New Resources
JES is working with the Provincial Court of BC to produce a new and improved ProvincialCourt.bc.ca. A new design approach will help the site focus on the primary audiences it serves: the public, the legal profession and the media. The new look will go live early in the new year and, by Spring, ProvincialCourt.bc.ca will have a new judgements database that provides a more powerful ability to search decisions.
JES is also working with the Court of Appeal for BC to develop a new website: CourtofAppealBC.ca. The online self-help guide will provide a broad range of information about BC’s most senior court, with a special focus on resources for self-representing litigants.
While the Court of Appeal is commonly known as the lawyer’s court, last year over 20% of applications were from self-representing litigants. New content, a series of guidebooks and video resources will provide a range of assistance for those seeking legal recourse regarding a disputed Supreme Court decision.
JES has published two new civil Guidebooks on SupremeCourtBC.ca: “Discharge from Bankruptcy” and “Small Claims Court Appeals.”
These practical reference materials have been added to the collection of now 24 Guidebooks for Representing Yourself in Supreme Court Civil Matters.
JES has been hired to produce a new international website for the We Can End All Violence Against Women campaign. The new site will be located at WeCanGlobal.org and it will be the campaign’s first international presence online. It will launch on November 25.
The site will include global content, as well as a number of national micro-sites and a secure section for We Can staff to share private communications and resources. In addition, JES will be creating a global Facebook campaign to support the new website.
Interjurisdictional Support Order Guides
Interjurisdictional Support Orders (ISO) help claimants apply for a family law support order in another province, territory or country (where the other parent has moved) without having to go there. Claimants can also apply to change an existing order.
BC currently has 15 forms that can be used, on topics ranging from child support to evidence of parentage. Each form is accompanied by a FormSupport guide that helps users understand how to complete the forms.
The forms are being updated by the Ministry of Attorney General. In turn, JES is creating new FormSupport guides. In addition, the Society will be creating a form selection function that includes an animated character with guided pathways to help parents select the correct forms. Look for them to be online by January 2012.
Events
JES will be leading two webinars on October 21. The webinars will be one hour in length and will enable social studies teachers throughout the province to access information sessions on two legal teaching resources.
The first webinar will be on our resource Being an Active Citizen, which contains five teaching resources for Social Studies grades 7-11. Law 12, Civics 11, First Nations 12 and Social Justice 12 teachers can also use the lessons for their programs. Each grade features about a series of lessons on the topics: Government, Law and Community Engagement. The goal of the resource is to help develop students as active citizens.
The second webinar will be on The Law Project - an interactive website which allows users to explore issues relating to human rights, social justice and the law. It meets the curriculum content requirements in Social Studies grades 9-11, Civics 11, Law 12, Social Justice 12 and First Nations 12. As students move through the site, they collect images and videos that can be used to make their own movies about their point of view on a variety of topics. There is also a teacher’s centre that includes matches to the learning outcomes, lesson plans, rubrics for assessment and student organizers.
We will be using UStream.tv to broadcast the webinars. October 21 is the province-wide professional development day for teachers - so we hope you can join us. Pre-registration is required to receive some program materials prior to the webinars.
To register send an email to marylou.leung(at)JusticeEducation.ca.
SFU Woodward’s and the We Can End All Violence Against Women BC Campaign present Ghosts of Violence - a ground-breaking multimedia ballet which brings the issue of domestic violence against women into the spotlight. The ballet, conceived and choreographed by the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, is an innovative and inspirational call for awareness, understanding and action.
This original ballet brings to life stories inspired by women who have died at the hands of a partner. Through movement, theatre, music and videography, this ballet captures their memory – their struggles, their hopes, their joys and our loss.
Performances will be supplemented by community displays, public dialogues and multi-media installations. For more information on the program and sponsorship opportunities contact admin(at)wecanbc.ca
Dates & Times
December 1-3
All performances at 7:30 pm
Location
Fei & Milton Wong Experimental Theatre (SFU Woodward’s)
Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 W Hasting St, Vancouver, BC)
Tickets
Early bird tickets are available until October 31
General: $35 / Seniors and Students: $21 / Promo Code: WCBC
Call 604.873.3311 or purchase online through www.WeCanBC.ca
JES participated in this year’s very successful “Access Pro Bono Going Public” event. It was held in Victory Square in Vancouver on September 9.
By the end of the day, about 200 Vancouverites received free legal advice from a lawyer. JES, Clicklaw and the Legal Services Society shared a table to provide free legal information. Popular referrals on the day included checklists from the Society’s Legal Help materials, SmallClaimsBC.ca and SupremeCourtBC.ca.
