THE ADVOCATE 225
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
NEWS FROM
VANCOUVER
BAR ASSOCIATION
By Jason Newton*
The Vancouver Bar Association (“VBA”) was excited to return to the Hotel
Vancouver on November 25, 2021 to hold its annual general meeting
(“AGM”) in a hybrid live/virtual format. It was the VBA’s first in-person
event since March 2020. Despite the reduced capacity and lack of silent auction,
it was enjoyed by all. Thank you to all virtual and in-person attendees
for your continued support.
The team that planned this ambitious event, and overcame many challenges
in making it happen, deserves special recognition. Many thanks to
Samantha Chang, Niall Rand, Wendy Zhang, Shaun Foster, Priscilla Wingenbach
and Paul Kressock. We are also grateful to the Fairmont staff and management
for delivering a first-class experience.
The VBA’s AGM would arguably be an ordinary annual general meeting
if not for another hard-working group of individuals. They are, of course,
the candidates running for election to the board of directors. The six positions
elected annually are coveted, and the competition for votes is part of
what makes this AGM special. The candidates bring an excitement to the
evening as they whirl around the ballroom meeting, greeting, handing out
stickers and bartering for votes.
We thank this year’s candidates and are excited to welcome Catherine
Repel, Dalton Stark, Elise Kohno, Justin Abrioux, Leah Senevirante and
Sean Gallagher as the VBA’s newest members-at-large. We look forward to
working with this enthusiastic and talented group over the next two years.
For six new members-at-large to join the board, six must step down. It is
with deep gratitude that we see Pamela Lindsay, Vanessa Williams, Patrick
Beechinor, Paul Kressock, Shaun Foster and Niall Rand finish their terms.
* Jason Newton is the president of the Vancouver Bar Association and an associate at Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang.