Human Rights Law
Submitted by Section Co-Chair, Catherine Sullivan
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 3
April 17, 2014
Guest Speakers: Bernd Walter, Chair, and Katherine Hardie, Legal Counsel, BC Human Rights Tribunal
Meeting Title/Topic: BC Human Rights Tribunal 2013 Annual Report Discussion, Observations, Developments, Trends, and 2014
Synopsis: Chair Walter reviewed information from the Tribunal's 2012/2013 Annual Report and Tribunal initiatives. Ms. Hardie presented statistical information concerning complaints, practice and procedure, and case law updates. Attendees received a comprehensive update on the Tribunal's annual case load and profile, current Tribunal procedure and practice information, an overview of current and emerging human rights issues, and a summary of important cases decided over the past year.
May 1, 2014
Guest Speakers: Dr. Ray Barker, Dr. Elisabeth Zoffman, and Dr. Gurdeep Parhar
Meeting Title/Topic: DSM-5 – Understanding it and its Impact on the Workplace
Synopsis: The guest speakers discussed significant changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) and the implications for workplace disability and accommodation issues.
June 17, 2014
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Section Election of Executive Officers for 2014/2015
Synopsis: Section Executive Officers were elected at the June 17, 2014 meeting for the 2014/2015 Section. Topics for upcoming sessions were identified and a planning discussion took place for the first subsection meeting.
Comments and Observations of the Co-Chair
Over the course of the 2013/2014 year, the CBABC Human Rights Law Section has hosted three Section meetings with a number of guest speakers who addressed a range of topics, including substantive and practical human rights considerations.
Human Rights Section members have benefitted from the presentations by experienced counsel and an annual update provided by the Chair of the BC Human Rights Tribunal.