Hear speakers & join pop-up discussions on important access to justice issues!

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19/02/2019

Participate in comfort by telephone as you sip your morning coffee! The national Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters, now chaired by the Honourable Beverley McLachlin, is hosting six one hour sessions over the next three weeks. They’ll offer great speakers on topical issues and an opportunity to connect with other Canadians interested in A2J through round-table discussions.

Scheduled from February 20 to March 7, 2019 the sessions will include:

• 3 large group sessions featuring cutting edge keynote speakers
• 3 roundtable discussions breaking down some of the issues and exchanging ideas, challenges and tips.

They’ll take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays for one hour only at 9:00 a.m. PST. Here’s the program.

Week 1: Technology as a Disruptor in A2J
Usman Sheikh - Gowling WLG, Partner, National Head - Blockchain & Smart Contract Group

Wednesday large group session: Block Chain - the pros, cons, and realities for A2J

Thursday roundtable discussion: Working institutionally amid tech disruption - are we ready to be proactive?

Week 2: Planning for the Long Term
Suzanne Stein - Associate Professor at OCAD, Strategic Foresight & Innovation / Digital Futures; Director, SuperOrdinary Lab

Wednesday large group session: Strategic Foresight and Futures Thinking - how this discipline can shape our approach

Thursday roundtable discussion: Preparing for the long term in a short-sighted universe - are we doing this well?

Week 3: Measuring our Impact
Sarah Chamness Long - World Justice Project, Director, Rule of Law Index

Wednesday large group session: The global, national and local perspective on A2J measurement

Thursday roundtable discussion: Successes and challenges in justice measurement - are there common lessons for all of us?

Register here to attend any or all of these sessions.

The national Action Committee on Access to Justice was formed by former Chief Justice McLachlin in 2007 to bring people together to examine solutions to Canada’s access to justice (A2J) problems in family and civil matters. It is focused on fostering engagement, pursuing a strategic approach to reforms and coordinating the efforts of all participants concerned with civil and family justice. The pop-up discussions are part of the Committee’s efforts to build a national “community of practice”, bringing together people who share concerns and interest in access to justice.

One of the Committee’s initiatives was to identify nine “Justice Development Goals” for Canada. Its Justice Development Goals website reports annually on our progress with each goal using infographics and user-friendly layout and text.

The Action Committee also publishes a monthly newsletter, focusing a spotlight on progress across Canada on a different Justice Development Goal (JDG) each month, in addition to other A2J news. February’s newsletter reports on Goal #5 – Working Together, and highlights A2J BC and the University of Victoria’s Access to Justice Centre for Excellence (ACE), groups that are collaborating and working together on access to justice in this province.

In a good reminder to all of us, the newsletter notes:

“Working together means working differently. As justice sector institutions and individuals come together to investigate new approaches to access to justice, they are also starting to change the culture of the legal system to embrace innovation, and experimentation. JDG 5 includes working together across the justice system and connecting with more people outside of the system. It means working with the users of court systems to understand how access to justice efforts impact people’s lives. Working together also requires more partnerships with other professions and with those in other systems, like health and education, to integrate access to justice approaches with the other supports in people’s lives.”


You can subscribe to the national Action Committee’s newsletter here.