Supreme Court of Canada considers the significance of biological ties of parenthood in assessing the best interests of the child

In a decision released late last week, the Supreme Court of Canada commented on the diminishing significance of biological ties of parenthood in determining who a child’s guardian should be. B.J.T. v J.D., 2022 SCC 24, was a case with “a long, complicated history,” which the court summed up in its overview of the proceedings: This appeal concerns a custody dispute over a child who was apprehended at the age of four by the Director Read more…

Meet CCEL Research Assistant Ellen Spannagel

My name is Ellen Spannagel, and I’m currently in my final year as a Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctor candidate at McGill University’s Faculty of Law. I am passionate about work that creatively addresses social inequities and am thrilled to be joining the Canadian Center for Elder Law (CCEL) team as a research student. The CCEL has rich experience in public education and law reform with regards to the rights of aging communities. Read more…

Parentage committee continues discussion of multiparent provisions for children conceived by sexual intercourse

BCLI’s Parentage Law Reform Project Committee held two meetings in May, focusing on continued discussion of whether multiparent configurations should be extended to conception by sexual intercourse. Discussion of this broad issue began in March 2022, and continued at the April 2022 meeting. Setting a number of permissible parents The focus of discussion at the first meeting in May was around whether a cap should be placed on the number of possible parents for such Read more…

A Closer Look at the Study Paper on Public Hearings: Cons of Public Hearings 

This post is part of a series highlighting BCLI’s Study Paper on Public Hearings: An Examination of Public Participation in the Adoption of Local Bylaws on Land Use and Planning. For other posts in the series click here. Arguments against public hearings: The current law fails to enhance democratic decision-making  Critics of the current law often argue that it gives a greater say to a relatively small class of people, who often may not have Read more…