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Our Staff

Aislin Jackson
Policy Staff Counsel
Aislin (she/they) joined the BCCLA as Staff Policy Counsel in July 2023. They were born...

Aislin (she/they) joined the BCCLA as Staff Policy Counsel in July 2023. They were born and raised in Mohkinstsis/Calgary on the Treaty 7 lands that are the traditional territory of the Niitsitapi and Tsuut’ina peoples. She is a settler living on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Aislin attended law school at the University of Toronto, where she was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Indigenous Law Journal and a student caseworker in the family law and residential tenancy departments of the school’s legal clinic. Aislin started their legal career in the Treaty 7 area, representing First Nations in a variety of areas of law, including historical claims and child protection matters. They later practiced family and estates law in the Lower Mainland, serving Legal Aid clients and 2SLGBT+ families.

Outside of law, she has a background in linguistics, Indigenous language documentation/revitalization, and computer science. In their free time, they practice the soft arts: knitting, spinning, weaving, sewing, and quilting

Bríd McKeown
Director of Engagement & Development
Bríd (she/her) is originally from Ireland and has been an uninvited settler on the unceded...

Bríd (she/her) is originally from Ireland and has been an uninvited settler on the unceded and ancestral land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people since January 2021.

Prior to joining BCCLA in January 2023, Bríd worked within the immigration and employment rights sector. Most recently, in organizational development and financial management and previously organising with migrant workers in the agri-food & domestic care sectors, working collectively to platform worker voices in community, policy & governance spaces, and enabling workers to speak out about exploitative conditions and access their rights. She has also worked to challenge conditions in immigration detention and volunteered with befriending services for peopled detained.

Alongside this, Bríd has worked with organizations across the non-profit sector, supporting them to develop the strategic planning, engagement models, and infrastructure needed to grow their fundraising and financial sustainability. She is passionate about funding accountability and transparency, and works to ensure that communities and organizations can access and use funds to have the biggest impact possible.

Brittany Chung
Donor Relations & Development Manager
Brittany (she/her) joined BCCLA in 2023. She was born and raised in Calgary on Treaty...

Brittany (she/her) joined BCCLA in 2023. She was born and raised in Calgary on Treaty 7 territory of the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Tsuut’ina and Stoney-Nakoda.

She pursued and completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Calgary because of her interest in social and structural change. Prior to joining BCCLA, she worked in the philanthropic sector, and held various roles in several non-profit organizations from animal welfare, social services to community engagement. Brittany currently sits on the Association of Fundraising Professional’s (AFP) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Committee and has a strong passion for learning more about IDEA and ways to implement it in all aspects of her personal life and professional career. 

As a strong advocate for the non-profit sector, she found an interest in fundraising. Through fund development Brittany strives to create awareness, speak endlessly on issues and topics she’s passionate for, and encourage others to support the necessary and crucial work done by incredible people and organizations.

Brittany enjoys doing hot yoga and spending an absurd amount of time with her dog, Benny.

Camy Lai
Donations and Operations Coordinator
Camy (she/her) joined the BCCLA as Donations and Operations Coordinator in 2023. She was born,...

Camy (she/her) joined the BCCLA as Donations and Operations Coordinator in 2023. She was born, raised, and is currently living on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.

Prior to joining the team at BCCLA, Camy held various roles across multiple organizations within the non-profit sector. Her experience spans over several fields including research & database design, policy writing, and fundraising. As an advocate for social justice, Camy is committed to utilizing her skills in fund development to ensure individuals and communities feel accepted, supported, and empowered.

Camy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology from Simon Fraser University, with additional Certificates in Social Justice and Legal Studies. From her studies, Camy is continually learning to approach aspects of her personal and professional life through sociological critical lenses.

As a self-proclaimed foodie, Camy spends her free time exploring different restaurants or testing new recipes at home. She can also be found either weightlifting, playing video games, or cuddling her adorable dog, Ayla.

