BarTalk | March 1989

Page 1

NEWSLETTER OF THE CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION, B.C. BRANCH

MARCH, 1989 VOLUME1 NUMBER2

President's report

Jim Vilvang

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER CONVENTION SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENT'S REPORT

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL

COURT SERVICES SURVEY SE~.

IONTALK

The Branch Executive and all members who attended the meetings in Victoria owe special thanks to Winter Convention Chairman, Barry Browning, and all members of his committee for their efforts in organizing our very successful Convention held in Victoria on February 10-12. As would be expected, the major item on the agenda for the Provincial Council meeting held in Victoria on February lOth was the Branch response to the Justice Reform Committee Report. Prior to the debate at the Council meeting, submissions had been received from the Public Legal Education and Information Committee of the Branch, the Vancouver Criminal Justice Section, the Family Law Sections in Vancouver and Okanagan and from the Vancouver Civil Litigation Section. Understandably, there was not sufficient time to thoroughly debate every recommendation in the report, but Council did pass resolutions endorsing a vast

majority of the recommendations. All Criminal Justice recommendations were endorsed, but there was opposition to a number of recommendations in the area of Civil and Family Litigation. Council did unanimously pass a resolution recommending the immediate merger of the Supreme and County Courts. As noted elsewhere in BarTalk, nominations will be called shortly for the election of members to the National and Provincial Council of the CBA. In my letter to the membership, I urged people to consider making the commitment and to run for election to Council. At the Council meeting in Victoria, Executive Committee Member Wendy Baker reported that over 2,700 members are enrolled in one or more of the 40 Provincial Sections of the Branch. Section activity is extremely popular as is evidenced by the high level of activity. However, Baker also advised Council that some sections are not fulfilling their expectations as set out in the guidelines established by Council. Sections that fail to perform will have their future reassessed by the Executive. I ask any member to write to me if they have a complaint or suggestion regarding a section or section program as a whole. We want to ensure that our members are receiving benefit from section membership.

Executive Director's view

Robert Smethurst We have heard a lot lately about Access to Justice, the title of the recent Hughes' Justice Reform Committee Report. It has also been the focus of much section and committee activity this past year and it is the theme of this year's Law Day celebrations throughout Canada. The release of the Court Services Committee report on the results of their survey of court facilities throughout the province, therefore, could not be more timely. Although some of the results may be fairly obvious to those using the courts the survey provides us, <iDd more importantly, the provinCial government, with an overview of the situation on a province-wjde basis. The survey reveals, for example, a shocking lack of female barristers facilities, witness facilities and visitor barrister facilities in almost all but the newly constructed courthouses. Waiting room facilities are also seriously lacking in many of our courthouses.


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