BC Civil Liberties Association

We’re taking the City to court!⚖️Today, BCCLA alongside three individual plaintiffs are filing a lawsuit against the City of Vancouver in a Charter challenge against the ban on sheltering during the day. Read More: bccla.org/campaign/she...

Join the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline for an informative online workshop on Islamophobia and your legal rights. September 23, 2026, at 6:30 PM PST Register to receive a Zoom link: www.eventbrite.ca/e/islamophob...

Press Release: BCCLA Calls for Passage of Bill S-2 to Address Discriminatory Provisions in Indian Act bccla.org/2026/09/pres...

Organizations are deploying AI technologies at a serious cost to our civil liberties. Join BCCLA Policy Staff Counsel Aislin Jackson & other panellists for ‘Where do we draw the line? Protecting Civil Liberties' at Translink Tomorrow's New Mobility Forum on Sept 11 www.eventbrite.ca/e/secure-fre...

BCCLA's new Communications, Outreach & Events Coordinator will produce reel content for social media, carry out BCCLA's Annual Youth Conference, and triage the organization's general contact and supporter-focused inboxes. Learn more and apply! bccla.org/2026/08/comm...

Portage students protested unfair work-permit denials. They should have received justice. Instead, ten now face removal orders. Today, BCCLA joined 250+ orgs to defend migrants' right to protest without fear. Join us: migrantrights.ca/RighttoProte... #DefendRightToProtest @mark-carney.bsky.social

How can we hold security guards accountable when they act like police? What can we learn from Indigenous Law about restoring dignity after harm has been caused? We explore these questions in Scrutinizing Private Security Powers with a Civil Liberties Lens. bccla.org/2026/08/scru...

Are you passionate about social justice? Do you have a talent for producing video content for social media? Apply to be BCCLA's Communications, Outreach & Events Coordinator! bccla.org/2026/08/comm...

✨ New publication out today! 🏡 BC Policy Solutions senior researcher and policy analyst Véronique Sioufi expands on the findings of her 2025 Racial Inequality in Canada’s Housing Market report by bringing her structural analysis specifically to the BC context. bcpolicy.ca/bchousing-race

BCCLA is hiring a Campaign's Manager to design, develop, run and manage impactful and engaging awareness, public opinion change, advocacy, and legal campaigns. Time is running out. Apply by tomorrow, August 19 at 11:59pm! bccla.org/work-with-us...

BCCLA is hiring a Communications, Outreach and Events Coordinator to oversee the social media presence of the organization, plan the Association’s public events, and support the Association’s outreach efforts. Join our team! Apply by September 13. bccla.org/2026/08/comm...

⏰LAST CHANCE to fix #BillC22! It threatens 🇨🇦’ rights, #encryption, and privacy. Tell senators to reform it: openmedia.org/ReformC22-bsky The bill will require digital services to retain metadata for 6 months and enable secret orders forcing apps, messaging services, and others to build backdoors!

BCCLA is hiring a Campaigns Manager to design, develop, run and manage impactful and engaging awareness, public opinion change, advocacy, and legal campaigns. Join our team. Apply by August 19! bccla.org/work-with-us...

BCCLA’s new Campaigns Manager will design, develop, run and manage the organization’s campaigns around the right to daytime sheltering, trans youth and the notwithstanding clause. Join our team! Apply by August 19. bccla.org/work-with-us...

Press Release: Coroner’s Inquest into Jimmie Johannesson’s Death Highlights Concerns Over RCMP Response to Wellness Checks bccla.org/2026/08/coro...

BCCLA is hiring a Campaigns Manager! Application deadline: August 19, 2026 at 11:59pm PST. Learn More and Apply: bccla.org/work-with-us...

"With the influx of people coming in from all over the world, there is a real fear in the community of being swept away and being pushed out of sight." -Kay, Crab Park resident Read our new Crab Park Warriors commentary: ow.ly/8j5S50ZjHCC

Press Release: BCCLA celebrates Supreme Court of Canada decision to require disclosure of police misconduct to accused persons Read the Full Release: ow.ly/wbg850ZhGgp

The entire BCCLA team is proud to share with you our 2025 Annual Report - a tribute to our work, our team, our supporters (like you!) and the communities we work alongside. Read our 2025 Annual Report: bccla.org/about/annual...

For 21 years, BCCLA has gathered students from across the Lower Mainland to come together & critically engage in emerging civil liberty issues and learn about their rights. This April, BCCLA held our biggest Youth Conference yet! Check it out: bit.ly/4e4PcM7

Media Advisory: Minister’s Firing of Victoria School Board Over Police in Schools Violated Charter Principles Read the advisory: bccla.org/2026/05/medi...

BCCLA Reacts: Fairy Creek Class Action Recognized as Preferable to RCMP Oversight Body for Charter Violations Read our Full Response: bccla.org/2026/05/bccl...

The findings are clear: most Canadians believe there are better ways to address serious crime than weakening encrypted communications. Read CDT’s new research brief on public attitudes toward encryption, surveillance, and Bill C-22.

