Submitted by Section Co-Chair, Preston Parsons
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 6
October 23, 2014
Guest Speakers: Barbara Findlay, Q.C.
Meeting Title/Topic: TWU Explained - An Update on the Status of TWU's proposed Law School
Synopsis: Barbara met with attendees to discuss the status of the TWU proceedings at home in BC and in the other provinces. A discussion was held about how to support the efforts in BC and out of province, and how best to organize LGBTQ lawyers and allies to have them engaged in the issue.
October 29, 2014
Guest Speaker: Danny Ramadan, Syrian journalist and refugee; LGBT activist, Ron Rosell, Sponsor of Danny Ramadan and his partner and Craig Costantino, Immigration, Refugee & Citizenship Lawyer at Elgin, Canon & Associates
Meeting Title/Topic: Go West: LGBTQ Migration to Canada
Synopsis: This meeting shed light in a very personal way on a recent refugee from Syria, his sponsor, and the hoops and hurdles that refugees must get through in order to come to Canada. Incredibly informative and extremely touching, the difficult circumstances of those who wait in danger while hoping to realize their dream and the safety of coming to Canada, were laid bare. Craig Costantino shed light on the more recent changes to the Federal immigration process.
December 18, 2015
Guest Speakers: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Holiday Social
Synopsis: SOGIC members and allies gathered to mingle amidst the holiday spirit.
April 8, 2015
Guest Speakers: Irene Pietrow, Pietrow Law Group, Matt Ostrow, MacLean Family Law and Agnes Huang, Agnes Huang Law
Meeting Title/Topic: U-Haul 101: BC's new Family Law Act - What you need to know before you shack up
Synopsis: BC's new Family Law Act went under the microscope with commentary from Irene Pietrow, well-known family law lawyer in the Lower Mainland. Irene discussed the difficulties family law counsel face with the new Act and how advising clients with much certainty has become much more difficult. In an interesting role-play scenario, Matt pretended to be a client meeting with Irene for advice. This simulated interaction (with occasional input from attendees) was a fantastic format that worked to really hook attendees into the conversation and look at real family law issues such as co-habitation, division of assets, and pre-marital agreements in a way that was more interactive and informative than a typical lecture style meeting.
July 16, 2015
Guest Speakers: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Annual General Meeting & Social
Synopsis: SOGIC's Annual AGM was held at Score on Davie with a recap of the year's activities and a look forward to our final event of the 2014/2015 year: the Vancouver Pride Parade.
August 2, 2015
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Vancouver Pride Parade: Lawyers with Pride float
Synopsis: CBA SOGIC's 4th annual entry into the Vancouver Pride Parade.
Reports and/or Resolutions Prepared by the Section
SOGIC BC was involved in providing input to various groups with respect to the TWU litigation, as well as prepared a letter which was sent by President Shorten to Minister Virk regarding the revocation of his consent to TWU's proposed law school in light of the LSBC denial to accredit the school.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
SOGIC BC has made it through 6 years and has continued to grow and strengthen. The addition of the BC Advantage program assisted SOGIC in doubling its CBA membership list, a fantastic outcome that we hope continues to build.
SOGIC BC's largest challenge as an executive has been to attract the support, participation and assistance of more senior members of the bar. The executive has largely been comprised of junior calls who were able to do an excellent job of putting together PD sessions and social events, but often lacked the skills, training and experience to handle media questions or be involved in more advocacy and resolutions. Of course, the amount of time and energy the executive was forced to pour into TWU related matters over the past 2.5 years also diverted significant resources away from more diverse advocacy efforts.
Heading into the 2015/2016 Section Year, the group is looking strong and solid. With a diverse executive comprised of new, continuing, and re-joining past executive members, the team is well poised to take on not only PD and social events, but a stronger advocacy presence in multiple areas, including supporting legislative efforts currently before the BC Legislature. SOGIC BC is positioned to become a leading voice for LGBTQ lawyers and allies on important issues in BC, and a strong force for equality within the profession.