Community Legal Seminar hosted by

the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network

Registration begins Tuesday, September 6, 2011.  

Spaces are limited.

Doors open at 5:15pm.  Light refreshments will be served.

Featuring opening remarks by Dr. Julio Montaner,

Director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and past-President of the International AIDS Society. 

In the last ten years there has been a dramatic escalation in the frequency and severity of charges against people living with HIV for not disclosing their status to sexual partners.  Over 120 people living with HIV have being charged in less than 15 years, including at least 12 cases in British Columbia, and one case, R v. Mabior, is now on its way to the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear first-hand perspectives from legal experts who have been involved in both the prosecution and defense of key cases related to HIV non-disclosure in British Columbia. The event will also feature presentations by a medical expert on the scientific and medical research on HIV, as well as a community member who will discuss the social context of living with HIV and how criminalization of HIV non-disclosure impacts those living with and/or affected by HIV.

Join lawyers, judges, health researchers,  AIDS service organizations and people living with HIV for this FREE community legal seminar to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the current laws, the role of scientific evidence in the courts’ decisions and discuss possible actions to limit the use of the criminal law.  There will be ample opportunity for attendees to ask the experts questions and participate in this unique knowledge exchange opportunity.

TOPICS:

• Recent legal developments involving HIV non-disclosure criminal cases in British Columbia and Canada;
• Current scientific evidence on HIV transmission and treatment;
• Social context of living with HIV and the impacts of criminalization on communities affected by HIV; and,
• Development of prosecutorial guidelines for cases of HIV non-disclosure.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS: 

• Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and past-President of the International AIDS Society
• David Eby, Executive Director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association
• Richard Elliott, Executive Director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
• Cecile Kazatchkine, Policy Analyst with the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
  
• Janet Dickie, Crown Counsel, British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General
• Jason Gratl, defence lawyer, Gratl and Company
• Dr. Mark Tyndall, Professor of Medicine, University of Ottawa; Head of Infectious Diseases, Ottawa Hospital
  

If you have any questions, please contact Lindsey Amèrica-Simms at lsimms@aidslaw.ca or 416-595-1666 ext. 236 for more information.