Civil Liberties Update
Monthly summary of BCCLA activities
BCCLA Opposes New Voter Identification
Requirements in Bill 42
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is condemning the Liberal government’s new provincial voter ID requirements for non-registered voters in Bill 42, the Election Amendment Act, 2008.
May 6, 2008
Ontario Ombudsman and Lead Investigator to Present on Best Practices for Death-in-Custody Investigations at Frank Paul Inquiry The BCCLA has arranged for André Marin and Gareth Jones to present at the Frank Paul Inquiry. Mr. Marin is the current Ombudsman for Ontario, Mr. Jones was a lead investigator for the SIU from 1991 to 1998.
May 6, 2008
BCCLA Heads to Court to Challenge Criminalization of
Safe Injection Facility
The BCCLA will appear as an intervenor at the B.C. Supreme Court in two cases involving a constitutional challenge to federal drug control legislation that could criminalize the operation of the supervised injection facility, Insite, in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
BCCLA Legal Argument >>
April 28, 2008
BCCLA Sues City of Powell River for Free Speech Violation Over Defamation Threat
The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) has filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia against the City of Powell River for violation of the free expression rights of citizens to criticize their government.
Letter to Powell River city council >>
Writ of Summons >>
April 24, 2008
Government Wants Carte Blanche Over Your Personal Health Infomation
Privacy advocates take aim at B.C. Government's E-Health legislation.
April 23, 2008
BCCLA Calls on CanWest to Drop its Legal Action Against Accused Satirists
In an open letter, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is calling on CanWest to drop its lawsuit against Mordecai Briemberg and a local publisher, Horizons Publications over an alleged trademark infringement based on a mock edition of the Vancouver Sun.
News release >>
Letter >>
April 23, 2008
B.C. Civil Liberties Association Elects Robert D. Holmes
as New President
Mr. Holmes, a member of the Law Society of B.C. since 1983, is an experienced litigation lawyer and a principal in the law firm of Holmes & King.
April 22, 2008
BCCLA Heads to B.C. Supreme Court to Challenge
Constitutionality of Provincial "Grow-Op" Legislation
The BCCLA will appear as an intervenor today at the BC Supreme Court in Arkinstall et al v. Surrey et al, a case that involves a challenge to the constitutionality of British Columbia’s Safety Standards Act.
April 21, 2008 BCCLA Files Complaints Over SkyTrain Police Taser Use
Incident reports show officers are using the Taser to gain compliance from nonviolent and nonthreatening individuals.
News release >>
Letter to Dirk Ryneveld, Police Complaint Commissioner >>
Translink use of force policy >>
April 16, 2008
RCMP Complaint System Terribly Broken
BCCLA Demands New Oversight Agency
News release
Submission to Paul Kennedy, Chair, Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
April 16, 2008
B.C. Court of Appeal Agrees with BCCLA
Human Rights Tribunal Should be Allowed to Determine if “Sexual Orientation” Provisions Protect “BDSM”
April 9, 2008
BCCLA Urges Privacy Commissioner, Schools to Protect Students
The BCCLA today filed a complaint with the BC Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis that contends that the 2008 Safe School and Social Responsibility Survey violates the privacy rights of students.
News release >>
Letter to Privacy Commissioner >>
Letter to Superintendents of Schools >>
April 3, 2008
Kennedy's Income Trust Report Fails to Connect the Dots
The BCCLA is disappointed with the report of Paul Kennedy, Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP into the public disclosure of the RCMP’s income trust criminal investigation during the last federal election. The report fails to connect the dots between his findings of fact and his finding of fault.
March 31, 2008
BCCLA Appears at Supreme Court of Canada in Two Groundbreaking Constitutional Rights Cases
Political advertising on public transit and Canada’s complicity in the proceedings of Omar Khadr.
March 25, 2008
BCCLA Condemns Provincial Electoral Boundaries Decision by Provincial Government
The BCCLA is condemning the Liberal Government’s resolution today to adopt provincial electoral boundaries that will undermine constitutional principles of voter parity.
March 13, 2008
BCCLA Urges Mayor to Retract Threat of Suit
The BCCLAA today sent a letter to Mayor of Langford Stewart Young expressing its concern over a public threat to recover policing costs from individuals protesting construction of the Bear Mountain interchange.
