Court of Appeal upholds BC privacy law

In a unanimous decision, the British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld the Personal Information Protection Act, BC's private sector privacy law.  The Court rejected calls for a blanket "religious freedom" exemption, saying that such claims must be decided on a case-by-case basis.

The decision involved a request by two former members of a religious organization for copies of records that the organization kept about them.  The religious organization refused.  When the former members complained to the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the religious organization launched a constitutional challenge of the law, saying that it infringed freedom of religion rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

 The Court of Appeal rejected the constitutional challenge, holding that claims of religious freedom must be determined on a case-by-case basis.  This involves weighing the infringement of the Charter rights against the statutory objectives — in this case, the public interest in allowing individuals to know what personal information an organization holds about them.  In this particular case, the religious organization did not provide sufficient evidence to allow the Information and Privacy Commissioner to make that determination.  The Court ordered the religious organization to provide the records to the Commissioner, who will then decide what must be disclosed to the former members.

Allen / McMillan lawyers John Trueman and Chloe Trudel represented the British Columbia Humanist Association, an intervener in the appeal.  Among other things, they argued that religious freedom claims should not undermine individuals' control over their own personal information.  AMLC's award-winning pro bono practice helps public interest organizations make their voices heard in important legal cases.

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In this digital age, privacy issues have become an important emerging area of law.  As part of his administrative law practice, John helps individuals and organizations exercise their information and privacy rights and responsibilities under federal and provincial privacy laws. Contact us for more information.

AMLC sponsors the 48th Annual Women in Law Dinner

AMLC is proud to sponsor the 48th Annual Women in Law Dinner organized and hosted by the Allard Law Women's Caucus which took place on March 12, 2025 at the Fairmont Pacific Rim. 

The event brings students, faculty, and legal professionals together and the theme of this year’s dinner is “fostering community building and connection.” The event will include keynote addresses from the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C., C.C., CStJ, Counsel for Justice Canada Isabel Jackson, and Executive Director of West Coast LEAF Raji Mangat.

AMLC lawyers, Kaitlyn, Wanda, and Jorie, enjoyed attending the event, connecting with students, and celebrating the ways women have driven the legal profession forward. 

Greg and Wes are being recognized in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2025

AMLC is honoured to share that Greg Allen and Wes McMillan will be appearing in the 2025 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.

Congratulations to both of them for this recognition! 

Leading practitioners and firms are identified for The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory based on the annual Lexpert peer survey, which has been ongoing for over 30 years. Lawyers named in the survey are leaders in their respective fields, prominent in their practice areas, and highly regarded by their colleagues. You can learn more about the Lexpert Survey on their website and view the full list of rankings here.

AMLC sponsors the TLABC Oral Advocacy Society's Litigation Mix & Mingle

AMLC is proud to sponsor the TLABC Oral Advocacy Society's Litigation Mix & Mingle that took place on March 3, 2025. This year’s panel topic was “The Art of Advocacy: Storytelling and Persuasion”. Jorie and Vivian from our team enjoyed connecting with students from the UBC society!

Bryan Hicks is joining AMLC as Counsel!

AMLC is pleased to announce that Bryan Hicks is joining our firm as Counsel.

He is coming to us from a well-regarded national firm, where his practice focused on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on business, shareholder, director, construction, and real property disputes. Bryan also practices in insolvency and restructuring and has experience assisting clients with matters before the BC Securities Commission. He comes with a wealth of knowledge and brings a practical and strategic approach to his practice.

We are thrilled to have Bryan on the team!

Greg is going on sabbatical!

The AMLC team will miss Greg, but we are excited for him to take some much needed time to travel with his family. We look forward to welcoming him back in October 2025!