Welcome to the B.C. Civil Liberties Association web site

The BCCLA provides assistance to anyone making a complaint against the police. We guide complainants through the complaint process by providing information about complaint procedures, reviewing and commenting on draft letters of complaint and in some cases, attending interviews by police investigators.

The BCCLA will make police complaints in our own name to promote police accountability in particular cases. For example, the BCCLA was a complainant in 1997 at the public hearing into the conduct of the RCMP during the APEC summit in Vancouver. More recently, we have been making complaints whenver a civilian dies while in the custody of, or being pursued by, the RCMP.

The BCCLA advocates for the reform of the police complaint system for both the RCMP and municipal police forces in B.C. The Association is recognized for its expertise and experience in this area. For example, we have made major submissions to the Oppal Inquiry (1994) and the Wood Review (2007) which have recommended changes to the B.C. Police Act's police complaint provisions.

The BCCLA will go to court to promote the principle of police accountability. For example, the BCCLA has sought a judicial review of the decision of the Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP for permitting the RCMP to terminate our complaint into the death of Ian Bush in 2005 without an investigation.NE

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 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

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 Calls for Rules to Prevent RCMP Influence
in Elections
The BCCLA 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

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 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

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, 2007

BCCLA Calls for BC Provincial Police Force
David Brown, the author of the federal task force report on overhauling the RCMP, has recommended fundamental cultural, structural and governance changes of the force, including removing the federal government from direct employer status.
December 14, 2007

BCCLA and Pivot Slam Railroaded Decision to Publicly Fund Private Security
The BCCLA, Pivot Legal Society and the West End Residents Association are decrying a last minute process manoeuvre to railroad through a proposal to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of public funds to support an expansion of private security for businesses.
December 14, 2007

BCCLA Alleges RCMP of Misrepresentation After Death of
Robert Dziekanski
The BCCLA today filed a formal complaint against the RCMP for misrepresenting the facts of Robert Dziekanski's death and unreasonably seizing and actively suppressing a video recording of the incident.
Complaint
News Release
November 13, 2007

BCCLA Calls For Moratorium on Tasers
The BCCLA is calling on the Solicitor General of British Columbia to issue a moratorium on the use of the Taser gun in British Columbia until such time as uniform standards for training, use and accountability are enshrined and enforced in law, and research confirms that the staggering accidental death rate associated with Tasers can be significantly reduced.
November 1, 2007

When Police Kill Civilians: It's Time We Got Straight Answers
Murray Mollard, Special to the Vancouver Sun. On Oct. 14, Robert Dziekanski died at Vancouver International Airport after the RCMP used their Taser guns to subdue him. His flight from Poland had arrived late, and, speaking no English and having no money, Dziekanski became extremely agitated and was destroying furniture. A tragic, isolated incident? Far from it...
October 30, 2007

BCCLA Initiates RCMP Complaint in Dziekanski Death
Letter to Paul Kennedy, Chair Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
October 24, 2007

Death-in-Custody Public Forum –
Current Experience, Future Reform
Excerpts from a Speech by Linda Bush
October 17, 2007

RCMP Complaint - Ian Bush
BCCLA to proceed with judicial review in Ian Bush death complaint against the RCMP after victory in federal court.
September 14, 2007

BCCLA Launches Four Complaints in Police Related Civilian Deaths
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is lodging new complaints in the case of four men who died in August in British Columbia while in police custody or while being pursued by police. These men include Paul Boyd (Vancouver Police Department), Steve Qualtier (RCMP – Penticton), Christopher Tom (RCMP – Tofino) and an unidentified man (RCMP – Fort St. John).
September 12, 2007

Surveillance Database By-Law Struck Down
New Westminster by-law requires pawn shops to pass customer information to police.
BCCLA's legal argument
Read the court's decision
Read summary
July 31, 2007

Income Trust Complaint
The BCCLA launches Federal Court action against Paul Kennedy, Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints (CPC) to ensure timely and effective civilian oversight of the RCMP.
News Release
Notice of Application
July 17, 2007

Death in Custody
Timely, independent, civilian led investigations required whenever an individual dies while in the custody of or being pursued by the RCMP.
May 25 , 2007

New Security Services Act
Designed to regulate the private security industry—fails to protect the public interest.
April 12, 2007

Police Misconduct
BCCLA and Pivot Legal Society call for civilian investigation.
February 7, 2007