December 2025 Newsletter: News from the BCLI!
December 18, 2025
BY British Columbia Law Institute
British Columbia Law Institute is pleased to release two new publications.
Questions and Answers About Pension Division on the Breakdown of a Relationship in British Columbia 5th Edition
British Columbia Law Institute is pleased to release Questions and Answers about Pension Division on the Breakdown of a Relationship in British Columbia, a trusted guide for navigating the complexities of pension regulation and family law in British Columbia for over 30 years. Serving both professionals and the public, it offers clear, detailed answers to technical questions about pension division.
This online resource has been refreshed to reflect recent legal developments, including the May 2023 passage of Bill 17, which amended Part 6 of the Family Law Act (and implemented recommendations from BCLI’s 2021 Report on Pension Division: A Review of Part 6 of the Family Law Act). Pension division does not arise in all family law matters, but it is an important issue for many people going through separations in BC. The Q&A helps create consistency in how these divisions are administered and includes several updates where further clarification or guidance was needed. It was also reviewed by a group of peer experts working in the pension field.
Click here to view the online resource
The Law at Home: A Primer on Homeownership Tenures in British Columbia
BCLI has released a new primer on homeownership tenures in BC. Understanding how housing works under the law is essential for anyone making decisions related to housing, whether as a tenant, landlord, homeowner, real estate professional, or policymaker. Our new primer provides a clear snapshot of British Columbia’s housing law landscape, explaining the legal frameworks for different forms of long-term housing tenure.
The primer explores key legal concepts, outlines a range of homeownership models, and highlights how each is shaped by distinct rights, obligations, and protections. It is intended as a starting point for learning, discussion, and deeper engagement with the legal pathways that support secure and durable housing in BC.
A Weighty Source: UNDRIP as International Law
This blog explores BC’s highest court’s clarification that the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) should be treated as a “weighty source” when interpreting Canadian law.
Share your thoughts by December 31, 2025.
BCLI’s Rationalizing Non-Statutory Liability of Directors and Officers consultation paper looks at when directors and officers should (and shouldn’t) be personally liable. The law can be unclear, which sometimes leads to directors, officers, and not-for-profits being sued unnecessarily—even when the company is the main party at fault.
Your feedback can help shape clearer guidance for courts, protect individuals from unfair personal exposure, and support the evolution of the common law.
Find the Consultation Paper here.
Second Annual Mathew Good Memorial Prize
With the support of Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia (CBABC), we are pleased to announce the second annual BCLI Mathew Good Memorial Prize essay contest. The annual contest awards a prize of $1,000 to an outstanding essay written by a British Columbia law school student. The contest is sponsored by the Law Foundation of British Columbia.
Submissions are open through April 2026. The winning essay will receive a $1,000 prize, generously sponsored by the Law Foundation of British Columbia.
See more information about the contest here.
Don’t try to make your will by e-mail
This blog explains while WESA permits electronic wills, you still can’t make a valid will by email or text because all the usual witnessing and signing requirements still apply.
BC Supreme Court finds preserving rule of law “paramount” in Walbran Valley injunction ruling
This blog summarizes a recent BC Supreme Court decision granting an interim injunction to stop a protest blockade that was preventing Tsawak-Qin Forestry from accessing its logging sites.
