Annual Continuing Education

Chief Justice Leonard Marchand delivered the opening keynote address on November 4th, and Madam Justice Lindsay Lyster presented the keynote address on November 5th.

This year’s continuing education sessions covered a robust lineup of subjects, such as:

• Administrative Law Update: Recent Developments and Potential Implications
• Say Less, Mean More: Concise Writing for Decision-Makers
• Prompt, Parse, Proceed: A Discussion of AI for Decision-Makers
• Last 50, Next 50: Planning for a Future of Indigenous Governance
• New Resources and Case Law from Courthouse Libraries
• Essential Practice Tips: Building Institutional Memory
• Writing Decisions That Stand the Test: A Judicial Review Lens
• Equity in Action: Tools to Disrupt and Mitigate Bias in Decision-Making
• Impartiality and Fairness in Administrative Tribunal Decisions
• Trauma-Informed Principles in Practice
• Navigating The Perilous Querulous: Recognizing, Understanding, and Managing Vexatious Litigants

Whether you are new to the field or a seasoned professional, this virtual event delivered valuable content for everyone.

AGENDA
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Date / Time	Event
NOVEMBER 4
08:30 – 08:45	WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
08:45 – 09:10	KEYNOTE: CHIEF JUSTICE LEONARD MARCHAND
09:10 – 10:25	ADMINISTRATIVE LAW UPDATE: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS Alandra Harlingten, Lovett Westmacott Kaitlyn Chewka, Lovett Westmacott (PPT), (Admin Law Update Cheat Sheet) Developments in administrative law jurisprudence can have significant implications for decision-makers and others in the administrative law realm. The panelists will provide a curated overview of recent jurisprudence, focusing on recurring themes and key developments in administrative law in the province. This session is intended to keep participants apprised of recent developments in the case law and their potential implications.
10:25 – 10:40	Break
10:40 – 10:55	ESSENTIAL PRACTICE TIPS: BUILDING INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY Johanna Goosen, WorkSafeBC (Judicial Review Cheat Sheet), (PPT) This session will discuss various tools that can help you build strong, specialized resources and capture institutional memory as you go. Some resources can be developed and enhanced on an ad hoc basis, without requiring major resources or a precedent project. Strong resources for administrative decision- makers promote quality and consistency in decision-making.
10:55 – 12:00	NEW RESOURCES AND CASE LAW FROM COURTHOUSE LIBRARIES Roman Lanzarotta, BC Courthouse Libraries Natalie Rocheleau, BC Courthouse Libraries (New Resources and Case Law) What’s new in BC’s public law library? New digital and print resources you can use every day in your tribunal work, as well as friendly staff who can assist you with your research. Learn more about how these free services can benefit your work!
12:00 – 1:00	Lunch
1:00 – 2:15	LAST 50, NEXT 50: PLANNING FOR A FUTURE OF INDIGENOUS GOVERNANCE Sayaač’atḥ (John Alan Jack), Huu-ay-aht First Nations & Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District Over the past fifty years, indigenous communities have successfully asserted rights and title over land, waters, resources and beyond. In that time, First Nations in British Columbia have turned much of their attention to using the tools provided by the various court cases and negotiations that have occurred thus far. In the next fifty years, both indigenous communities and governing bodies within British Columbia will need to contemplate whether and to what degree the tools they use to make important decisions will be deployed with respect, reciprocity, and interconnectedness in mind. These developments will affect administrative tribunals, and understanding the sweep of history will greatly aid us in navigating a changing landscape.
2:15 – 2:30	Break
2:30 – 3:15	WRITING DECISIONS THAT STAND THE TEST: A JUDICIAL REVIEW LENS Joana Thackeray, British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (PPT) Crafting decisions that are clear, defensible, and review-ready is both an art and a science. In this session, we will explore decision writing with a view to judicial review – anticipating scrutiny while staying grounded in fairness and clarity. We’ll also explore how to collaborate effectively with tribunal legal counsel to strengthen your draft decisions. Whether you’re new to decision writing or looking to sharpen your skills, this session offers tools and insights to elevate your approach.
