Okanagan Advocacy & Resource Society

09/22/2026

Happy to see our sister Legal Advocate program thriving. Check out their new website - especially if seeking information on Indigenous advocacy issues and Wills and Estate planning. They are generous in sharing their knowledge!

🌿 Our New Website Is Here!
We’re pleased to share the new Bella Coola Legal Advocacy website!

🌐 www.bclap.ca

For many years, Bella Coola Legal Advocacy has worked alongside individuals, families, and communities through legal advocacy, public legal education, workshops, and practical legal information. The new website gives us a place to bring more of that work together and make it easier to find and access.

You can visit the site to learn about our legal advocacy services, explore workshops and public legal education, find legal information and resources, catch up on our latest news, watch videos and conversations from our community, and sign up for updates about upcoming workshops, resources, and activities.

Our goal is to make legal information and advocacy more accessible to the people and communities we serve—particularly in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

The website also gives us a place to share some of the knowledge, resources, and experiences that have grown from many years of working with communities throughout the Central Coast and beyond.

We hope you’ll take a look around, explore what’s there, and share it with anyone who might find it useful.
🌐 www.bclap.ca
And thank you to everyone who has supported Bella Coola Legal Advocacy and contributed to this work over the years. We’re excited to finally have a website that gives all of this work a home.
— Bella Coola Legal Advocacy
A program of The S.H.E.D. Society of Bella Coola

08/07/2026

Disability Pride Month in July is a time to affirm the history, diversity and strength of all people with disabilities.

Patriarchal, ableist systems have denied disabled people of humanity and agency for a long time. Compulsory sterilization laws were only repealed in Canada in the 1970s, but the effects of these abuses echo far into the future. Many people in society still believe that people with disabilities cannot be a good parent. Services and systems are not set up to support parents with disabilities. Many parents with disabilities face the risk of unnecessary child removal.

People with disabilities, like anyone else, can be good parents if they have support. Our toolkit, Your Rights as a Parent with a Disability in BC, explains what rights you have as a parent, and offers sample scripts and further resources to guide you.

Visit the Toolkit here:
>> https://familysupportbc.com/toolkits/your-rights-as-a-parent-with-a-disability-in-british-columbia/

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Toolkit Resources are practical, step-by-step guides on specific topics around navigating the disability world. Toolkits are arranged by category and accessible on web or in PDF format.

08/07/2026

Made redundant on sick leave? 🤒

If your employer decides to make you redundant while you’re on sick leave, you may be able to bring a claim for unfair dismissal. 💼

Your employer must be able to prove there was a genuine redundancy situation and that they followed fair procedures. If they cannot prove this, your dismissal may be found to be unfair. 🧑‍⚖️

Even if a genuine redundancy situation exists, you may bring a claim for unfair dismissal if you think that you were unfairly selected for redundancy. 🔍

08/07/2026

07/24/2026

07/24/2026

What if the behavior you've been struggling with is actually communication?
https://buff.ly/rVBJrAs

Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) often experience overwhelming anxiety when faced with everyday demands.

Understanding PDA can change the way you parent—and the way your child experiences the world.

Join the PDA Summit 2026 and learn from leading experts.

🎟️ Your FREE Pass is waiting.

https://buff.ly/rVBJrAs

07/24/2026

🚨 New Report: Experiences of Older Women in Canada: Findings from the NIA's 2025 Ageing in Canada Survey

Women in Canada are living longer than men—but many are ageing with greater financial insecurity, loneliness and exposure to ageism.

Today, the NIA, in partnership with International Longevity Centre Canada and with support from Women and Gender Equality Canada, released Experiences of Older Women in Canada: Findings from the NIA's 2025 Ageing in Canada Survey. This is the first report in a three-part research series examining how gender shapes the experience of ageing in Canada.

The findings reveal that older women, particularly those with inadequate incomes and those who are racialized, face barriers to financial security, social participation and health care access.

As Canada is now a super-aged society, targeted policies are needed to ensure all older adults can age with confidence.

The 2025 Ageing in Canada Survey is a nationally representative study capturing the experiences and perspectives of Canadians aged 50+, conducted with support from Manulife and Waltons Trust.

📊 Read the report: https://niageing.ca/reports/experiences-of-older-women-in-canada-findings-from-the-nias-2025-ageing-in-canada-survey/

07/24/2026

Disability supports are a human right.
It’s time to rethink how services are designed and delivered.
We need a rights-based approach, aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and a commitment to innovate supports and services that evolve with people’s needs

Read the complete position statement: https://ow.ly/p6Cm50WxrTW

07/24/2026

OARS will return to full staffing levels in August.

We continue to provide information, referral and summary service.

We may offer some limited retainer assistance in August and September. We will assess this on a case by case basis as the Community Legal Advocate program transitions to a new organization in October.

Eviction notices and disability-related appeals will be given priority.

As we continue to operate by appointment only, please email intake@okadvocate or call 778-475-0808 to discuss your matter and to schedule an appointment.