Home » Executives » Executive Information: 2021/2022

Executive Information: 2021/2022

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VALL Directory

Access the current directory – March 2022

Members Forum

Learn more about the Members Forum.

Access the forum on Lawbster.

Events Calendar

Past recorded sessions can be viewed on the Past Session Videos page.

Upcoming Events

The 2021/2022 event schedule has ended. See Executive Information: 2022/2023 for upcoming events.

Past events

In-Person Year-End Social

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 | 4:30 – 6:30 PM

1931 Gallery Bistro, Outdoor Lower Patio | 750 Hornby St, Vancouver | Signage by entrance | Will relocate indoors in the event of rain

Please join VALL for our year-end social – our first in-person event since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic!

Drop in anytime for canapes and 1 complimentary drink. A cash bar will also be available.

Registration is now closed.

“Decolonial Toolbox”

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Please join VALL for our April session, “Decolonial Toolbox” with guest speakers Faith Sparrow-Crawford, Salia Joseph, and Jade George from Host Consulting. The Decolonial Toolbox is a masterclass on Indigenous representation that focuses on:

Foundational building blocks for anti-racist dialogues ‎
A look into intersectional approaches to relationship building ‎
An introductory discussion on unconscious bias, privilege, and intersectionality

The session aims to lay important foundations and teach key concepts which can be applied in your professional and personal lives. It will be especially relevant to those working toward good relationship building and anti-racism work in pursuit of equity and diversity in their own workplaces and libraries.

This session will be hosted via Zoom. It will NOT be recorded, so make sure to attend the live session!

About the speakers:

Faith Sparrow-Crawford is a member of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, the Musqueam Indian Band. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with an undergraduate degree in Critical Indigenous Studies with a focus on Indigenous New Media. During the last year of her undergrad, Faith worked as an executive assistant at Aquilini, providing support to the team working on the MSTA partnership developments. She then joined the Musqueam administration as the Self-Governance Community Coordinator, responsible for aiding in the creation of a Musqueam constitution. Most recently, Faith also co-founded Salish Locations Inc., a film location liaison company that works to create more representation in the film industry for Indigenous peoples on their own land.

Salia Joseph is a passionate advocate for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh culture and is active in her community and is dedicated to working for and with her people. In addition to her work with Host, Salia has many years of experience as the executive director of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh snichim (Squamish language) and culture non-profit Kwi Awt Stelmexw. This gives her a strong cultural foundation, a large network of Squamish community members, as well as extensive experience in project management, outreach, public engagement, and advocacy.

Jade George was raised in both the Tsleil-Waututh and Chehalis communities. She works as a language instructor and advocate for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, teaching classes ranging from kindergarten through to the university level, where she works in partnership with Simon Fraser University. Jade is deeply-involved in her community and culture. Her family are cultural leaders in the Tsleil-Waututh community. As a weaver, singer, and language speaker, Jade has deep insight into her community and how to navigate the traditional laws and practises of the People of the Inlet. Her connections allow her to negotiate and plan cultural ceremonies, blessings, and openings, and to seek the guidance of elders for solving difficult issues, while also creating new solutions that respect old ways.

Virtual Social Coffee Hour

Hosted by VALL

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 | 10:00am-11:00am

Pour yourself another cup of your favourite morning beverage and join us for a virtual morning coffee break. You’ll be sorted into small groups and rotated throughout the hour to give you the chance to talk to more of your colleagues.

Privacy Refresher

Our February Session, “Privacy Refresher” with guest speaker Nate Russell, Legal and Innovation Counsel and Privacy Officer at Courthouse Libraries BC. The session consisted of a legislative update for privacy laws in BC and Canada and how they affect law librarians in their workplaces. This session was hosted via Zoom.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

About the speaker: Nate Russell serves as Legal & Innovation Counsel at Courthouse Libraries BC, inspiring and supporting innovation within CLBC and through partnerships. Nate is part of the management team, and the organization’s legal counsel and privacy officer. He works with Liaison Lawyers to provide training to lawyers, and oversees other projects at CLBC. A 2005 graduate of Dalhousie Law with a background in family law and civil litigation, Nate collaborates with lawyers to improve CLBC’s original, practice-oriented resources, as well as its public legal information. Prior to law, Nate worked in internet and media, including for CBC Television. He brings a unique combination of tech, legal skills, and privacy certification to his role.

Virtual Social Coffee Hour – Trivia Edition

Hosted by VALL

Wednesday, January 26, 2021 | 10:00am – 11:00am

Pour yourself another cup of your favourite morning beverage and join us for a virtual trivia social. This non-competitive trivia hour will feature local trivia, VALL trivia, book trivia, and more!

Transgender Rights and Speech Rights

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 | 11:30am – 1:00pm

Our December Session, “Transgender and Speech Rights” with guest speaker Adrienne Smith, a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer based in Vancouver. This session delved into the rights of transgender people, including recent advances in the law, and where those rights intersect with freedom of expression and hate speech. This session will be hosted via Zoom.

About the speaker: Adrienne (they/them) is a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer. They recently argued a BC human rights case which clarified employers’ obligations to recognize correct pronouns for transgender and non-binary workers. Adrienne appeared at the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada where they argued about the deleterious effects of mandatory minimum sentences for women, Indigenous people, and drug users. As a trade union activist, they advocate for transgender inclusion in our unions and workplaces. Adrienne volunteers at the Catherine White Holman Wellness Clinic where they give free legal advice, take on human rights cases, and notarize name change documents for trans people.

This session was not recorded.

Virtual Social Coffee Hour – Speed ‘Dating’ Edition

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 | 10:00am – 11:00am

Are you new to VALL? A long-time member? Want to connect with your VALL colleagues? Pour yourself another cup of your favourite morning beverage and join us for a virtual morning coffee break. You’ll be sorted into small groups and provided with some light-hearted discussion questions to get the conversation rolling, all to give you a chance to get to know your colleagues better!

September Lunchtime Session: “Legislative Refresher”

With Tracy McLean & Liz Blackburn, Senior Researchers Courthouse Libraries BC

Wednesday, September 29th, 2021 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Cost: FREE for VALL members, non-members, and students.

This presentation provided an overview of the basics of doing both Federal and Provincial (BC) legislative research. They went over the basics of how legislation is passed and what resources you need to do this type of research, including how to find Hansard Debates, point-in-time historical versions of Statutes, how to find Regulations, and other useful tips.

A recording of the session will be available on the VALL YouTube channel soon.

About the speakers:

Tracy McLean is the Manager of Information Services at Courthouse Libraries BC. She is responsible for coordinating staff and library services in Vancouver, New Westminster and Abbotsford that help lawyers and the public find and use legal information. In addition to managing these in-person, phone and email services, Tracy has over 14 years of experience in legal research and creating online content. Prior to joining Courthouse Libraries BC, she worked as a librarian at Vancouver Public Library.

Liz Blackburn is the Manager of Regional Libraries at Courthouse Libraries BC and is based out of the Victoria branch. Her responsibilities include overseeing the Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Kamloops, and Prince George Libraries. She manages the print collection budget and acts as chair of the Collection Development Team which works to ensure a practice-oriented collection that meets the information needs of our clients.

Minutes

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