3:15 – 4:45	PROMPT, PARSE, PROCEED: A DISCUSSION OF AI FOR DECISION-MAKERS Brandon Hastings, Northpoint Legal In this session, we will: Explore how AI can augment—rather than replace—human judgment in adjudication. See real-world workflows showing how adjudicators can use large language models (LLMs) for tasks like decision drafting, summarizing submissions, and clarifying procedures. Learn about: the different types of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and where tools like Copilot and ChatGPT fit into the broader ecosystem. what happens “under the hood” of LLMs—and how this gives rise to risks like hallucinations, bias, and copyright issues. how different generations of models (e.g., GPT-3.5 vs. GPT-4) affect output quality. prompting techniques and best practices to improve results with any LLM. Discuss ethical, procedural, and independence-related boundaries for using AI in a decision-making context, including: where data goes (and how that depends on the tools). how regulatory guidance is evolving in B.C. and beyond. how to recognize and respond to AI-generated submissions from parties. Leave with practical frameworks to critically assess both AI tools and their use in your work
NOVEMBER 5
08:15 – 08:20	OPENING REMARKS
08:20 – 09:00	KEYNOTE: MADAM JUSTICE LINDSAY LYSTER (Citations)
09:00 – 10:45	SAY LESS, MEAN MORE: CONCISE WRITING FOR DECISION-MAKERS Emily Crocco, Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal (PPT) Videos and Tools Selective Attention video Harvard Implicit Bias assessment Books to Consider for Purchase Inclusion Nudges Book Resources Bias Interrupted In this session, Emily Crocco will summarize her research about why unnecessarily long decisions contribute to tribunal backlogs and delays. She will share what the Supreme Court of Canada has said about writing concisely. Finally, she will share practical tips on how to shorten the length of tribunal decisions.
10:45 – 11:00	Break
11:00 – 12:00	IMPARTIALITY AND FAIRNESS IN ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL DECISIONS Jaime Green, Office of the Ombudsperson of BC Julia Tchezganova, Office of the Ombudsperson of BC (PPT) The right to an impartial decision maker is a key aspect of administrative decision-making, but how do decision makers consistently maintain impartiality and ensure fairness to all parties? In this session, the Office of the Ombudsperson will address the importance of impartiality and fairness when making decisions. We will explain what the Ombudsperson’s office may look to when assessing complaints and use examples that highlight this important part of procedural fairness. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own ability to remain impartial, while learning essential strategies and straightforward tools to take away and apply to their work. ** Please note that this session will not be recorded to share with registrants after the conference.
12:00 – 1:00	Lunch
1:00 – 2:15	EQUITY IN ACTION: TOOLS TO DISRUPT AND MITIGATE BIAS IN DECISION-MAKING Shelaina Postings, Camosun College and Government of BC Strategic Human Resources (PPT) This session will equip administrative justice professionals with the knowledge and tools to recognize and address systemic inequities and unconscious bias in their work. Through real-world scenarios and reflective learning, participants will explore: How societal and institutional systems shape advantage and disadvantage. The impact of unconscious bias on decision-making and interactions. The neuroscience behind bias and its relevance in adjudicative settings. Practical tools and strategies to identify and mitigate personal and professional biases. This session will build on foundational knowledge of unconscious bias to empower participants to transition from theory to action.
	IMPLEMENTING TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICE Handout Please Note: This session will be offered live via Zoom on November 28th from 12:00 pm. to 1:15 pm. If you attended the conference, you will receive a link to this zoom meeting. This live session on the 28th, held in a Zoom meeting format, will also be recorded. Therefore, if you are unable to attend on November 28th, you will have access to the recording of this session for a limited time shortly after that date. Aubrey Baldock, BC Coroners Service Rolf Warburton, BC Ministry of Attorney General Join Rolf and Aubrey, former Acting Chief Legal Officer and Affected Persons Liaison, as they share their experiences implementing trauma-informed principles in their work on coroners’ inquests. They will discuss the principles of Trauma-Informed Practice (TIP) and use examples from inquests to illustrate how these principles are applied in practice. The goal is to help attendees understand how they might incorporate TIP into their own settings. Content Advisory: Please note this session does not contain visual imagery, but it does include discussion of the physical and emotional circumstances of deaths.