Letter to Mayor >>
News release >>
March 12, 2008
BCCLA Calls for Rules to Prevent RCMP Influence in Elections
The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association is urging Paul Kennedy, Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP to recommend to the RCMP and Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day rules to ensure that the RCMP does not inappropriately influence elections.
News Release >>
Letter to Paul Kennedy >>
March 10, 2008
Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) and BCCLA call for improvements to B.C.'s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
PIPA protects the privacy of personal information held by provincially-regulated businesses and non-profit groups. FIPA and BCCLA have called for improvements to the act in order to give individuals better knowledge of what corporations do with their personal information and easier access when they want to see the personal information a corporation has collected about them. This is the first review of the act since it was passed in 2003.
March 11, 2008
BCCLA Legal Argument: Omar Khadr
The question raised by the appeal is what constitutional duties Canada owes Omar Khadr under the Charter in light of flagrantly illegal conduct of the American government.
March 3, 2008
Privately Managed Prisons in Canada
An examination of the administration of prisons by private, for-profit contractors.
February 29, 2008
Robert Latimer Appeal Allowed
"Decision of December 5, 2007 to deny day parole is reversed;
You are to be immediately released on day parole..."
Decision of National Parole Board >>
News release >>
BCCLA president Jason Gratl's submission >>
February 27, 2008
BCCLA Calls For RCMP Participation in Dziekanski Inquiry
The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association is calling for revision of the Terms of Reference for the “study” Commission of Inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski to include participation by the RCMP’s ‘E’ Division and the municipal detachments of the RCMP.
February 19, 2008
BCCLA Calls on Canadian and Afghan Governments to Intervene in Kaambashk Affair
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association wrote today to the Canadian and Afghan governments to express its deep concerns about the case of Mr. Sayed Perwiz Kaambashk, an Afghan citizen recently condemned to death by an Afghan court, according to reliable media reports.
News release >>
Letters >>
February 13, 2008
Federal Court Ruling Powerfully Lays Out Human Rights Failings In Canada’s Afghan Prisoner Policy
Federal Court Justice Anne Mactavish has ruled today that she will not grant a temporary injunction prohibiting Canadian Forces from transferring detainees into Afghan custody.
February 7, 2008
BCCLA Files Police Complaint Against Victoria Police
The BCCLA filed a complaint with the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner today over the treatment of 15-year-old Willow Kinloch by the Victoria Police Department. Ms. Kinloch, now 18, has launched a civil suit against the Victoria police after she was left alone in a small padded cell, hancuffed and with her legs tied up, for over four hours. The incident was captured on video.
News release
Letter to Dirk Ryneveld, Police Complaint Commissioner
January 28, 2008
Afghan Detainee Transfers
Letter revealing end to prisoner transfers.
January 24, 2008
Government Ceases Afghan Detainee Transfers
The Government of Canada has informed the BC Civil Liberties Association and Amnesty International Canada that it has ordered the Canadian Forces to cease all transfers of detainees into Afghan custody due to allegations of torture, effective November 5, 2007.
January 23, 2008
Robert Latimer Files Appeal of Parole Denial
Robert Latimer filed an appeal of the denial of his request for day parole at the Appeal Division of the National Parole Board this Wednesday, January 23, 2008. The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association strongly supports his release into day parole.
News release >>
Letter to National Parole Board >>
January 23, 2008
Torture Documents
Government was aware of torture of Afghan detainees.
News release >>
Torture documents >>
Nicholas Gosselin transcript >>
January 21, 2008
BCCLA & Amnesty v. Chief of Defence
Amnesty International Canada and British Columbia Civil Liberties Association v.
Chief of the Defence Staff for the Canadian Forces, Minister of National Defence and Attorney General of Canada, Court File Number T-324-07.
Privacy Protections
BCCLA and B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) report to parliamentary committee regarding the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
January 18, 2008
Canada Needs an Anti-Torture Act
Tom Sandborn argues for acceptance of anti-torture legislation.
January 15, 2008
BCCLA in Federal Court Over Income Trust Investigation
The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association is in the Federal Court today in Toronto to challenge the decision of Paul Kennedy, Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, to refuse to review the BCCLA’s second complaint into the RCMP’s handling of the Income Trust matter in fall 2005.
January 14, 2008
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