CASE SUMMARY This case is about the proper interpretation and application of BC’s Protection of Public Participation Act (PPPA). The PPPA was enacted to stop corporations and people with power from using the legal system to silence those who Read More
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 drug users who sell small amounts of fentanyl at the street level as a means of ensuring their Read More
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 legal support provided is insufficient to achieve any meaningful resolution of important issues. As a result, many people fleeing family Read More
Barendregt v Grebliunas [2021]
Case summary This case is about when and how an appeal court can consider new information when deciding an appeal of a family law decision. From a bigger picture perspective, it is also about how deferential (respectful) appeal courts Read More
R. v Kirkpatrick [2021]
Case summary This case is about whether the Criminal Code recognizes that a person can consent to sex on the condition that their partner wears a condom. When a person insists on condom use, does their partner commit sexual Read More
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, and Community Service Act. Under s. 96, a director (i.e., a representative of the Minister of Children and Family Development) Read More
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 assault cases. The rules in question—ss. 278.92 to 278.94 of the Criminal Code—limit the ability of an accused person to use Read More
Colucci v Colucci [2020]
Case Summary This family law case is about access to child support. The case clarified the situations in which a court can reduce a payor’s historical child support obligation or child support debt. The parties were married in 1983 Read More