Darcie Dyer
Operations Manager
Darcie (she/they) joined the BCCLA as Operations Manager in 2021. They are an uninvited settler...

Darcie (she/they) joined the BCCLA as Operations Manager in 2021. They are an uninvited settler on the lands of the šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmaɁɬ təməxʷ, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Sel̓íl̓witulh people since 2016, and was born and raised on the territories of the Plains Cree, Cree, and Métis.

Prior to joining the BCCLA team, Darcie worked in the arts and cultural non-profit sector, particularly in museums and galleries. With a diverse skill set in finance, human resources, governance, and change management, Darcie utilizes a social justice lens in all aspects of operations. They are passionate about updating systems, reducing costs, and creating organizational culture.  

Darcie holds a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester; their research explores how working conditions affect staffs’ ability to practice activism. Darcie additionally holds an Honours Post Graduate Diploma in Art History from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Design from the University of Albera.

Ga Grant
Litigation Staff Counsel
Ga (she/her) joined the BCCLA as Staff Litigation Counsel in 2022. Ga brings four years...

Ga (she/her) joined the BCCLA as Staff Litigation Counsel in 2022. Ga brings four years experience in legal practice serving First Nations with a focus on Indigenous rights, litigation, and specific claims. Previously, Ga clerked with the BC Supreme Court, assisted with legal aid work on Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en territories, and summered with government and a boutique litigation firm, among other community justice work. Ga holds her Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria following her Bachelor of Music from the University of Ottawa. 

Ga was called to law to find creative and strategic use of the colonial legal system as a tool for justice, practiced alongside a lens of decolonial engagement. Ga is a settler of immigrant Lebanese and Jewish-American descent. She grew up on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples and for the past decade has lived between the territories of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt), and W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) peoples.

Ga is also a musician and singer-songwriter; she can often be found writing new ditties and hanging out with her cat.

Kathleen Yang
Interim Communications and Outreach Manager
Kathleen (she/her) is a mostly able-bodied, second/third generation settler living on the unceded territories of...

Kathleen (she/her) is a mostly able-bodied, second/third generation settler living on the unceded territories of the Semiahmoo,  kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Kwantlen, sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ (Katzie), and sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ (Tsawwassen) nations.  Her analysis of equity, anti-oppression, and justice is informed by her ancestors, a decade of conscious practice, and an ongoing process of learning and unlearning from those who have been generous enough to share their knowledge and engage in mutual accountability. She has a background in community engagement, digital communications, and has worked with several organizations in community, non-profit, and government over the last eight years. Kathleen’s approach to work is rooted in transformation, decolonization, and resisting perfectionism.

Latoya Farrell
Policy Staff Counsel (Community)
Born in Fort McMurray, Latoya relocated to Edmonton at the age of three. Graduating from...

Born in Fort McMurray, Latoya relocated to Edmonton at the age of three. Graduating from Archbishop MacDonald in 2003, she continued her post-secondary education at Augustana in Camrose, AB. In 2018, Latoya graduated from the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, after studying International Criminal Law at the University of Birmingham in England. Latoya was hired as the articling student at the BCCLA, and subsequently worked as Staff Counsel in the Policy Department. In 2020, she took a three-year Governor in Council appointment with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Latoya is excited to reprise her role as Staff Counsel with the BCCLA. In her spare time, she is an avid artist. She has been featured in several art shows including 5 Artists, 1 Love at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Leila Toledo
Director of Operations and People
Leila (she/her) joined the BCCLA in 2020. She was born and raised in Mexico before...

Leila (she/her) joined the BCCLA in 2020. She was born and raised in Mexico before becoming a settler in unceded Coast Salish territories. Leila has over seven years of experience in the not-for-profit Arts sector. Her background ranges from administrative support for small business to large event and project management. She has worked for the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, and the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, where she served the human resources and financial operations with a lens in accessibility, inclusion, and system development. She is an avid reader of fiction and gender theory and is passionate about her involvement in social change.

