03/06/2025
Join us next Tuesday, March 11th at 12.30pm, with Community Legal Assistance Society’s Stand Informed Legal Advice Services presenting: Sexual assault Complainants on Varying or Revoking Publication Bans in Criminal Trials with panelists Janet Dickie, Crown Counsel, BC Prosecution Service, Chantal Paquette, Vancouver BC, and Morrell Andrews
Until October 2023, sexual assault complainants who wanted to tell their story were often silenced by publication bans under Criminal Code section 486.4, many of whom were never informed about when criminal proceedings commenced. Recently enacted Criminal Code section 486.51 now provides sexual assault complainants the opportunity to change or revoke publication ban orders on their own identities. Join us for an interactive panel discussion with Janet Dickie, Crown Counsel, Chantal Paquette, Independent Legal Counsel for sexual assault complainants, and Morrell Andrews, co-founder of now inactive My Voice, My Choice and staunch advocate for amending Criminal Code sections 486.4 and 486.5. Janet Dickie, Chantal Paquette, and Morrell Andrews will provide their respective perspectives on revoking or varying publication bans, discuss the application process and offer practical information for lawyers providing independent legal advice to sexual assault complainants navigating section 486.51 applications.
Presented in partnership with Courthouse Libraries BC and Community Legal Assistance Society’s Stand Informed Legal Advice Services. Participants in this presentation may claim up to 1.5 hours of CPD credit with LSBC.