Pivot Legal Society

A new article by Scott Bernstein and Darcie Bennett, to be published in the International Journal of Drug Policy's special issue "Methadone Mess".  This article discusses restrictive zoning bylaws in Abbotsford, Mission, Coquitlam and Surrey, BC and their impact on access to health care for marginalized drug users.

A new report by Pivot Legal Society. To be released  May 30, 2013

Crime rates in Canada are at their lowest point since 1972 yet last year, Canada’s federal government introduced sweeping legislative reforms to our criminal justice system. The stated goal of these expansive and expensive measures is to increase the safety and security of Canadians by getting “tough on crime” and holding offenders accountable.

The publication of the Know Your Rights with Private Security cards comes after years of conflict between private security guards and marginalized people in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The cards will help residents better understand their rights and what they can do when their rights have been violated.

This report was co-authored by a group of legal organization that came together in the lead-up to the 2013 election to develop recommendations to ensure that BC's Residential Tenancy Act achieves its purpose of balancing the rights of tenants and landlords.

The current shortage of affordable housing in BC means that housing is costly and vacancy rates are low. This makes tenants vulnerable, and increases the likelihood that tenants and landlords will find themselves in conflict. In this context, our landlord/tenant legislation needs to contain reasonable protections for tenants. Just as important, the RTB needs to be empowered to effectively administer the legislation.

The “Know Your Rights” card explains how the VPD’s new Guidelines, which became official policy on January 15, 2013, require officers to prioritize sex workers’ safety over the enforcement of the prostitution laws.  The rights card advises sex workers that the “POLICE SHOULD NOT harass, target, arrest or intimidate you for doing sex work.”

In cooperation with BC Association of People on Methadone (BCAPOM), Pivot has produced 15,000 Methadone Patient's Rights cards.  Faced with systemic abuse and discrimination from unethical physicians, pharmacists and others, methadone patients across the province are standing up for their rights.

In 2011 we finished one of the largest internal projects that we have ever worked on and it fundamentally changed our organization. The funny thing about this project is that it happened in spurts, without a clear work plan or timeline. The project was guided by ideas and although there were very few hard costs, it happened with the input of 100s of people and through the work of staff and key volunteers. The final tangible product was a new website (launched in April 2011); however, it is the less tangible shift in organizational culture that is the true victory.    

British Columbia’s justice system is at as critical juncture on the path to developing an effective system response to violence against women. With the exception of a small pilot program in Duncan, British Columbia is one of the few jurisdictions in Canada without specialized courts mandated to hear cases involving violence against women in relationships. Vulnerable women in BC have been disproportionately impacted by cuts to legal aid, and BC has been without a Minister for Women’s Equality since that position was eliminated ten years ago.

From the perspective of the hundreds of marginalized women who protested the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry (“the Inquiry”) every morning for the first month of hearings, the Inquiry was an absolute failure.  The Inquiry was set up to examine the problems arising from investigations of the disappearance and murder of dozens of women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (“DTES”), and particularly the investigation of serial murderer Robert William Pick- ton. Out of the failures of the Inquiry, which are well documented and understood in the affected communities, the hope of the authors is that a positive legacy can still be uncovered.

Pivot has printed more than 100,000 Statement For Police rights cards which have been distributed throughout Canada since July 2002.