Submitted by Section Co-Chair, Cory Bargen
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 3
November 13, 2012
Guest Speaker: Greg Levine, Lawyer, Author, Integrity Commissioner for Kitchener, Waterloo and West London
Synopsis: Mr. Levine (author of "Ombudsman Legislation in Canada: An Annotation and Appraisal", Carswell, 2012) spoke to the section about the legislative or parliamentary model which has been implemented broadly in Canada. He described the history of this model, the central components of ombudsman legislation, jurisdictional differences, and discussed problems and gaps.
April 11, 2013
Guest Speaker: Richard Rosenthal, Chief Civilian Director, Independent Investigations Office
Synopsis: Mr. Rosenthal gave a presentation on the Independent Investigations Office of BC which was opened in September of 2012. This included describing the creation of the Office, its jurisdiction, and the composition of the Office. The process for investigation of incidents, from notification through reporting to Crown Counsel and the public was explained.
June 26, 2013
Guest Speakers: Steve Fudge, President, BC Crown Counsel Association, Sandra Wilkinson, President, Legal Services Branch Lawyers Association, and Karen Truscott, Governing Council, Vancouver Region, Association of Justice Counsel
Synopsis: The speakers presented a panel discussion on Employment Issues for Public Sector Lawyers. Each speaker discussed the history, role and mandate of his or her organization, current issues facing the membership of his or her organization, and upcoming events and issues.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
In addition to the meetings hosted by the Public Sector Lawyers Section, our members were also invited to attend the following meetings: (1) a November 6, 2012 Municipal Law Section Meeting entitled "A Report from the Minister on Local Government in BC" presented by the Honourable Bill Bennett; (2) a January 14, 2013 Civil-Litigation Vancouver/Health Law Section meeting entitled "Causation: Clements Redux," presented by counsel who argued the case; and, (3) a May 29, 2013 Freedom of Information & Privacy Law Section Meeting entitled "Technology, Enforcement, and Legislative Change: News and Views from the Commissioner," presented by Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.
It is a pleasure to serve on the executive of this Section. Members of our Section are diverse in interests and geographically dispersed. Our frequent use of the CBA's webinar platform as well co-hosting meetings with other Sections appears to make our meetings accessible to our members, keeps meetings topically diverse, and provides networking opportunities. The Public Sector Lawyers Section continues to offer an important nexus for public sector lawyers to communicate and collaborate on both employment and legal issues unique to their practices.