New Women Rainmakers-Vancouver Island Section
At the September 23, 2000 Provincial Council meeting, the Women Rainmakers - Vancouver Island Section was approved as an active CBABC Section. Taking charge of this re-established Section are proposed Co-Chairs Kay Melbye and Marlene Russo of Victoria.

Vancouver Island lawyers have indicated their interest in this new Section that will focus on enhancing marketing and business development skills important to building and maintaining a law practice as well as in contributing to the local community.

If you are interested in joining this new Section or any other Sections for 2000/2001 contact the CBABC and an enrollment form will be faxed to you.


What’s Going On With The WCB?
In July, the CBABC and Law Society jointly and immediately responded to concerns that Worker’s Compensation Board premium rates for lawyers had increased without notice. Specifically, it appeared as if the base rate was increasing by up to 50 per cent – despite research by one of our members, G.G. Ridgeway, which indicated that in 1998 lawyers and notaries paid $693,363.63 and were responsible for only 107 claims totaling $197,161.

Mayland McKimm, then President, wrote a letter to the Chair of the WCB, Maureen Nichols, demanding that any increase to the WCB rate be held in abeyance until consultation had occurred. Six days later, the CBABC received a letter from the WCB’s Chief Financial Officer, Sidney Fattedad, who stated that this was simply a matter of miscommunication. Apparently, there is an increase in base rate, however, there is also a significant reimbursement of surplus that is to be returned in the form of a premium discount to lawyers over the next five years.

The CBABC remains concerned about why lawyers would be refunded the surplus over five years, rather than on a more immediate basis. A further meeting is planned to discuss this issue with the WCB, and the results will be reported in the next issue of BarTalk.


BC Lawyers Tackle Domestic Violence In South Africa
This summer, experts from BC traveled to South Africa to share BC’s experience in developing integrated approaches to training on issues related to domestic violence. The recently introduced civil code and training on domestic violence are intended to enhance the ability of the South African justice system to deal with the country’s major problem of domestic violence and sexual assault. A 1998 study of rape in South Africa saw only 45 per cent of 49,280 reported rape cases brought to court and, of those cases, only a 19 per cent conviction rate. The study indicated that the meager rate of conviction was directly related to police investigation skills and training of prosecutors.

Project South Africa was a joint effort between the Law Courts Education Society of BC and the Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions and Tshwaranang (a non-profit organization in South Africa). The project has developed a skills and training package aimed at sharing Canadian experience and expertise in addressing the cycle of domestic violence. The CIDA funded initiative included integrated training workshops involving South African police, prosecutors, magistrates, and NGO workers – all participating on a voluntary basis.

The workshops were developed by Alison MacPhail, from the Ministry of the Attorney General, and Maureen Maloney, from the Institute for Dispute Resolution at the University of Victoria on the Canadian side, and trainers from South Africa. Workshop participants responded enthusiastically to the joint Canada-South Africa training workshop, and additional skills-training and capacity-building programs are expected to be the focus of future projects between BC and South Africa.


Ted Pearce Memorial Fund Established
The Ted Pearce Memorial Fund has been established in honour of the late lawyer Ted Pearce, QC. Ted served since 1993 as a director of the Lower Mainland Purpose Society for Youth and Families. The Society runs, among other programs, a learning centre for young adults who have had difficulties with the regular school system. During the last six years, approximately 85 youth have graduated from Purpose – youth who, in all likelihood, would otherwise never have completed their schooling. This cause was dear to Ted’s heart. Another passion of Ted’s was short story writing and for the last five years of his life, Ted was a member of the Writer’s Discovery group in New Westminster.

The Ted Pearce Memorial Fund marries these two interests – prizes will be given in his name to Purpose students for short story writing. Contributions to the prize fund would be greatly appreciated.

Donations may be sent to the:

Ted Pearce Memorial Fund
Lower Mainland Purpose Society
40 Begbie Street
New Westminster BC V3M 3L9

As the Purpose Society is a registered non-profit charitable organization, donors will receive a tax receipt.


Changes to .ca Domain Name System Imminent
The .ca domain registry will soon be transferred from the volunteer-run CDNnet.ca to a new entity, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). In order to be protected, all existing .ca domain names must be pre-registered with CIRA. Visit www.cira.ca for important deadlines and changes expected to result from this transfer.

It is important to note that domain names can function as trademarks – trademark implications should be considered when choosing domain names, particularly now that CIRA will allow registration of more than one .ca domain name per entity. The easing of former restrictions on the number of domain names that a single entity may own increases the likelihood of cybersquatting. These changes are of particular interest not only to owners of .ca domain names, but also to owners of Canadian trademarks. The Intellectual Property Group at Lang Michener would be pleased to provide advice and assistance in this regard.

Thanks to Lang Michener for providing this update.

These articles were published in the October 2000 issue of BarTalk. © 2000 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.