Submitted by CBABC Sections
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 4
November 30, 2016
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Social Justice Drinks
Synopsis: Section members were invited to share a drink with your comrades in the good fight at the Shebeen Whisk[e]y House (located behind the Irish Heather) on Wednesday, November 30 starting at 6 pm. Members of the Social Justice Advocacy Network joined the Section in post-work drinks and discussion about all things social justice.
March 28, 2017
Guest Speaker: Bill Veenstra - CBABC Vice-President
Meeting Title/Topic: CBABC Agenda for Justice
Synopsis: Bill Veenstra made a presentation on a series of reforms and recommendations that the CBABC is currently promoting in light of the upcoming election that are aimed at improving access to justice for all British Columbians.
May 4, 2017
Guest Speaker: Jeremy Shragge, Shields Harney
Meeting Title/Topic: Crime Victim Assistance Act: Force for Social Justice?
Synopsis: The compensatory scheme created under the Crime Victim Assistance Act can be a powerful force for social justice. It provides compensation to victims of violent crime who are disproportionately poor and, thus, often uninsured. In Laursen v. Director of Crime Victim Assistance, 2017 BCCA 8, the Director latched on to an arguably discriminatory basis to deny coverage to Mr. Laursen, and persisted with that position straight through to the Court of Appeal. Ultimately, the Court, seeing the manifest unfairness in the Director’s position, reversed and required the Director to revaluate Mr. Laursen’s application through a more holistic lens. The Social Justice Section heard directly from legal counsel on the case, Jeremy Shragge, about the proceedings and how it might assist social justice practitioners by providing a strong authority that decisions made under CVAA and statutes like it must, to the greatest extent possible, give effect to the remedial nature of the statutory scheme.
June 22, 2017
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: End of Term Patio Mixer with the Social Justice Advocacy Network
Synopsis: The Social Justice Section held their annual end-of-term mixer, which included our new Section Executive for the upcoming term, our Section Members, as well as members of the Social Justice Advocacy Network (notified via the Vancouver Community Social Justice listserv).
Comments and Observations of the Chair
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