CBA National News

CBA NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT
Raymond Adlington, a tax law specialist with McInnes Cooper in Halifax, has been elected CBA National Vice President. Voters in this election were the 2016-17 Board of Directors, the National Section Chairs and the National Forum Chairs.

Three members of the 2017-18 Board came forward as candidates for the vice-presidential position. The other two were Jeff Howe, an aboriginal and treaty law specialist and sole proprietor in Saskatchewan, and Marie Laure Leclerq, who specializes in intellectual property and commercial law as counsel with De Grandpré Chait in Montreal.

The lineup for the 2017-18 Board is now complete. The new Board will take over on September 1, and oversee the transition to the new CBA governance model.


SPOTLIGHT ON THE ANNUAL MEETING
While normally at this time of year CBA members and staff would be gearing up for a CBA Legal Conference and Council meeting taking place over several days, this year will feature an Annual Meeting to transition to our new governance model – a meeting that will take less than an afternoon.

The business traditionally dealt with by Council will be compressed into a no-nonsense, tightly paced 2 ½-hour meeting on August 17.

This year members will be asked to consider just three resolutions, with the first – the new CBA bylaws – being of primary importance. The other two, from the Children’s Law Committee and SOGIC, will be addressed if there is time. The new Board of Directors will be looking at other ways to bring resolutions to the membership for consideration, more than just once a year at the Annual Meeting.

The members who will vote on the resolutions will be those attending the meeting in person, as well as those participating at hubs set up across the country. The Alberta Branch's hubs are located at the CBA offices in Calgary and Edmonton. Scrutineers in each location will make sure that the members in attendance there are eligible to vote.

All of the meeting materials and other relevant information can be found on the cba.org website.


UPDATE ON CBA INTERVENTIONS
The Supreme Court has given the CBA leave to intervene in Groia. A team from Norton Rose led by Pierre Bienvenu acts for the CBA. The CBA has also filed its application for leave to intervene at the Supreme Court in two appeals relating to TWU. All three appeals will be heard in November.


MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
There is no better time to renew your CBA membership. Our industry is undergoing profound change, and the opportunities ahead are exciting. Together, we hold the key to meeting the challenges to come.

Your membership renewal is a commitment to your career and your profession. It is a reminder that you belong to something big, and something that matters. As a CBA member, you have countless opportunities to grow real and meaningful connections with your colleagues across the country. Our members represent the very best of Canada’s legal community.

A reminder for all members to take advantage of the Portfolio and Portfolio Plus packages that are available to enhance your membership. These packages provide members with education credits, free materials-level membership to Alberta Branch Sections, and rebates on eligible CBA purchases.

For more information on CBA membership renewal, and the benefits available to Alberta members, visit
www.cba.org/Membership/Why-Renew/AB.