September 8, 2022

September 2022 Newsletter: Join our Team!

The BCLI is Hiring a Staff Lawyer Are you passionate about addressing fundamental legal and systemic issues? Would you like to promote the development of better laws for all peoples in BC and better futures for Canada’s aging population? The BCLI is looking for a staff lawyer to join our Read more…

August 18, 2022

Parentage committee starts discussion on surrogacy and independent legal advice

This month, the Parentage Law Reform Project Committee focused on two issues: surrogacy and independent legal advice. Should conception by sexual intercourse be permitted for traditional surrogacy? Section 29 of the Family Law Act governs surrogacy. Surrogacy is when a person carries a child for someone else. There are two Read more…

July 29, 2022

Parentage committee finishes discussion of donors and parentage

This month, the Parentage Law Reform Project Committee focused on donors and parentage. The Committee started this topic in the June meeting.  Section 24: Should there be more flexibility around donors and parentage? Section 24 of the Family Law Act states that a donor is not automatically a parent by Read more…

July 25, 2022

Abuse and Neglect in Institutional Settings: Strengthening Infrastructural Criminal Law Reform

Proposed federal legislation is pursuing criminal law reform to address the abuse and neglect of older adults within long-term care.[1]  A recently introduced private bill, Bill C-295, would amend section 215 of the Criminal Code to specifically criminalize owners and managers of long-term care homes who fail to provide the Read more…

June 30, 2022

UK court allows posthumous use of embryo despite lack of written consent

In a recent decision, the family division of the High Court of England and Wales allowed a husband to use an embryo created by in vitro fertilization with his wife for birth by surrogacy, even though the wife (who died after creation of the embryo by IVF) didn’t provide written Read more…