CLE Online

Day 1: Thursday, January 31 (Vancouver), February 7 (Victoria), and February 21 (Kelowna)

Welcome and Introduction

John-Paul E. Boyd — Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Lisa D. Holmes Wyatt — Pushor Mitchell LLP, Kelowna (Vancouver & Kelowna)
Eugene Raponi, QC — Waddell Raponi, Victoria (Victoria)

I. The New Law About the Division of Property and Debt

A. Determining Jurisdiction and Choice of Law, Conceptual Framework

• framework for the division of property under part 5
• jurisdictional competency of domestic courts
• choice of law where jurisdiction is taken
• orders available in respect of foreign property

John-Paul E. Boyd — Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

B. The Fundamentals of Property Division Under the FLA

• the triggering event
• presumptive division of property
• tracing
• presumptive division of debt
• valuation of property and debt
• hypothetical examples of the application of the above provisions of the Family Law Act

Scott L. Booth — Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Briana J. Hardwick — Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP, Kelowna (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

Networking Break

C. Property and Debt

• dividing excluded property
  • definition of excluded property
  • why it is not really excluded
  • when excluded property will be divided
• reapportionment of property and debt
  • factors to be considered
• extraprovincial property and debt
  • when extraprovincial property may be divided
  • alternatives to division of extraprovincial property

Barbara J. Nelson, QC — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Karen F. Nordlinger, QC — Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

D. Marriage and Cohabitation Agreements

• practical drafting tips
  • who should be entering into an agreement and when should they do so?
  • what should you think about that you didn’t think about under the FRA?
  • how much disclosure is enough?
• setting aside agreements
  • the experience from other jurisdictions
  • transition—what statute to apply?

Anna Laing — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver (Vancouver)
Beatrice C. McCutcheon — Cook Roberts LLP, Victoria (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

Networking Lunch and Keynote Speaker: "From Conception to First Steps: Caring For the Family Law Act"

M. Jerry McHale, QC — Lam Chair in Law and Public Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria (Vancouver and Victoria)
Nancy Carter — Executive Director, Civil Policy and Legislation Office, Justice Services Branch, Ministry of Justice, Victoria (Kelowna)

II. Family Violence

• theoretical foundations of family violence and abuse
• family violence in context
• lawyer’s obligations
• screening for family violence
• parenting assessments

The Honourable Donna J. Martinson — Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
The Honourable Judge Paul R. Meyers — Provincial Court of BC, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Darcie Bennett, PhD — Director, Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Margaret Jackson, PhD — Director, the FREDA Centre, Vancouver; Professor Emerita, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Michelle Kinney — Legal Counsel, Civil Policy and Legislation Office, Justice Services Branch, Ministry of Justice, Victoria (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Colin A. Millar — Richards Buell Sutton LLP, Vancouver (Vancouver & Victoria)
Ronald J. Smith, QC — Smith Peacock, Kelowna (Kelowna)
Allan Wade, PhD — Family Therapist, Researcher, Consultant, Centre for Response-Based Practice, Duncan (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

Networking Break

II. Family Violence (cont'd)

Day 2: Friday, February 1 (Vancouver), February 8 (Victoria),
and February 22 (Kelowna)

Opening Remarks

I. The Law About Parenting and the Care of Children

A. Assisted Reproduction and Determining Parentage

• what’s happening with ART (assisted human reproduction)
• how does the FLA deal with issues of parentage for children born by way of ART
• what if there is hybrid genetic or gestational parentage
• specific issues for gay, lesbian, and transgender parents

barbara findlay, QC — The Law Office of barbara findlay, QC, Vancouver (Vancouver & Victoria)
Zara Suleman — North Shore Law LLP, North Vancouver (Kelowna)

B. Parenting Re-designed: Guardianship Under the FLA

• guardianship and parental authority
• appointing and removing guardians
• parenting arrangements and contact

Morag M.J. MacLeod — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
Mary E. Mouat, QC — Lawyer and Mediator, Quadra Legal Centre, Victoria (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

Networking Break

C. Hearing the Voice of the Child in the Family Justice Process

• why we listen to children
• who should listen?
• views of the child report or section 211 report?

Mary Korpach, PhD, RPsych — Surrey (Vancouver & Victoria)

D. Non-Removal Orders, Relocation Orders, and Extraprovincial Orders Under the FLA

• non-removal orders
  • some past cases
  • codification under the FLA
• relocation orders
  • recent case law
  • codification under the FLA
• extraprovincial orders
  • legislative restructuring under the FLA
  • some past cases

William R. Storey — The Kitsilano Family Law Group, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

E. Changes to Changes: Varying Orders, and Setting Aside Agreements on Guardianship, Parenting, and Contact Under the FLA

• current state of varying orders and setting agreements aside under the FRA
• the FLA: changes
• what to expect

Kevin J. Heinrichs — Henderson Heinrichs, Vancouver (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

Networking Lunch and Keynote Speaker: "Property and Parenting Legislation—The Alberta Experience"

Norman W. Picard, QC — Barr Picard, Edmonton (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

II. Other Important Changes to the Law

A. Child and Spousal Support Under the FLA

• calculation of child support paid by stepparents
• status of couples together for less than two years as spouses for the purpose of spousal support
• new test to set aside agreements on spousal support
• ability to make support binding on the estate
• conduct with respect to spousal support

Kay Melbye — Brown Henderson Melbye, Victoria (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)

B. Beyond Contempt: The Court's Expanded Role in Protecting Process and Parties

• powers of the court to make and enforce orders respecting conduct
• enforcement mechanisms

Gordon J. Kopelow — Gordon J. Kopelow Law Corporation, Vancouver (Vancouver)
James A.W. Schuman, QC — Schuman Daltrop Basran & Robin, Vancouver (Victoria & Kelowna)

C. Changes to Supreme Court Family Rules and Provincial Court Family Rules

The Honourable Judge Margaret Rae — Provincial Court of BC, Vancouver (Vancouver & Victoria)
The Honourable Judge Meg Shaw — Provincial Court of BC, Penticton (Kelowna)
Master Barbara Young — Supreme Court of British Columbia, Kelowna (Kelowna)
Eugene Raponi, QC — Waddell Raponi, Victoria (Vancouver & Victoria)

Networking Break

D. Getting it Done Without Going to Court: Arbitration, Collaboration, and Mediation

• satisfying section 8 of the FLA
• choosing between mediation and collaboration
• how arbitration will improve your life and that of your client
• mediation/arbitration: the best of both worlds?

Nancy J. Cameron, QC — Nancy Cameron Law Corporation, Vancouver (Vancouver)
Georgialee Lang — Attorney and Arbitrator, Vancouver and Kelowna (Vancouver & Kelowna)
Mary E. Mouat, QC — Lawyer and Mediator, Quadra Legal Centre, Victoria (Victoria)
Eugene Raponi, QC — Waddell Raponi, Victoria (Victoria)
Ronald J. Smith, QC — Smith Peacock, Kelowna (Kelowna)

E. Q & A With the Government

Nancy Carter — Executive Director, Civil Policy and Legislation Office, Justice Services Branch, Ministry of Justice, Victoria (Kelowna)
Darryl Hrenyk — Legal Counsel, Civil Policy and Legislation Office, Justice Services Branch, Ministry of Justice, Victoria (Vancouver & Victoria)
Michelle Kinney — Legal Counsel, Civil Policy and Legislation Office, Justice Services Branch, Ministry of Justice, Victoria (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)