TRANS COMPETENT LAWYERING PROJECT

Students researched and wrote a memo on trans competent lawyering exploring the work that has been done across Canada and in the United States to help members of the bar become trans competent. Topics included: Trans rights jurisprudence in Canada; Trans legal issues beyond Human Rights Law; Methods for building solidarity with trans people; Respectful interactions with trans clients.

SOUTH ASIAN LEGAL CLINIC OF BC - LEGAL EDUCATION WORKSHOP

The PBSC positions at SALCBC provided law students the opportunity to assist with public legal education for low income South Asian people in the Lower Mainland. PBSC volunteer law students created content for public legal education workshops in family and immigration law.

MS SOCIETY - VOLUNTEER LEGAL ADVOCACY PROGAM

Students assisted clients with applications and appeals for Short and Long-Term Disability, Canada Pension Plan – Disability Benefit, Persons with Disabilities Benefits, and the Disability Tax Credit.

LEGAL SERVICES SOCIETY - LIVE HELP​

LiveHelp is an instant messaging service that the LSS has added to their Family Law Website (FLWS) so clients can ask questions and receive legal information online regarding family law issues in general as well as how to access information on the FLWS in particular. Students involved in this project provided remote online support alongside the staff at LiveHelp and subject to the review and approval of the supervising lawyer, provided research support o update, revise and continue to expend the Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ) information database.

KAMLOOPS IMMIGRANT SERVICES - BYLAW PROJECT

Students helped prepare a FAQ brochure with the aim of helping new Canadians understand their rights when interacting with police. Students conducted research and worked with Kamloops Immigrant Services to identify the most common areas of need and clarification, such as: What to do if you are pulled over by police for a traffic related offence? When are police allowed to enter your home? When are police allowed to search you and your belongings? What rights do you have if you are detained by police? How can interactions with police affect your immigration status?

KAMLOOPS IMMIGRANT SERVICES - RIGHTS PROJECT

Students helped prepare a FAQ brochure on civic bylaws. Students conducted research and worked with Kamloops Immigrant Services to identify the most common areas of need and clarification, such as: What is a bylaw? How can a complaint be filed? What are the next steps if a complaint is filed against you? What is the difference between a police officer and a bylaw officer? Can a bylaw infraction effect your immigration status?

NATIONAL SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS - WEST PROJECT

The National Self-Represented Litigants Project opened a western branch at Thompson Rivers University in late 2019. Though the focus of the research was set by the NSRLP, PBSC-TRU student volunteers conducted research and wrote memoranda regarding obstacles facing self-represented litigants in western Canada, including unique challenges faced in Western Canada (not captured by the National Project), and the availability and efficacy of resources available.

NORTH SHORE PRO BONO - DISPUTE RESOLUTION

PBSC student volunteers created plain language legal guides that will be hosted on the North Shore Pro Bono webpage to help their clients, who are largely self-represented, understand the basics of alternative dispute resolution.

FAMILY JUSTICE PATHFINDER PROJECT

Students built on the work of the project last year and further developed a detailed outline of referral resources for family justice projects around Kamloops. In conjunction with the relationships prior students had formed with a number of local service providers, the students designed a referral resource that would be useful for trusted intermediaries around town. The goal being to further connect different groups in the Kamloops community through cross referrals, to ensure clients are referred correctly and are able to efficiently access services.

RIGHTS WATCH MONITORING PROJECT

Students were assigned a particular Canadian jurisdiction to monitor and did so by reviewing significant reports by rights-protecting and other public bodies and some larger municipalities. Students reviewed the report(s) and provide CCLA with a memo summarizing the key civil liberties issues that are raised in the report. The purpose of these memoranda is to allow CCLA to monitor key civil liberties issues in all jurisdictions across the country and consider issues and areas for future advocacy and/or litigation.

A WAY HOME - MEMO PROJECT

A Way Home Kamloops co-founded and co-chairs the B.C. Coalition to End Youth Homelessness. As part of this work, A Way Home provides a monthly report to the Homelessness Action Plan Leads on a challenges, roles or priorities related to different government ministries. The students assisted the coalition in drafting memos related to specific ministries. The focus of the reports was set by the organization. These in-depth reports will aid in discussions with the ministers regarding issues affecting youth homelessness in the BC Interior.

A WAY HOME - POLICY BRIEFS

PBSC student volunteers assisted the coalition in drafting policy briefs related to specific BC ministries. The focus of the reports was set by the organization. These brief memos will aid in discussions with the ministers and help to solidify the coalition’s positions on issues affecting youth homelessness in the BC Interior.

COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIP WITH A2JBC

The student volunteer focused on supporting the Access to JusticeBC (A2JBC) story/narrative strategy. This included assisting with the development of written and video “access to justice” stories for the A2JBC website, doing interviews and videos related to various access to justice events, and supporting a social media campaign.

CFBX PUBLIC LEGAL EDUCATION BROADCASTS

In order to make the most out of radio’s ability to reach a wide audience, Pro Bono Students Canada hosted two (2) radio shows per semester on a specific legal topic for a total of four (4) shows. Each radio show is 30 minutes long. Students chose a research question, area of law, or issue with the supervising lawyer and prepared and recorded a show that explains the current state of the law surrounding that topic. Last year's topics included decriminalization of drugs and the opiod crisis in BC, as well as the Canadian law surrounding search and seizure.

NORTH SHORE PRO BONO - WILLS AND ESTATES

While the North Shore Pro Bono website already houses some valuable information that is free for clients to access, the complex nature of wills and estates require a more robust overview. Students researched statute and case law to create plain language legal guides to help their clients - who are largely self-represented - understand the basics of Wills and Estates Law. This included topics such as the roles and responsibilities of executors, the process of obtaining probate and how to create a will that is legally binding, among other topics assigned by North Shore Pro Bono.