Newsletter of the Canadian Bar Association (B .C. Branch) August 1995
·Law Courts Education Society gets international award
Vol. 7 • No.4
Sisiutl: The Sca les of justice (show n ri ght) is th e logo for th e First N ations Journeys of Ju sti ce curri culum , which won the Law Courts Education Society of B.C. its second intern ational awa rd in two years. Created by Gordon H ill , Kwakweke' wakw, he found it a fitting symbol for th e co nce pt of justice and inco rporated the sca les of ju stice into his design. Th e Sisiut.f is a mytholog ica l figure of great power - a twohea ded sea serpent that was sai d to guard the entrances to th e homes of supern atural be ings. Its body is cove red in sca les for its protection, just as justi ce is meant to serve and protect society.
INSIDE President's Message· ... 2 Section Talk .......... ..... 3 Registry Q&A .... ......... 6 PracticeTalk .. ... ...... .... 9 Legislative Update .... 11
he Law Courts Education Society of British Columbia has won the 1995 Justice Achievement Award from the National Association for Court Management (NACM), the world's largest organization of court management professionals. It is the Society's second such award in two years from NACM. Mr. Justice Wallace Oppal, president of the Society, and vice-president Jo-ann Archibald accepted the award at NACM's annual conference in Chicago July 13. The Law Courts Education Sociewas chosen for the award for its First ty Nations Journeys of Justice curriculum because "the program was developed with the participation of different firstna tions,local school systems and community organizations, which shows a responsible grass roots approach insuring a greater degree of success." The program consists of a high-quality court education curriculum model for First Nations and non-First Nations elementary school students. It uses the oral tradition of storytelling to stimulate children to explore concepts of justice found intra-
Th e man in th e ce ntre on the Great W all of China is B.C. Branch President Eric Ri ce, Q.C. But who is th e m an he's wa lking w ith - the one in th e d ark shirt, hands clasped beh ind hi s back? Cou ld it be a form er U.S. Secretary of Defence? Find out in Th e Side Streets of China (page 2)
ditional First Nations stories, teaching how the court system works in B.C. "The Justice Achievement Awards committee applauds the First Nations Journeys of Justice for this truly creative and original approach to building bridges of understanding between nations," NACM said in announcing the award. The Justice Achievement Award was established in 1988 to publicly recognize courts and related organizations around the world for exemplary projects and outstanding accomplishments which enhance the administration of justice. The Maryland Supreme Court was a co-winner of this year's award. Past recipients include New York City Criminal Court, Los Angeles Municipal Court, and the Law Courts Education Society of B.C. (in 1993) for its Justice Settlement Services Project. NACM, with more than 2,000 members from the U.S., Canada, Australia and other countries, works to develop and improve leadership in the judicial system.