Dewlin Vriend and his legal team returned home from the Supreme Court of Canada to find a massive crowd waiting for them at the Edmonton International Airport. Alberta was in a frenzy, and the anticipation built as the province waited for the Supreme Court to issue its ruling on the future of equality for Alberta’s Queer and Trans community. It was going to be a close call.  Delwin’s legal team’s hopes rested with Justice Sopinka — the swing vote. But a week after the hearing, the tragic news of Justice Sopinka’s death shocked the nation. Now, it was anyone’s guess […]

Sheila Greckol had delivered her opening arguments at the Supreme Court of Canada. It went well as she presented her submission in support of reading in sexual orientation as a protected ground in Alberta’s human rights legislation. Now it was the Government of Alberta’s turn to defend its stance. As the Province’s lead counsel took to the lecturn, the equality of countless Canadians hung in the balance. Welcome to episode 6 of Vriend Versus Alberta. *NOTE: The terms “Queer and Trans” and “sexual and gender minorities” are used in this series to refer to the 2SLGBTQI+ community as a whole. […]

The Supreme Court of Canada granted Delwin Vriend’s legal team the leave to appeal Justice McClung’s ruling in the Alberta Court of Appeal. As the team arrived in Ottawa, the excitement and tension was palpable. It was their last shot to compel the Government of Alberta to include “sexual orientation” as  protected ground in the Province’s human rights legislation. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Sheila Greckol’s opening argument and visit a few of the submissions from the many interveners who spoke in support of Delwin’s case. This would conclude the first half of the hearing before […]

With his legal team behind him, Delwin Vriend won his case at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench. Justice Russel pulled no punches in her written ruling, stating that discrimination against the gay and lesbian communities was an historical, universal, notorious, and indisputable social reality.  It was a big win for Delwin and his team, however it would be short lived as the Government of Alberta appealed the ruling. The next stage in the legal process would not be so kind to Delwin’s pursuit for equality for Alberta’s 2SLGBTQI+ community. Welcome to episode 4 of Vriend Versus Alberta. *NOTE: The […]