Alina, John, and Danielle defend prisoners' rights at Supreme Court of Canada

AMLC lawyers Alina Chekh, John Trueman, and Danielle Wierenga will represent the West Coast Prison Justice Society / Prisoners' Legal Services at the Supreme Court of Canada on May 13, 2025. This is the third appearance by AMLC lawyers at the Supreme Court of Canada in less than two years.

The appeal, Frank Dorsey and Ghassan Salah v. Attorney General of Canada, asks whether the ancient writ of habeas corpus should be available to incarcerated persons who have been wrongfully denied reclassification and transfer to a lower security level.  The West Coast Prison Justice Society was granted leave to intervene to explain the impact the court's decision will have on prisoners in maximum security institutions.

In his oral submissions to the Court, John will explain how a wrongful reclassification and transfer decision is as impactful — and as illegal — as wrongful imprisonment itself, and habeas corpus provides a timely, accessible, and effective remedy for such injustices. 

Allen / McMillan Litigation Counsel's award-winning pro bono practice often includes public interest interventions for organizations such as the West Coast Prison Justice Society, who offer valuable perspectives in the development of the law.  AMLC lawyers previously represented the Society in British Columbia (Attorney General) v. Council of Canadians with Disabilities, 2022 SCC 27, which clarified the law of public interest standing in court proceedings.

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The Supreme Court of Canada's hearing on May 13 will be webcast live.

AMLC, Wes, Greg, Kaitlyn, and Bryan are being recognized in the 14th edition of Benchmark Litigation Canada

Congratulations to AMLC, Wes, Greg, Kaitlyn, and Bryan for being recognized as preeminent litigation practitioners by Benchmark Litigation Canada!

Bryan and Kaitlyn are both being recognized as “Future Stars” for the second year in a row. Greg and Wes have both been highlighted as “Litigation Stars” again. This is also the third year that AMLC has been identified as a "Recommended Firm".

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The 14th edition of Benchmark Litigation Canada is now available online at www.benchmarklitigation.com. Benchmark Litigation is a definitive guide to the world's leading litigation law firms and lawyers.

AMLC lawyers Wes McMillan and Danielle Wierenga will represent the BC Humanist Association in a trial concerning the scope of freedom of religion and access to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)

On April 1, 2025, Chief Justice Skolrood granted the BC Humanist Association leave to intervene in the trial.

The case concerns a constitutional challenge arising out of the unavailability of MAiD at St. Paul's Hospital and other medical facilities in BC operated by faith-based organizations. In their submissions, the BC Humanists will argue, among other things, that when the government provides a public service by contracting with a non-government entity, it cannot circumvent its Charter obligations by allowing that entity to provide the service in a way that would contravene the government’s duty of religious neutrality if provided by the government itself. The BC Humanists bring the perspective of the non-religious to assist the court in determining this important public law issue. 

In addition to the BC Humanists and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Chief Justice granted five other organizations leave to intervene in this case: the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities; Canadian Physicians for Life; the Christian Legal Fellowship; the Delta Hospice Society; and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Canadian Constitution Foundation's application for leave to intervene was denied. The trial of this matter is scheduled to begin in January 2026.

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Allen / McMillan Litigation Counsel’s award-winning pro bono practice often includes public interest interventions for organizations such as the BC Humanists, who bring important perspectives to the law but have limited resources. AMLC lawyers have previously represented the BC Humanists at the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the BC Supreme Court, the BC Court of Appeal and, on two occasions, at the Supreme Court of Canada.

AMLC is shortlisted for Litigation Boutique Firm of the Year by Benchmark Litigation Canada

AMLC is proud to have been shortlisted for Litigation Boutique Firm of the Year by Benchmark Litigation Canada. 

Benchmark Litigation Canada recognizes litigators and law firms nationwide based on months of peer review-based research and submissions from firms. The Benchmark Litigation Canada awards ceremony will take place in Toronto on May 8. Wes and Kaitlyn will be attending on behalf of AMLC. You can view the full shortlist for the awards here.

AMLC is pleased to welcome Janiene Chand to the firm!

We are thrilled to announce that Janiene Chand will be joining our firm as Manager of People and Development.

Janiene is coming to us with over 15 years of experience in the legal world - she is a professional coach and a former paralegal and lawyer. Her extensive knowledge and unique perspective will aid the firm with professional development, recruiting, and marketing. 

Welcome to the team, Janiene!

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.