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Organizational 28 Apr 2005
By Kevin Griffin | Vancouver Sun | May 1, 2013
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Provincial laws protecting renters need to be improved, a coalition of legal and tenant’s rights groups says.
The Pivot Legal Society, West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund, the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre and other groups are proposing 13 changes to the B.C. Residential Tenancy Act which governs relations between renters and landlords.
Scott Bernstein, lawyer with Pivot Legal, said B.C. law hasn’t been changed in years, and protection of tenants here has fallen behind other provinces such as Ontario.
News | Organizational | Social Justice 02 May 2013
by Carlito Pablo | straight.com | May 1, 2013
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A new coalition has come up with 13 “modest” proposals to serve as “reasonable protections for tenants”.
The recommendations are in a report released Wednesday (May 1) by the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Community Legal Assistance Society, Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, Pivot Legal Society, West Coast LEAF, and Active Manufactured Homeowners Association.
News | Organizational | Social Justice 02 May 2013
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More than two years after 25 forestry workers were found living in squalid conditions at a camp near Golden, they have not received Employment Insurance and their former company has yet to pay them the wages they are owed.
B.C.’s Employment Standards Branch has determined that the company, Khaira Enterprises, owes almost $280,000 in unpaid wages and interest to 58 former employees, but directors Khalid Bajwa and Hardilpreet Sidhu have not paid a penny of it, said Eugene Kung of the B.C. Public Interest Advocacy Centre, which represents most of the 25 workers from the camp near Golden.
Human Rights | News | Social Justice | Tree Planters 13 Feb 2013
(Vancouver) November 9, 2012. The BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre (BCPIAC) has launched a complaint at the BC Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) on behalf of four temporary foreign workers (TFW) from Mexico employed at two Tim Hortons locations in Dawson Creek, BC.
Living two to a room, in a five bedroom home, workers were asked to pay $200.00 each at the beginning of the month, and then asked by the employer for an additional $200.00 rent mid-month, which their employer referred to as a “tip.” “When Tim Hortons advertises the Double Double, I don’t believe this is what most Canadians had in mind,” said Eugene Kung, counsel with BCPIAC. In total the employer received $4,000 a month in rent from each of two separate homes where he required his employees to live.
Human Rights | News | Organizational | Social Justice 09 Nov 2012
Commonly Asked Questions About BC Hydro’s Smart Meter Program
Compiled by the BC Utilities Commission StaffBC Hydro | Consumer Rights | Factsheets 26 Jul 2012
(Vancouver) July 20, 2012. July 21st marks the two-year anniversary of the closure of the Khaira Enterprises Ltd. camp in Golden, B.C. where tree planters, primarily of African origin, were effectively enslaved. The tree planters lived and worked under deplorable conditions, and were not fully paid for their work. The conditions the workers endured were uncovered following an investigation by the B.C. Federation of Labour.
Human Rights | News | Social Justice | Tree Planters 20 Jul 2012
One-page overview for advocates about the scope of BCPIAC’s work.
Factsheets 12 Jun 2012
This fact sheet describes your rights and responsibilities, to help you to advocate for yourself and for others. We have reviewed the sheet with FortisBC to ensure that it is accurate.
Download Advocacy Factsheet for FortisBC Customers – June 2012 (PDF)
Consumer Rights | Factsheets | FortisBC Gas 12 Jun 2012