Spotlight on renovating the public hearing: Should BC legislation be amended to enable other forms of public engagement on local land-use bylaws?

BCLI is running a public consultation (closing date: 15 March 2024) for its Renovate the Public Hearing Project. The consultation is asking for your views on options for reforming public engagement on local-land-use bylaws. For more information about how to participate in the public consultation, please visit the Renovate the Public Hearing Project webpage. This post throws a spotlight on one of the issues discussed in the consultation paper. Brief statement of the issue BC’s Read more…

CCEL Dementia + Decision Making Project

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness month and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law is commemorating the month with the much anticipated release of the Dementia + Decision-Making Project. Building on our previous work, which revealed that there is a need to better engage people living with dementia in decisions relating to their care and well being, the CCEL Dementia + Decision-Making Project seeks to ensure that healthcare decision-making is approached so that the rights of people Read more…

Public-hearings consultation reaches halfway mark

As of today, BCLI is halfway through its public consultation for the Renovate the Public Hearing Project. You have until 15 March 2024 to respond to our issues for reform. This project examines provincial legislation that requires local governments to engage the public on proposed land-use bylaws. In British Columbia, the default form of this engagement is the public hearing, which has recently attracted criticism. The project aims to develop recommendations for a better way Read more…

The Lasting Impact of BCLI’s Guide to Gender Diversity in Legal Writing

When BCLI first created the guide to “Gender Diversity in Legal Writing: Pronouns, Honorifics, and Gender-Inclusive Techniques,” we hoped it would be an important reference for the legal community and beyond. At the time, BCLI saw a gap in resources to support legal writers who were moving to a more inclusive writing style. There were clear directives from the courts and the broader community – we must do better at respecting gender diversity. Yet, there Read more…

Spotlight on renovating the public hearing: When should the public hearing not be held?

BCLI is running a public consultation (closing date: 15 March 2024) for its Renovate the Public Hearing Project. The consultation is asking for your views on options for reforming public engagement on local-land-use bylaws. For more information about how to participate in the public consultation, please visit the Renovate the Public Hearing Project webpage. This post throws a spotlight on one of the issues discussed in the consultation paper. Brief statement of the issue The Read more…