September 2025 Newsletter: News from the BCLI!
September 11, 2025
BY British Columbia Law Institute
Read BCLI’s 2024 Annual Report
We’re pleased to share BCLI’s 2024 Annual Report, showcasing a year of innovative law reform and forward-looking initiatives. Guided by our 2023 strategic plan and its five key pillars, this report highlights our ongoing commitment to collaboration, clarity in the law, just and innovative solutions, and expanding access to justice.
Navigating Shared Waters: A Study Paper on Indigenous-Led Conflict Resolution
In August, BCLI released Navigating Shared Waters: A Study Paper on Indigenous-Led Conflict Resolution. This study paper looks at the important role that Indigenous-led conflict resolution plays within legal orders.
Legal pluralism exists within Canada because there are multiple distinct and co-existing legal systems. This study paper builds on BCLI’s earlier primers on legal pluralism and explores how Indigenous Peoples are using their laws to resolve disputes and the challenges that arise when these systems interact with state laws. It draws on research, legal analysis, and conversations with those involved in developing Indigenous-led conflict resolution processes.
This publication reflects BCLI’s ongoing commitment to transformative law reform that aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
To read the study paper and learn more visit: https://www.bcli.org/project/indigenous-conflict-resolution.
Seeking Law Student for Notetaker in Our Leaseholds Law Reform Project Committee
BCLI seeks a current law student enrolled in a BC law school to support our team to take notes for our project committee. This is a part-time position that requires around 6-10 hours a month of work from October 2025 to June 2026.
Understanding Law Reform Through the Director and Officer Liability Project with John Smith
Read the September issue of The Advocate to learn about BCLI’s Rationalizing Non-Statutory Liability of Directors and Officers Project. Project committee chair John Smith, senior counsel at Lawson Lundell, shares his insights on why reform is needed, how the law reform process works, and the project’s efforts to bring fairness and clarity to individual liability.
Executive Director Karen Campbell and Senior Staff Lawyer Greg Blue, KC, attended the Uniform Law Conference of Canada’s Annual Meeting in Halifax this August. Alongside legal professionals from across the country, they discussed law reform recommendations to modernize and harmonize laws across Canada. In addition to the formal program, attendees connected through friendly softball games between the West team and East team.
Irreparable harm in the spotlight as injunction denied in commercial-lease dispute
This blog post is a summary of a recent case in which a BC court considered the test for granting an injunction and found that an applicant wasn’t entitled to the injunction it sought because it couldn’t demonstrate that it would suffer irreparable harm if the application were denied.
BC ministry declares its policy intentions on parentage
This blog post is a summary of the Ministry of Attorney General for BC’s recent publication of a policy intentions paper, which details its plans for law-reform recommendations made by BCLI and others as part of the ministry’s Family Law Act Modernization Project: Phase Two.
The persistence of the Shimco Lien: Revisiting the dual lien theory in light of Kingdom Langley Project Ltd. Partnership v WQC Mechanical Ltd
This blog post is a summary of a recent BC Court of Appeal decision reaffirming the controversial Shimco lien under the Builders Lien Act. BCLI has highlighted in depth the issues with this dual lien theory in past publications and reports – commentary that remains relevant in light of this recent court ruling.
The rule of law within a legally plural society
This blog post focuses on how a case builds on a developing body of case law in which courts are faced with reconciling the rule of law with the application of Indigenous laws.
BC Court of Appeal declines to allow colour-of-right defence based on Indigenous laws
This blog post is a summary of the recent decision of the BC Court of Appeal, which considered contempt-of-court charges against people who were alleged to have breached an injunction during a protest against a pipeline project.
