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
- 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
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 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?
Ronald J. Smith, QC — Smith Peacock, Kelowna (Vancouver, Victoria & Kelowna)
- a perspective from psychology
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)