CLE Online

Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:10)

Teresa Sheward — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Katrina Harry, KC — Manager, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver
Katherine R. LeReverend — Legal Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Victoria

Opening Prayer

Elder Maria Reed — Waabigekek Ikwe

Opening Keynote "Cultivating Safe Spaces" (9:10 – 10:10) (presenting remotely)

Elaine Alec — Naqsmist, "nux`meest ~ many coming together as one" Transformative Storytelling + Whole Systems Healing, Kamloops

BREAK (10:10 – 10:20)

CFCSA Amendments and Amendments to CFCSA PC Rules (10:20 – 11:20)

• an overview of the amendments made to the Adoption Act and Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA) through Bill 38 (2022), the Indigenous Self-Government in Child and Family Services Amendment Act
• a walkthrough of how the Ministry of Children and Family Development co-developed this legislation with Indigenous rightsholders and partners
• a focus on impacts this legislation will have on the Provincial Court, including the CFCSA PC Rules

Richel Donaldson — Manager, Strategic Child Welfare and Reconciliation Policy, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Campbell River
Renae Snell — Manager, Legislation and Legal Support, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Victoria

BREAK (11:20 – 11:30)

Case Law Update (11:30 – 12:30)

Kayla M. Fast — Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Vancouver
Frances Rosner — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver

LUNCH (provided to in-person registrants) (12:30 – 1:30)

Applications to Cancel a CCO (1:30 – 2:15)

Process to Cancel a CCO

• who can apply to cancel a CCO?
  • director makes application; consent to s. 39(4) order
  • is the applicant a guardian?
  • are there child protection concerns regarding other parents?
• party to a proceeding: s. 41(1)(d); s. 42.2(4)(d); s. 49
• can a parent who is not a "party" still apply?
• other factors to consider
• process to cancel CCO
• filing and serving the application
• seeking permission (aka "leave") to bring application
• when permission is granted

Meeting the Test in Section 54(4)

• determining whether circumstances have changed significantly
• establishing circumstances at time order granted
• situations with little or no evidence of circumstances
• considering child's best interests

Scarlet Mirzaian — Staff Lawyer, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Surrey
Andrea L. Thorpe — Thorpe & Company Lawyers, Vancouver 

Dealing with Mental Health and Addiction (2:15 – 3:15)

• Parents Legal Centre: Advocate-Paralegal/Aboriginal Community Legal Worker (ACLW)
• mental health and addiction
• challenges and barriers to wellness
• mental health and addiction resources: Vancouver and Victoria/Vancouver Island
• supportive housing and treatment
• financial assistance 

Debra Lazzar — Aboriginal Community Legal Worker, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Victoria
Helen Van Wart, MSW, RSW — Addiction and Trauma Clinical Counsellor, Sheway, Vancouver

BREAK (3:15 – 3:30)

Trans Youth in Care (3:30 – 4:00)

• practical overview of the law on the ability of trans youth to consent to gender-affirming healthcare
• summary of recent cases about this area of law
• the process for name and gender marker change applications for youth, including medical and parental consent requirements, and how youth in the care of the ministry or youth without the ability to obtain parental consent might access updated ID and records

Adrienne S. Smith — Adrienne Smith Law, Vancouver (they/them) 

Roundtable: The Future of Child Protection (4:00 – 4:30)

Richel Donaldson — Manager, Strategic Child Welfare and Reconciliation Policy, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Campbell River
Katrina Harry, KC — Manager, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver
Debra Lazzar — Aboriginal Community Legal Worker, Parents Legal Centre, Legal Aid BC, Victoria
Katherine R. LeReverend — Legal Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Victoria
Frances Rosner — Barrister & Solicitor, Vancouver
Adrienne S. Smith — Adrienne Smith Law, Vancouver (they/them) 
Renae Snell — Manager, Legislation and Legal Support, Ministry of Children and Family Development, Victoria
Andrea L. Thorpe — Thorpe & Company Lawyers, Vancouver 
Sora J. Vandervelde — Advocate-Paralegal, Vancouver Parents Legal Centre-Indigenous Services, Legal Aid BC, Vancouver