about do better bc
Connecting with Your Community
Do Better BC is a NON-PARTISAN, self-funded, grassroots community hub with a purpose of bringing together the residents of British Columbia. One of our goals is to create an interactive map that will help you discover local events, activities, and connections in your area and around BC. We are inviting you to participate in our vibrant network, encouraging you to make a difference through awareness in your community today.
OUR FIRST EVENT WAS A TOWNHALL DISCUSSION held on September 21, 2024 at Thompson Community Centre in Richmond, BC. Our expert speakers addressed recently passed legislation (Bills 44, 46, 47, 36, 21, 31). We thank everyone who was able to attend!
Connecting with Community Representatives
It is important to keep the lines of communication open in a free and democratic society. Collaborative engagement helps facilitate community growth. Consistent connection with community representatives allows for local concerns to be addressed. Contact your MLA today.
event info
event registration
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Entry for full event registrants
12:00 - 12:30 pm
General public / drops-ins throughout the event if space available.
12:30 - 12:45 pm
Opening Remarks
1:30 - 1:45 pm
Intermission (Free Snacks & Refreshments)
2:30 - 2:45 pm
Intermission (Free Food & Refreshments)
2:45 - 4:00 pm
Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act (Bill 44)
4:00 - 4:15 pm
Intermission (Free Snacks & Refreshments)
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Network Social
Tara McPhail
Meet Tara McPhail
Bio
Tara McPhail is the Director of Discipline and External Litigation at the Law Society of British Columbia. In this role, Tara oversees the department of lawyers and paralegals that run the Society’s disciplinary hearings against lawyers, as well as managing any external litigation in which the Society is a party. Tara began her career as a management-side labour and employment lawyer at McCarthy Tetrault before going in-house at TransLink, via a detour with the United Nations in Kenya. Tara is the Interim President of Canada's newest political party (the Canadian Future Party), which aims to end the 'political homelessness' experienced by many Canadians. Tara is a mother to eight year old twin girls.
Dr. Steven Pelech
Meet Dr. Steven Pelech
Bio
Dr. Steven Pelech is a full professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he has been on faculty since 1988. Dr. Pelech received his BSc (Hon) and PhD in Biochemistry from UBC, and undertook his post-doctoral training at the University of Dundee with Sir Philip Cohen, and at the University of Washington in Seattle with Nobel laureate Dr. Edwin Krebs. He was one of the founding scientists of the Biomedical Research Centre at UBC, a founder and president of Kinetek Pharmaceuticals Inc. from 1992 to 1998, and the founder, president, and chief scientific officer of Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation from 1999 to the present. Dr. Pelech has authored over 260 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters about cell communication systems important for immune function and implicated in the pathology of cancer, diabetes, neurological, and immunology-related diseases. Over the last three years, he has led a clinical study with over four thousand participants to monitor their antibody levels to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. His accolades include the 1993 Martin F. Hoffman Award for Research at UBC, and the 1993 Merck Frosst Canada Prize from the Canadian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He was also the 2001 distinguished lecturer for the Faculty of Medicine at UBC for the basic sciences and a recipient of a Top 40 Under 40 Award from Business in Vancouver in 1996. Dr. Pelech was one of the founders of the Canadian Covid Care Alliance, and also serves as its vice-president.
Special Guest Speaker
Frequently Asked Questions for Bill 44 (Pro-active Planning)
Why real estate covenants could be a growing headache for the B.C. government
Overview of Bills 44, 46, 47
Old property covenants stall B.C.'s new density legislation
Frequently Asked Questions for Bill 46
Frequently Asked Questions for Bill 44 (Small-Scale, Multi-Unit Housing)
Paul Jaffe
Meet Paul Jaffe
Bio
1979: Carleton University, Political Science, BA
1979-1981: Parliamentary assistant in the House of Commons
1981- 1984: LLB, University of Ottawa
1985: Called to the BC Bar
1986-88: Crown counsel with both AG Canada and AGBC, prosecuting criminal cases in the Vancouver courts.
1988: Private practice, practicing primarily criminal law and commercial litigation throughout the 1990’s.
Over the last 2 decades, Paul has increasing focused on cases which raise constitutional issues regarding freedom of speech and other fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Paul has appeared as counsel in all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada and before numerous administrative tribunals.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has". Margaret Mead