Leila holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from the University of British Columbia.

Liza Hughes
Executive Director
Liza (she/they) is a queer white settler of mixed European ancestry. She spent most of...

Liza (she/they) is a queer white settler of mixed European ancestry. She spent most of her life on Treaty 7 territory of the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Tsuut’ina and Stoney-Nakoda in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). Since 2017 Liza has lived between the stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ people and the Kʼómoks First Nation, including the Pentlatch, Eʼiksan and Słułtxʷ tribes.

Liza is a community organizer, artist, lawyer, and educator. Her law practice began at The Law Office of barbara findlay, KC, where she participated in strategic litigation and coalition building with the Gender Free ID Coalition. She developed a niche practice supporting trans kids and working to expand the rights of polyamorous and queer families. Liza spent several years at Grace, Snowdon & Terepocki LLP, working on an array of civil litigation and prison justice issues. She is Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Comox Valley Arts Council. Liza led the launch of the Sexual Harassment Advice, Response and Prevention (SHARP) for Workplaces program at the Ending Violence Association of BC and has worked with Community Legal Assistance Society to design, develop, and deliver numerous public legal education resources and trainings aimed at promoting workplace safety and conducting workplace culture change. She is deeply committed to the protection of civil liberties and the necessary foundation of human rights and dignity for all.

Meera Eragoda
Litigation Coordinator
Meera (they/them) joined the BCCLA as Litigation Coordinator in September 2023. They are a diasporic...

Meera (they/them) joined the BCCLA as Litigation Coordinator in September 2023. They are a diasporic Sri Lankan (Tamil-Sinhalese) immigrant and uninvited settler to Turtle Island. They spent part of their childhood on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. They currently live on stolen xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) lands. They are invested in community as an antidote to colonialism, and come from an eclectic background having worked in journalism, non-profits, arts, and the legal field. In their spare time, they enjoy learning more about the interconnections of solidarity, information accessibility, building up tenant power, going to arts events, and a good croissant. Meera holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and an extended minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies from Simon Fraser University.

Meghan McDermott
Policy Director
Meghan McDermott joined the BCCLA as staff counsel in March of 2017. With a B.A....

Meghan McDermott joined the BCCLA as staff counsel in March of 2017. With a B.A. in philosophy from Concordia University, her compassion and curiosity drove her to study law at the University of Victoria so that she could collaborate with others to pursue law reform in the interest of enhancing social justice. She has an LL.M. from the University of Edinburgh where her studies focused on whether parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have a responsibility to share the benefits of their forestry-related activities with local and Indigenous communities. Prior to joining the BCCLA she worked for many years as an advisor with the government of British Columbia, developing environmental and health policy and legislation. She has also provided legal services for the government of Ontario and interned as a legal analyst with the Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance and Human Rights in South Africa.

When she isn’t working, Meghan can usually be found gardening or exploring the city with her dogs. She loves current affairs, arts and culture and volunteers as an executive with the board of Island Mountain Arts, a unique gallery and school of the arts in the Cariboo.

Owen R Cameron
Interim Communications & Outreach Director
Owen (he/they) is a settler living on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ...

Owen (he/they) is a settler living on the unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.

Owen previously worked in Communications and Public Relations in the arts field before joining the BCCLA in February 2022. Owen was the Communications lead at Spoke PR, Communications Manager for the Powell Street Festival Society, Publicist for the Crazy8s Films Society, and Manager of Publicity and Promotions for Alliance Atlantis, Alliance Films, and Odeon Films. Owen has worked as a publicist at the Toronto and Vancouver International Film Festivals and managed and promoted events, festivals, conferences, and campaigns from Halifax to Victoria. More recently, Owen was a shop steward and worked on campaigns for the BC General Employees’ Union.

In their spare time, Owen may be found wandering the streets on the East Side of so-called Vancouver with their dog “Dougie” from PB & Chi Rescue Society, doing their best not to spill their coffee or drop some fresh-cut flowers that looked nice that day.

