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We are still planning our next workshop. Check back again soon for updates. Thanks!

In the meantime, you can find  information about our previous workshops and an archive of handouts.

2010 Workshops

Society Survival Guide:
Learn to Protect Your Organization in Tough Economic Times, A Three Part Series

All workshops are held at The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, in Vancouver.

Society Act 101 and Bylaw Review with Margaret Mason
March 24, 2010, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Are you considering becoming a not-for-profit society? The BC Society Act sets the legal framework for every not-for-profit society in BC, but not very many know its ins and outs.  Join one of BC’s leading experts for a discussion of the Act followed by small group discussions of bylaw revisions.  This workshop will answer questions for new and established organizations.

So You Wanna Be A Charity: Applying for Charitable Status and Maintenance with Martha Rans
April 7, 2010, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Each year, thousands of Canadian charities have their charitable status revoked for failing to follow the rules of the game. Find out whether applying for charitable status is meant for your organization. Join us for an overview of what being a charity means and how to stay in line with the CRA’s rules.

Outside the Box: New Business Models for the Arts with Michael Scholar Jr.
April 21, 2010, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM

Are changes in funding patterns making you rethink the traditional non-profit arts model? Are you just forming a company and want to explore your options? This workshop will explain your alternatives: co-ops, collectives, for-profit and not-for-profit models.

Presented by the Artists' Legal Outreach, along with the Cultch and the Dancer Transition Resource Centre.

Download the print version of the poster (PDF).

2009 Workshops

Free and Essential Information for Charity Staff and Boards
3 workshops offered by the BC Centre for Social Enterprise
November 9, 10 and 12, 2009

The BC Centre for Social Enterprise partnered with Canadian charities lawyer Richard Bridge in order to share plain-language and current information on charity governance, fundraising limits, and reporting. Topics covered included financial areas such as proper receipting, managing books and records, the disbursement quota, the T3010B information return, GST / HST, and CRA audits. Good governance principles and approaches were another focus, another extremely important topic for Board members. The session also offered advice on allowable fundraising activities, and social enterprise.

At the time, the BC Centre for Social Enterprise had delivered 16 of these sessions across Western Canada with very positive feedback. Many participants stated that the session should be a prerequisite for any staff or Board members involved in charities.

This project was generously supported by the Canada Revenue Agency with the assistance of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, the Vancouver Foundation and the Langley Association for Community Living.

2008 Workshops

Art and the Olympics Workshop Series
3 workshops focused on providing legal answers to artists practicing in the changing Olympic landscape.

Workshop 1: Running Rings Around Trade-marks
The Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act: Issues for Artists

Kimberly Baker, whose image of 5 shopping carts and the words Vancouver 2010 caught the eye of the city, related her experiences with VANOC, and the Olympic and Paralympic Trademark Act. She was joined by representatives from VANOC and members of the legal community to initiate a dialogue on the Act and its potential impact for artists.

October 21, 2008, 6:30 to 8 PM
Grunt Gallery, #116, 350 East 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Speakers:       
Kimberly Baker, Visual Artist
Charles Hotel, Legal Counsel, VANOC
Bill Cooper, Director of Corporate Rights and Management, VANOC
David Wotherspoon, Partner, Intellectual Property Litigation, Fasken Martineau LLP
Moderator: Martha Rans, Lawyer and Legal Director, Artists’ Legal Outreach

Workshop 2: Making Art Public:
 Artists and the Law in Public Spaces

When Dennis Oppenheim's Device to Root Out Evil was removed from a downtown landmark, the community reacted. For artists working in the public sphere, many potential legal issues can arise in the commissioning process: the integrity of work, liability for deterioration, maintenance and vandalism and many others. The ALO was joined by Alan Storey, creator of the Pendulum in the HSBC Building, and many involved in the commissioning of works in public spaces including artists, art consultants, architect. City and Parks Board members.  

November 20, 2008, from 6:30 to 8 PM
Coal Harbour Community Centre, 480 Broughton Street (Activity Room)
Speakers:
Sharon Kallis, Artist-in-Residence, Coal Harbour Community Centre
Alan Storey, Artist
Thom Weeks, Proscenium Architecture and Interior Design
Barrie Mowatt, Vancouver Sculpture Biennale, Buschlen Mowatt Gallery
Dennis Walz, Walz Lehan Lawyers
Oliver Kellhammer, Environmental Artist and Writer
Members of the Office of Cultural Affairs and the Park Board
Moderator: Martha Rans, Lawyer and Legal Director, Artists’ Legal Outreach

Workshop 3:  Legal Issues for Arts Organizations

The Olympics has brought with it some questions that some arts groups are struggling to address.  To get those questions answered, the ALO invited arts administrators to bring their questions to a speed - lawyering session where they had the opportunity to meet one on one with participating lawyers.

February 6, 2009, 1 to 3 PM
Arts Club Theatre, Upper Lobby, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BC
Participants:    
Robert Galletti
Margaret Mason, Partner, Bull, Housser & Tupper
Martha Rans, Lawyer and Legal Director, Artists’ Legal Outreach
Denis Walz, Partner, Walz Lehan Lawyers