Family Law - Victoria
Submitted by Section Chair, Jennifer Grace Barrett
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 9
October 30, 2013
Guest Speaker: Bea McCutcheon, Cook Roberts LLP
Meeting Title/Topic: Pension Division under the Family Law Act
Synopsis: Discussion of the division of various pensions in light of the provisions for pension division under the Family Law Act.
November 14, 2013
Guest Speakers: The Honourable Associate Chief Judge Brooks and The Honourable Associate Chief Judge Phillips
Meeting Title/Topic: New Provincial Court Scheduling Project
Synopsis: This was a joint Section meeting held with the Criminal Justice - Victoria and Civil Litigation - Vancouver Island Sections. The Honourable Associate Chief Judges explained the New Provincial Court Scheduling Project and how and when it would impact the criminal bar initially, followed by the family bar, in the scheduling and hearing of criminal and family trials in the Victoria courts.
November 27, 2013
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Holiday Celebration and potential meet and greet with the newly elected Victoria County Benchers
January 29, 2014
Guest Speaker: Heather Wellman, Counsel Revenue Taxation Group, Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Justice
Meeting Title/Topic: The Interplay between the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and Family Law Disputes
Synopsis: Ms. Wellman provided an overview of the bankruptcy process and how it impacted family law matters, explaining that sometimes, the interplay between the two Acts, could result in potentially unfair and unintended consequences. Ms. Wellman fielded several questions from those in attendance.
February 20, 2014
Guest Speaker: Doug Runchey, DR Pension Consulting
Meeting Title/Topic: Canadian Pension Plan Credit Splitting
Synopsis: This meeting was a joint Section meeting hosted by all the Family Law Sections. This meeting was offered to the Victoria Family Law Section via webinar at the law offices of Brown, Henderson, Melbye.
March 26, 2014
Guest Speakers: The Honourable Chief Justice C.E. Hinkson, The Honourable Chief Judge Thomas Crabtree, The Honourable Madam Justice Laurie Allen, Lawrence Pinsky, and Robynne Kazina.
Meeting Title/Topic: Dialogue with Manitoba Bar and Bench on the Manitoba Experience (Unified Family Division Court)
Synopsis: This meeting was offered to the Family Law - Victoria Section via webinar held at the Justice Access Centre, Victoria.
May 29, 2014
Guest Speakers: The Honourable Justice J. Keith Bracken, The Honourable Judge L. Jeanne M. Harvey, and The Honourable Master Carolyn P. Bouck
Meeting Title/Topic: Family Law Act - One Year in - A Perspective from the Bench
Synopsis: This dinner meeting was held at the Marriott Hotel in Victoria and offered to remote attendees via webinar. Members of the Bench were asked to provide their perspectives on the Family Law Act given their experiences with the new legislation. The panel members provided feedback on how counsel appearing before them can be of assistance in interpreting the new legislation and applying the new authority provided to the courts in managing family law matters and disputes. The panel members fielded questions from those in attendance as well. The views and perspectives of the members of the various levels of Court were informative and valuable to all those attending.
June 25, 2014
Guest Speakers: Ministry of Justice Representatives
Meeting Title/Topic: Inside the Victoria Justice Access Centre ("JAC")
Synopsis: This was a joint Section Meeting held with the ADR - Victoria Section. An overview of the Justice Access Centre and what the facility offers to users of the justice system involved in family and civil disputes was given. A description of the various agencies involved cooperatively with the JAC, such as the Legal Services Society, Mediate BC, Access Pro Bono, to name a few, were also reviewed. Those in attendance were offered a tour of the actual facility as well as a tour of the adjacent Law Centre.
June 25, 2014
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Annual General Meeting
Synopsis: Annual General Meeting was held and the 2014-2015 Section Executive was elected.
Reports or Resolutions prepared by the Section
The Family Law - Victoria Section is currently working on a Resource Manual to assist the Bench and the public. The manual is intended to provide information on various resources in the community, including contact information and cost of the resource. This manual is in the final stages.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
We have a very active Family Law Section. Our Executive has taken the approach of enabling those interested to sit on the executive of the Section as "members at large" to encourage direct participation in organizing various meetings.
We have held several meetings jointly with other Sections. This helps with attendance and shares the load with planning meetings.
It has been a very positive and enjoyable experience!