2:15 – 3:15	THE PERILOUS QUERULOUS: RECOGNIZING, UNDERSTANDING, AND MANAGING VEXATIOUS LITIGANTS Mike Kleisinger, BC Ministry of Attorney General (PPT) Vexatious litigants present unique challenges to all participants in the legal system. Recognizing behaviour patterns and understanding the reasons underlying those patterns will provide helpful guidance to adjudicators when proactively managing vexatious litigants.
3:15	CLOSING REMARKS

Aubrey Baldock

Aubrey Baldock (she/her) is grateful to live, work and play on the traditional unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, splitting her time between Langford and Vancouver. Aubrey is the Child Death Review Coroner for the BC Coroners Service (BCCS) where she engages in aggregate child and adult death review. She has been with BCCS since August 2017 and served her first seven years as the Affected Persons Liaison, working closely with the Legal Services & Inquests team to provide support to families and civilian witnesses participating in coroners’ inquests. Aubrey has a Master of Arts in Child and Youth Care and spent eleven years working in community and inpatient crisis response and child and youth mental health settings prior to joining BCCS. She has also taught helping skills, professional practice, and change theory courses to undergraduate students at the University of Victoria. She believes that people are best able to nourish and access their inherent resilience when they feel heard, empowered, and connected.

Kaitlyn Chewka

Kaitlyn Chewka is a partner with the firm Lovett Westmacott. Prior to joining Lovett Westmacott, Kaitlyn was legal counsel with the Ministry of Attorney General's Constitutional and Administrative Law Section. Kaitlyn provides advice to various administrative decision-makers and regularly acts as counsel on judicial review applications and any resulting appeals. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria where she has lectured on the topics of administrative law, civil procedure, criminal procedure, advocacy, and ethics. Kaitlyn is also a co-coach for the University of Victoria's Wilson moot team, which focuses on appellate advocacy skills. She is a frequent speaker at conferences on administrative law and self-governing professions and is a contributing author to CanLii’s Manual to British Columbia Civil Litigation.

Emily Crocco

Emily Crocco is Chairperson at the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal. She has extensive experience in administrative law, having been legal counsel at the (then) Security Intelligence Review Committee and RCMP Public Complaints Commission, and an adjudicator for Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board and Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. Emily recently authored an article on decision-writing called “Banish Your Backlog: Concise Decision-Writing as a Teachable Skill That Improves Timely Justice”, published by the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ), about which the CIAJ also released four episodes of its podcast, “In All Fairness”. Emily has an LL.B. from McGill University and a B.A. in Politics and History from Brock University.

Roman Lanzarotta

Roman is currently a Reference Librarian with Courthouse Libraries BC and has been with them in a number of roles since 2013. In addition to managing CLBC’s New Westminster branch he is an expert legal researcher with a deep understanding of key legal resources and tools. He is an active part of CLBC’s training team, teaching members of the legal profession how to get the most from their research time. Roman has a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from McGill University.

Johanna Goosen

Johanna Goosen obtained her law degree at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University and was called to the bar in 2014. She practiced civil litigation at a leading Vancouver firm and currently practices litigation and administrative law as Director of Litigation in the Law and Policy Division at the Workers’ Compensation Board (“WorkSafeBC”). She has represented WorkSafeBC at all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada. She was the 2022-2023 Chair of the CLEBC Administrative Law Section.