Safiyya Ahmad
Articling Student
Safiyya (she/her) joined the BCCLA in October, 2022. Safiyya grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, on...

Safiyya (she/her) joined the BCCLA in October, 2022. Safiyya grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, on Treaty 3 lands, the traditional lands of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississauga Peoples. She attended McMaster University for her B.A.Sc. and M.A. degrees. She then finished her law school education at the University of Ottawa, in spite of miserably cold winters and a global pandemic.

Throughout her education, Safiyya developed a special interest in interdisciplinary studies, criminal and constitutional law, and social justice, which she combined in a thesis project on vigilantism. She interned at the immigration branch of the Community Legal Services of Ottawa, and at the education branch of the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic. She also presented at academic conferences such as PIPR and OLPP. Safiyya is an avid reader, amateur artist, philosophy student, and she is demonstrably not a poet.

Veronica Martisius
Litigation Staff Counsel
Veronica (she/her) joined the BCCLA in 2019. Veronica was born and raised in Brantford, ON....

Veronica (she/her) joined the BCCLA in 2019. Veronica was born and raised in Brantford, ON. She comes from a strong line of Kanyen’keha:ka (Mohawk) women and is a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River. She is also of Lithuania, German, and British ancestry. Prior to becoming a lawyer, she spent almost a decade working on the frontlines as a victims’ rights advocate, court support worker, and courtroom clerk. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors overseeing Brantford’s Food Bank.

Veronica holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria. During law school, she was the co-chair of the Indigenous Law Students Association, completed a co-op term with the Indigenous Law Research Unit, participated in ĆELÁṈENEȽ: A Field Course in the Re-emergence of W̱SÁNEĆ Law, and summered with the Crown Attorney’s Office and Legal Aid Ontario.

Veronica also holds a Master of Arts from the University of Guelph, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wilfrid Laurier University. Building on her BA, Veronica wanted to cultivate a better understanding of what she observed working within Canada’s criminal legal system. She focused her research on over-incarceration of Indigenous peoples, the effect of s. 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code, and the advent of specialized courts, specifically, Gladue and Indigenous courts. Veronica was able to apply this knowledge and her experience as a frontline worker in co-developing curriculum for Laurier’s Gladue Principles Program.

Veronica is passionate about protecting human rights, advancing human responsibility, and approaching her work with a good mind. She is particularly interested in challenging colonial ideology as it pertains to law and justice and to create space for Indigenous ways of knowing and being. In her spare time, Veronica enjoys being in the forest or by water, outlets for creative expression, karaoke, and spending cherished time with her family and friends.

Vibert Jack
Litigation Director
Vibert Jack joined the BCCLA as Litigation Director in 2022. He completed an undergraduate degree...

Vibert Jack joined the BCCLA as Litigation Director in 2022. He completed an undergraduate degree in engineering at the University of British Columbia and following that worked briefly in the mining industry. Vibert decided to change paths in order to find a career that better aligned with his core values. He returned to UBC, this time to study law. Following that, he articled at a boutique criminal and administrative law firm. Vibert then joined Prisoners’ Legal Services, where he worked tirelessly to defend the civil liberties and human rights of incarcerated people, who are among the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in our Country. Vibert is committed to confronting injustice at every opportunity.

Outside of work Vibert enjoys playing soccer, football, and an especially lively game of chess.

Zoe Nygra
Outreach and Communications Coordinator
Zoe (she/they) is a settler raised and currently living on the stolen lands of the...

Zoe (she/they) is a settler raised and currently living on the stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Kwikwetlem, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Zoe works hard to undo many of the colonial understandings she has internalized while living in a colonial state. This drives their desire to understand narrative and its intersections with power and oppression, particularly within the legal field. Zoe appreciates all the support she has received in her community that brought her along in her social understanding. Zoe received their BA from the University of British Columbia in History and Philosophy. In her spare time, Zoe loves to garden and take long walks.