling year.