Alandra Harlingten

Alandra Harlingten is a partner with the firm of Lovett Westmacott. Alandra graduated from Dalhousie University's Law School in May 2013 and, in October 2016, obtained her Master of Laws at Osgoode Hall specializing in constitutional law. Prior to joining Lovett Westmacott, Alandra was legal counsel with the Ministry of Attorney General's Constitutional and Administrative Law Section. Alandra has a broad range of experience in constitutional and administrative law. She provides advice to various administrative decision-makers and regularly acts as counsel on judicial review applications, statutory appeals, and in civil actions. Alandra is an Adjunct Professor with the University of Victoria and often lectures on the topics of oral advocacy, administrative law, and judicial review procedure.

Brandon Hastings

Brandon Hastings (bhastings.com) is a lawyer, mediator, and writer based in New Westminster, BC. He has successfully acted in complex litigation at all court levels, achieving precedent-setting outcomes in the BC Court of Appeal. Motivated by a passion for innovation, Brandon pursued an LLM at Cornell Tech, specializing in law, technology, and entrepreneurship. While at Cornell, he received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award, presented by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Information. Brandon co-founded Vancouver Legal Hackers, created The Justice Hack initiative to prototype practical solutions for pressing legal challenges, and writes extensively about innovation, law, and technology. His thoughtful approach balances rigorous legal analysis with an enthusiasm for new technologies, ensuring procedural fairness and accessibility remain central priorities. Away from his desk, Brandon enjoys sailing, performing arts, and experimenting with new languages—both human and computer.

Jaime Green

Jaime Green has been with the Office of the Ombudsperson for 11 years. She has spent the last 8 years at the office providing fairness education and consultation to government bodies across BC. She loves talking about fairness and her education is in law and business administration.

Mike Kleisinger

Mike Kleisinger is a lawyer with the Legal Services Branch of the AGBC who has experience (perhaps too much), with difficult litigants, including vexatious litigants and organized pseudo-legal commercial argument (OPCA) litigants. In addition to his varied legal practice, Mike is also a member of the Law Society’s Practice Standards Committee, the Supreme Court Family and Civil Rules Committee, chair of the Advisory Committee to Judicial Council, counsel to the Community of Inquiry into Community Events Safety, and a career-long volunteer with Access Pro Bono. Mike likes to play hockey and make people laugh, especially his wife, Erica, and his three young daughters.

Madam Justice Lindsay Lyster

Madam Justice Lindsay Lyster practiced as a labour, human rights and public law lawyer prior to her appointment to the British Columbia Supreme Court in 2020. She was the Gold Medallist in her graduating class from UBC Law School, and clerked for Madam Justice McLachlin at the Supreme Court of Canada. For eight years, she was a member of the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. She has always been active in legal education, including being the Co-Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Society’s Human Rights Conference for many years. Justice Lyster was also an adjunct professor at the UBC Law School, teaching courses including Labour Arbitration, Human Rights in the Workplace, and Administrative Law. Today, when not sitting in the beautiful Nelson Courthouse, Justice Lyster enjoys gardening, preserving the fruits of her gardening labours, and cooking and with her spouse, Tim. She is also attempting to get back into shape sufficiently to get on the ski slopes this winter with Tim, and their son Frey.

The Honourable Leonard S. Marchand

The Honourable Leonard S. Marchand is the Chief Justice of British Columbia, Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia, and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon. He was appointed Chief Justice on December 7, 2023. Chief Justice Marchand was appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia on September 5, 2013. As a Provincial Court judge, Chief Justice Marchand had the privilege of presiding in Cknucwentn Court in Kamloops, where, with input from Elders, healing plans are developed for Indigenous offenders. Chief Justice Marchand was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia on National Indigenous People’s Day, June 21, 2017. He was appointed to the Courts of Appeal for British Columbia and of Yukon on March 24, 2021. Prior to becoming a judge, Chief Justice Marchand articled and practised at Fulton & Company LLP in Kamloops from 1994 to 2013. His practice focused on the liability of public authorities and he appeared before all levels of court in British Columbia and before many administrative tribunals. Chief Justice Marchand dedicated a substantial portion of his career as a lawyer to pursuing reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, including by advancing civil claims on behalf of residential school survivors. In 2005, he helped negotiate and was a signatory to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which, at the time, was the largest class action settlement in Canadian history. He then served on the Oversight Committee for the Independent Assessment Process and the Selection Committee for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Chief Justice Marchand is Syilx and a member of the Okanagan Indian Band. He grew up in both Kamloops and Ottawa. After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1986, he worked in the oil industry for several years. He then attended law school at the University of Victoria, graduating in 1994. He was called to the British Columbia bar in 1995 and to the bars of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in 2006. Chief Justice Marchand divides his time between Kamloops and Vancouver with his wife, Laurie. Together their family also includes three grown children, their children’s partners, and two much-loved grandchildren.

