Thanks for making our 2017 Equality Breakfast so memorable and successful! Check our our video and photo page for some highlights of the morning.
Celebrate International Women’s Day with West Coast LEAF’s 30th Annual Equality Breakfast
Celebrate as friends, supporters, and allies, and help raise much-needed funds to support West Coast LEAF’s work for women’s equality. We’ll also be commemorating 106 years of International Women’s Day, all in one fantastic morning!
Keynote speaker: Dr. Cindy Blackstock
West Coast LEAF is honoured to have the incomparable change-maker Dr. Cindy Blackstock as this year’s Equality Breakfast keynote speaker.
Cindy is Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and a professor at McGill University’s School of Social Work.
A member of the Gitksan First Nation, Cindy has 25 years of social work experience in child protection and Indigenous children’s rights.
Her promotion of culturally based equity for First Nations children and families and engaging children in reconciliation has been recognized by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, Frontline Defenders, and many others.
An author of over 50 publications and a widely sought after public speaker, Cindy recently completed a Master of Jurisprudence degree and currently serves as a Commissioner for the Pan American Health Organization Commission on Health Equity and Inequity.
Learn more about the amazing Dr. Blackstock, “a relentless moral voice holding government to account,” in our Winter 2016 LEAFlet!
Emcee: Gloria Macarenko
We’re thrilled that long time CBC News host Gloria Macarenko will be the emcee for our 2017 Equality Breakfast!
Macarenko is well-known as the host on B.C. Almanac connecting British Columbians through conversation. She also hosts The Story from Here, a national Radio One show that brings Canadians the most lively and intriguing interviews from across the country. Gloria is also on CBC Television, hosting Our Vancouver, a current affairs television show. Learn more about our fabulous emcee!
What to expect in 2017
Menu: Check our event details page to see our always delicious vegetarian breakfast menu!
Seating: All individual ticket holders are seated on a first-come basis on the morning of the event. Table purchasers are assigned reserved seating. Those who buy their table tickets earliest will be allocated seats closest to the stage.
Tax receipt: Individual ticket purchasers will receive a tax receipt for the eligible portion of ticket(s) if a mailing address is provided. A $40 tax receipt is issued for $90 early-bird tickets before January 31; a $50 tax receipt is issued for $100 regular priced tickets.
Accessibility: For the first time, we are proud to offer live event captioning via Accurate Realtime Inc., generously supported in part by a private donor and CCACaptioning.org. As always, 
we also provide American Sign Language interpretation, and the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is wheelchair-accessible. If you have other accessibility requirements, please contact our office by March 3rd at 604-684-8772. We would like to accommodate your needs.
Silent Auction: Get ready to bid! To give you enough time to scope out your favourite auction items, the doors will open at 6:30 am. If you are a business owner or professional who can offer a great product or service to our guests, we would be delighted to feature you in this year’s silent auction. Contact Sharon Xia at donormgr@westcoastleaf.org to make a donation and support women’s equality.
Interested in sponsoring the 2017 Equality Breakfast? Attended by more than 750 members of the legal, labour, social justice, political, and academic communities and the public each year, our eagerly anticipated signature event celebrates International Women’s Day and West Coast LEAF’s work to advance the full participation of women and girls in social, economic, and political life. Becoming an Equality Breakfast sponsor is an excellent way to demonstrate that you value women in leadership positions, are committed to corporate social responsibility, support access to justice for all, and want to see a more equal BC! To learn about the impact and benefits of sponsorship, contact Basya Laye at 604-684-8772 ext. 114 or development@westcoastleaf.org.
More questions about the Equality Breakfast? Ask us! Call 604-684-8772 or email info@westcoastleaf.org.
The best event this side of noon
I have been attending WC LEAF’s Equality Breakfast for 14 years and I don’t believe I have ever enjoyed the event quite as much as I did this morning. Dr. Nutt was an absolutely brilliant and inspiring speaker. The event as a whole was beautifully executed. –Lindsay Waddell, human rights lawyer
Presenting Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Print Sponsor
Audiovisual Sponsor
Merchandise Sponsor
Accessibility Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
- Borden Ladner Gervais
- Clark Wilson LLP
- Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC
- Health Sciences Association of BC
- Lawson Lundell LLP
- Mandell Pinder LLP
- Moore Edgar Lyster
- Ratcliff & Company LLP
- Stikeman Elliott LLP
- Trial Lawyers Association of BC
- Unifor
- Vancity
- Victory Square Law Office LLP
Bronze Sponsors
- Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP
- Bennett Jones LLP
- Black Gropper Labour & Employment Lawyers
- Canadian Labour Congress
- Continuing Legal Education Society of BC
- Fasken Martineau
- Harper Grey LLP
- McCarthy Tétrault
- Pace Accounting
- Public Service Alliance of Canada – BC Region
- Woodward & Company LLP
- Warnett Hallen LLP