Canadians overwhelmingly support encryption and reject expanded government access to private messages. New research by CDT finds deep public concern with key surveillance powers proposed in Bill C-22, including risks to privacy, free expression, and online security.

BCCLA is hiring an Articling Student Application Deadline: May 24, 2026 Learn More and Apply: bccla.org/work-with-us...

Media Advisory: BCCLA at Alberta Court of Appeal to Defend Lifesaving Overdose Prevention Services Read the Media Advisory: ow.ly/Oa6q50YVM5U

"Political parties have access to sensitive personal info about Canadian voters & must not be exempt from laws that regulate its collection, use, and disclosure. The public deserves answers through a public inquiry. " - Aislin Jackson, BCCLA Staff Counsel www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Media Advisory: Press Conference: As FIFA Convenes in Vancouver, Human Rights Groups Seek Answers and Accountability Read More: bccla.org/2026/04/medi...

URGENT: Debate at 2nd reading started yesterday! iclmg.ca/stop-c-22/ C-22 threatens our rights by: - lowering the threshold for police to access our personal info - forcing companies to create backdoors to allow police & spy agencies to monitor & collect our comms & data 1/

Join the BCCLA, @pivotlegalsociety.bsky.social, BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, and an informal coalition in their calls for the City of Vancouver to adequately address the the deeply concerning human rights implications of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Use your Voice: ow.ly/Ivfe50YBxRk

The coroner's inquest into the death of Everett Patrick began today, who died in RCMP custody in Prince George in April 2020. This morning, we heard from Jennifer Alexander, Everett's spouse, who testified about a loving father who lived for his family. www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/...

The week BCCLA is in Court, joining many other human rights and civil liberties organizations, in a case that will determine limits on the Notwithstanding clause and our government’s accountability to our Charter Rights and freedoms. bccla.org/case/english...

Press Release: BCCLA Disappointed in Supreme Court Decision to Allow Warrantless Police Searches of Private Property "We must reject the idea that sacrificing our civil liberties is a solution to public safety concerns." - BCCLA Litigation Director bccla.org/2026/03/pres...

Implementing bubble zones limits peaceful protests and our right to freedom of expression. In a time when having our voice heard is harder than ever, protecting our right to speak out is critical to democracy. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Press Release: Dale Culver Family Reacts to RCMP Officer Sentenced to 18 Months' Probation for Obstruction of Justice bccla.org/2026/03/dale...

#FIFA2026: we have not been consulted, we have not been engaged, and we do not trust your Plan to mitigate FIFA-related harms. Read our joint press release with BC Civil Liberties Association and the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition: https://www.pivotlegal.org/press_release_fifa

The BC Assembly of First Nations are calling out the BC government for backtracking on human rights! Add your voice: www.bcafn.ca/the-declarat...

BCCLA has joined over 80+ civil society leaders from faith, labour, enviro, legal, academic & arts communities to stand together for human rights and reconciliation – calling on #BCgov to recommit to implementing not amending #DRIPA. Read the statement: www.wcel.org/DeclarationAct

We urge the OPCC to implement its own independent investigation into the systemic causes of the use of force complaint. Learn more by reading our press release, and our letter to BC’s Police Complaints Commissioner. Press release: shorturl.at/70yMo 🧵8/8

The Police Board’s inaction only reinforces public perception that police can lawfully enact violence against the public with impunity, and that police oversight bodies are structurally flawed in favour of shielding police from scrutiny and public accountability. 🧵7/8

Does the VPD crack down on all political expression in this violent way or only when it is directed at people bringing attention to the genocide of Indigenous Palestinians? 🧵6/8

Beyond the Police board’s procedural mishandling of this complaint, the material issues relating to the VPD’s use of force and arbitrary detention of people engaged in Palestine protests remain unresolved. 🧵5/8

Pivot & BCCLA later filed complaints with the Vancouver Police Board. After concluding the surveillance complaint through a VPD-led investigation, the Police Board now asserts that it has resolved the use of force complaint, without having dealt with those allegations at all. 🧵4/8

...that were killed in Israel’s brutal attacks against Indigenous Palestinians in a manner that violates international prohibitions against genocide and apartheid. 🧵3/8

May 31st, 2024, VPD violently cleared a protest involving Palestinian, Indigenous, Arab, white, and racialized people gathered to commemorate the then 36,000 children, individuals, & families... 🧵2/8

Press release - Pivot and @bccla.bsky.social request BC’s Police Complaint Commissioner’s review of Police Board inaction with respect to VPD’s use of force in Palestine protests. 🧵1/8

URGENT: Senators vote TODAY on a motion to ram Bill C-12 through — restricting debate and forcing a vote by end of February. This is a mass deportation bill with no oversight and no appeal. Email Senators NOW. Tell them to vote NO on the motion and on C-12 → migrantrights.ca/VoteNoC12

BCCLA's Litigation Director, Vibert Jack, joined the CBC Early Edition this morning to speak to media exclusion during the April 2023 Hastings decampment. Listen to the full interview: www.cbc.ca/player/play/...