Because our resources are finite, we have had to restrict the areas in which we operate. Every year, our board of directors identifies priority areas in which we attempt to concentrate our efforts. Currently and throughout our history, our single most important area of concentration has been utility regulation, in which we represent the interests of residential consumers’ organizations before tribunals such as the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Other priorities at this time include anti-poverty work and the assertion of rights to freedom of information and privacy.
Within our practice areas, we attempt to achieve maximum impact by only taking on cases that will promote the interests of an entire group or segment of society and that will explore the previously untested boundaries of the law.
Case Selection Criteria
BCPIAC is a non-profit society that advances the interests of groups that are generally unrepresented or under-represented in issues of major public concern. Within the context of our mission statement, we will apply the following criteria to the selection of work which strives to meet those goals:
- the relative ability of the client to obtain representation elsewhere;
- the ability of BCPIAC to provide representation in a case or project (including our expertise in the area of law and our available resources at the time);
- the extent to which the case or project deals with systemic, as opposed to individual, degradation or discrimination;
- the significance of the issues raised both in terms of the social goals which may be achieved and in the development of the law;
- the potential of the case or project to break new ground or to have significant impact;
the seriousness of the consequences (of success or failure) for the client and others who may be affected; - the likelihood of success.
Not every case will necessarily have to meet all seven criteria. They are intended as guidelines only.