We are writing to you as the new President and Vice President of the BC Civil Liberties Association. We were honoured to accept the Board’s nomination as President (Karen Mirsky) and Vice-President (Vanessa Wolff). We are as passionate about civil … Read More
Features Blog
Injunctions Will Not Solve Homelessness: BCCLA Reacts to Prince George Withdrawing Tent City Appeal
Posted onHousing is a human right, but Prince George has been fighting people experiencing homelessness in court for months. Last week, the city finally withdrew its appeal against unhoused people living in a tent city in Moccasin Flats, near downtown Prince … Read More
BCCLA announces departure of Litigation Director Grace Pastine
Posted onThe BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) announced today that Grace Pastine is stepping down from her position as the litigation director of the BCCLA. Pastine was hired in 2007 as the BCCLA’s first litigation director and engineered a string of … Read More
Human Rights: Change Through Collaboration
Posted onWe have always fought to protect fundamental human rights and freedoms, but we never do this work alone. From coalition work and joint advocacy, to lending our perspectives in challenges against unjust legislation, to amplifying the voices of people across … Read More
Raising the Alarm on State and Corporate Surveillance of Tiny House Warriors
Posted onIn August I travelled to the Tiny House Warriors Village on a fact-finding mission to better understand the escalating intimidation and surveillance at the hands of the state of Canada and the Trans Mountain (TMX) Crown Corporation. The Tiny House … Read More
Enough is Enough: We took the RCMP Commissioner to Court
Posted onOn September 21, 2021, pro bono counsel Paul Champ and I appeared in Federal Court to argue the BCCLA’s case against the RCMP Commissioner. This lawsuit was about the RCMP Commissioner’s extreme delays in responding to public complaints. In February … Read More
Proof Of Vaccination Programs Are Warranted to Protect Public Health and Save Lives Amid a Deadly Pandemic
Posted onProof of Vaccination Programs[1] have become a popular tool for governments across Canada responding to the fourth and current wave of COVID-19 infections. As an organization dedicated to advancing human rights and liberties while focusing on the relationship between people … Read More
Creating change – in the world and the workplace
Posted onOver the past few years, the BC Civil Liberties Association has focused its attention on how we can create a different world and a different workplace than the one so many of us are raised and trained in. We want … Read More
Down the Rabbit Hole of Police Governance: The Saga of BCCLA’s Street Checks Complaint
Posted onThe BCCLA took on the issue of police street checks in 2018. A police street check is a discretionary police practice where police stop a person in public, question them outside the context of an arrest or detention, and often … Read More
Letter from the Board President to the Community
Posted onWords matter. Context matters. The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association supports the cherished right to free expression, and as an organization we want our messages to be clear. A tweet by our executive director on her personal account failed in … Read More