We work in three major areas: law reform, litigation, and public legal education. Read more about each area.
Below are links to projects that are currently in progress, an inventory of the cases we have worked on, and an archive of past projects.
Current Work
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BC Gender Equality Report Card
What is the BC Gender Equality Report Card? The Gender Equality Report Card assesses BC’s progress in advancing gender Read More
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Single Mothers’ Alliance v BC: Taking the fight for family law legal aid to court
Family justice not family violence In BC, most applications for family law legal aid are denied outright or the Read More
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Child Welfare Advocacy Communities of Practice
About the project Throughout our Shifting the Child Protection System project, West Coast LEAF heard very clearly from parents, community members, Read More
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Re-Envisioning Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI)
Looking back and looking forward For more than 20 years, West Coast LEAF has offered legal education workshops across Read More
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Feminist Economic Framework
In BC, like elsewhere around the world, economic insecurity disproportionately impacts women and those facing interlocking forms of marginalization. Read More
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Responding to COVID-19: Community in Action
During the COVID-19 crisis, our commitment to advocating for gender equity and justice is as strong as ever. The Read More
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Workshops
One of the best ways to protect Charter and human rights is to educate people on how to use Read More
Cases
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HMK v Tsang [2023]
Case summary This case is about how courts approach credibility analysis in sexual assault cases. In this case, the Read More
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Hansman v Neufeld [2022]
Case summary This case is about the proper interpretation and application of BC’s Protection of Public Participation Act (PPPA). Read More
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R. v Ellis [2022]
Case Summary R. v Ellis is about whether a sentencing range of 18-to-36 months of jail is appropriate for Read More
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Single Mothers’ Alliance v BC: Taking the fight for family law legal aid to court
Family justice not family violence In BC, most applications for family law legal aid are denied outright or the Read More
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Barendregt v Grebliunas [2021]
Case summary This case is about when and how an appeal court can consider new information when deciding an Read More
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R. v Kirkpatrick [2021]
Case summary This case is about whether the Criminal Code recognizes that a person can consent to sex on Read More
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T.L. v the Attorney General of BC et al. [2021]
Case summary This case is about the constitutionality of s. 96 of BC’s child welfare legislation, the Child, Family, Read More
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R. v J.J., A.S. v Her Majesty the Queen, et al. [2021]
Case summary R. v J.J. This case is about the constitutionality of certain rules of evidence in criminal sexual Read More
Past Work
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Federal Election 2021
The federal election campaign is underway, and voting will take place on Monday, September 20, 2021. This election is Read More
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Shifting the Child Protection System
Read the report: Pathways in a Forest Released in September 2019, Pathways in a Forest: Indigenous guidance on prevention-based child Read More
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National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls [2018]
Case Summary The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (“the Inquiry”) has had a mandate Read More
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Only Yes Means Yes
Consent talk on campus West Coast LEAF believes that post-secondary campuses can become more supportive places for sexual assault Read More
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Dismantling the Barriers to Reporting Sexual Assault
It’s past time to dismantle the barriers to reporting sexual assault Public concern about the treatment of sexual assault Read More
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Rise Women’s Legal Centre
ABOUT RISE WOMEN’S LEGAL CENTRE Rise Women’s Legal Centre, founded by West Coast LEAF and the Peter A. Allard School Read More
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Establishing a Right to Child Care
A matter of equality Women continue to perform the majority of unpaid caregiving in our society. As they try Read More
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Older Women’s Rights
Older women are vital participants in our communities, yet they face substantial discrimination as a result of their age, Read More
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Legal Aid Advocacy
For many years, West Coast LEAF has been involved in improving access to justice. Since 2002, legal aid in Read More
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Family Law Project
Family law and women’s equality Family law is a gender equality issue. Gender-based violence and income disparities in relationships Read More
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Mothering with Disabilities Project
Overview Women with disabilities face many barriers to their right to equal participation in Canadian society, including to their Read More
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Cyber Misogyny Project
Overview There has been limited public dialogue surrounding the fact that online ‘bullying’ does not operate independently from sexism, Read More
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Legal Aid Budget Submissions
Timeline October 2010 West Coast LEAF made written submissions to the Standing Committee on Finance and Governmental Services as Read More
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Financial Issues in Family Law Workshop
About the Workshop This workshop, builds on the information contained in our booklet Separation Agreements: Your right to fairness. Aimed Read More
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International Submissions
Overview Canada is a signatory to a number of international declarations and conventions that commit our governments to advancing Read More
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Court Watch
Overview This project explored some of the obstacles to women’s access to meaningful justice in the child protection system Read More
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Troubling Assessments
Overview This project aimed to identify issues with the way that s.15 reports are completed and used by courts Read More
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Equality Impact Statements
Overview The Equality Impact Statements analyze provincial legislation using gender as a focal point to compare the intentions of law-makers to Read More
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Mapping the Gap
Overview This project compiled community-based legal information and services for women across BC, seeking to make these services more Read More
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Access to Justice Initiative
Actions In 2010, West Coast LEAF launched a petition on Access to Justice calling for a Reform to Legal Read More
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Submissions on the New Family Law Act
Our role in reforming the family law act In 2007, the Family Law Project undertook public consultations in response Read More
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Conflicts in the Law & Domestic Violence
Overview The purpose of this project was to research the conflicts between the family law, child protection, and criminal Read More
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Single Mothers’ Rights
West Coast LEAF understands that the basic human rights of low income women have been deteriorating in BC – Read More
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Affidavit Campaign
Overview In response to massive legal aid cuts in 2002, West Coast LEAF launched an affidavit campaign where we Read More
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Queer as Family
Overview Queer As Family is a 24-page booklet outlining the rights and responsibilities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Read More
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Rights of Abused Women
About this project In 2003, West Coast LEAF undertook this transformative public legal education project entitled “Civil Legal Rights of Read More
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Equality in Action
Equality in Action: Substantive Equality and Organizational Development Issues for Legal Organizations was a workshop designed for non-profit legal organizations such Read More