Shelaina Postings

Shelaina Postings is a skilled facilitator with over two decades of experience in human resources. Shelaina is a full-time instructor with the Management and Human Resource Leadership Program at Camosun College, and she works part-time with the BC Public Service. Shelaina holds a Masters in Business Administration from Royal Roads University and is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) with British Columbia and Yukon. Shelaina holds a Diversity and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University and is a certified professional with psychometric instruments including the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Shelaina has held a variety of senior roles in leadership and human resources in both the public and private sector. Prior to joining Camosun College, Shelaina was an Executive Director with the Ministry of Education. When not working, Shelaina can often be found cheering for her two sons at their lacrosse games.

Natalie Rocheleau

Natalie Rocheleau is a Reference Librarian with Courthouse Libraries BC, specializing in assisting clients ranging from self-represented litigants to members of the judiciary navigate legal research. Her goal is to provide access to necessary legal information and tools and to increase client capacity and confidence in conducting self-directed research. Previously, Natalie was an academic librarian with SFU, where she provided reference instruction and training in research strategy for students of all disciplines, including legal research.

Sayaač'atḥ (John Alan Jack)

Sayaač'atḥ (John Alan Jack) is the elected Chief-Councillor for the Huu-ay-aht First Nations (HFN). His traditional name is Sayaač̓atḥ (sah-YAH-chut) and he has served in HFN government as a Member of Council since 2009 and as Chief-Councillor since 2023. HFN is a member-nation and signatory of the Maa-nulth Final Agreement, a modern treaty between five nations and the Crown governments that has been in effect since April 2011. He has been a director representing HFN for the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District since 2012, and a Chairperson since December 2016. He has served six years as a member of the Board of Governors for Vancouver Island University, his alma mater, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors for North Island College. He has a keen interest in concepts of economic reconciliation, cooperation between businesses and government on important economic initiatives, and all forms of good governance. He lives in the Oceanside area of Vancouver Island with his patient wife, three boisterous children, and two small dogs.

Julia Tchezganova

Julia Tchezganova joined the Office of the Ombudsperson in 2025 as an investigator and later as a member of the Public Authority Consultation and Training Team. Julia has spent over a decade practicing law.

Joana Thackeray

Joana Thackeray (she/her) is in-house counsel with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. Prior to joining the Tribunal, she practised in the Legal Services Branch at the Ministry of Attorney General. She previously worked in private practice, acting for a broad range of clients in the private and public sectors, in the areas of litigation, judicial and appellate review, administrative, constitutional, and human rights law. Prior to her call to the bar, she was a law clerk for the Honourable Mr. Justice Thomas Cromwell of the Supreme Court of Canada and for justices at the BC Court of Appeal. She received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Victoria in 2008, and a postgraduate degree in law (BCL) from the University of Oxford (Wadham College) in 2017.

Rolf Warburton

Rolf Warburton (he/him) has been a civil litigator with the B.C. Attorney General since 2008 and was previously in private commercial litigation practice. Over the past ten years, Rolf has represented multiple public parties at coroners' inquiries. In 2024, he was temporarily appointed Acting Chief Legal Officer of the BC Coroners Service where he managed and led evidence at coroners’ inquests across the province. He has since returned to the AG’s Legal Services Branch but still finds that applying trauma informed principles while working with surviving families and public professionals at coroners inquests to be among the most meaningful and fulfilling practice experiences of his career.

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