In June, the Society’s Vancouver Law Courts regional office hosted a Law Clerk Appreciation Lunch to acknowledge the support of Law Clerks through the year. The clerks volunteer in a number of roles for the office, including conducting school and community group orientation sessions, facilitating judges’ sessions, and leading mock trials.
Above from left to right: Law Clerk Zara Rahman, The Honourable Madam Justice Risa Levine, Law Clerks Angeline De Vera and Yichuan Wang, Vancouver Law Courts Regional Coordinator Tiffany Lee, Law Clerks Melania Cannon, Emily Lapper, Micah Weintraub, Jennifer Vallance and Peter Millerd, Vancouver Law Courts Regional Coordinator Danielle Horwitz.
Following is an excerpt from a speech given at the lunch by The Honourable Madam Justice Risa Levine, who is a judge for the Court of Appeal and a JES board member.
“You did all of this educational work within your own busy schedules and with a great deal of enthusiasm and skill. The students, teachers and our staff here at the Justice Education Society benefited from your experience and interest…
Thank you for constantly and consistently responding to the litany of requests to help with groups, and for always being so prepared. Your preparation for each of the programs you participated in was unsurpassed.
Your assistance has been greatly appreciated. Through your acts of volunteering, you have demonstrated your interest in, and commitment to, public legal education.”
Resource Updates
JES is completing a significant revision to our popular SmallClaimsBC.ca website. We have expanded the content to provide information and videos that now apply to all British Columbians, rather than those just in the pilot locations of Vancouver and Richmond.
The site will be live in October and will include access to Small Claims Court forms (Filing Assistant and PDF forms), the rules, fees and procedural guides. In addition, the site will provide 8 instructional videos to help self-representing litigants navigate their way through Small Claims Court processes.
Resource of the Month: Getting Legal Help
In March, JES launched a series of online legal help resources along with Access Pro Bono, the Law Society of BC and Salvation Army Pro Bono Program. All of the resources are available in English, Punjabi and Chinese.
Videos
Three videos depict a legal expert answering questions for a group of new immigrants at a workshop. Topics include:
- Getting Legal Help
- Paying for Legal Services
- Preparing to Meet a Lawyer
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Worksheets
Practical tools provide information and typical questions to help British Columbians address their legal issues.
- Meeting with a Lawyer
- Representing Yourself
- Unbundled Legal Services
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Resource Directory
An extensive directory provides information about and links to numerous online, in-person and phone-based resources.
This project was funded by BC’s Ministry of the Attorney General.
CourtsofBC.ca provides educational information and instructional videos about BC’s Provincial Court, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. In the videos Alex, a student interested in learning more about BC’s court system, speaks to three judges about the role and functions of the three courts. In addition to the videos, this resource also features downloadable student handouts and a Teacher’s Guide.
This year, UBC began accepting Law 12 for entry – which means that students can now use it to contribute to their GPA for their admission applications.
According to Peter Katsionis, a Law 12 teacher at Churchill Secondary School, this has increased enrolment in law classes by about 25% across BC. It has also changed the classes’ composition – from students taking the course as an elective to students more focused on achieving higher grades.
With more Law 12 classes across the province, the Society’s regional offices may see an increase in the number of courthouse orientations, mock trials, judges’ sessions, etc. We will provide an update at the end of the school year!
Program Updates
On September 14 and September 22, the Immigrant Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) Consortium used webinars to reach and train over 150 Settlement workers from all over the Lower Mainland. The webinars are a very exciting way to use technology to easily reach people in the comfort of their offices.
Youth Against Violence: Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls is an initiative aimed at engaging with youth across BC on violence prevention in their communities. This is a two-year project, funded by the Status of Women Canada that JES is leading in support of the We Can End All Violence Against Women BC campaign.
Program participants will have opportunities to acquire valuable skills and hands-on experience in leadership, workshop facilitation, and event planning, while learning about an array of issues related to gender equality and violence prevention.
JES is currently recruiting youth and adult mentors from the Interior of BC and Vancouver Island regions specifically, although we also have space for any teachers, students, and anyone working with youth across the province. If you are involved in social justice projects and clubs and are interested in learning more, contact Tamarah.Prevost(at)JusticeEducation.ca.
The Society’s International Programs Summer Newsletter was emailed in August. You can read the newsletter and learn about our work in Central America, Ethiopia, Vietnam here.
The Society is happy to welcome Adriana Haakaus as our new International Program Assistant. Adriana brings with her many years of experience in communication and international work.
Also, JES is sad to announce that September 30 was Sandra Wilking’s last day as the IPC’s project manager. We wish her the best in the future.
Many JES employees now have new phone numbers: Evelyn Neaman (604-331-5428), Anne Catherine Bajard (604-331-5410), Edgar Morales (604-331-5426), Adriana Haakaus (604-331-5411) and Kathryn Rose (604-660-5123).