Course Chairs
Lynda Cassels — Cassels Murray, Victoria
Catherine J. Wong — Saltwater Law, Vancouver
About the Course Chairs
Lynda Cassels practices with Cassels Murray Family & Estates Law in Victoria. She is a family and wills and estates lawyer. Trained in mediation and collaborative law, Lynda enjoys assisting clients with the legal issues that arise during major life transitions, including separation and divorce, planning for marriage or cohabitation, deciding to have children, or dealing with the death or diminishing mental capacity of a loved one. She has a particular interest in fertility law, adoption, and elder law. Lynda has presented at continuing legal education seminars on fertility and family law topics and formerly served on the executive of the Elder Law and Family Law (Victoria) sections of the CBA (BC branch).
Catherine Wong is a family and fertility law lawyer and mediator at Saltwater Law. Although she offers comprehensive family law services, Catherine's law and mediation practice has a particular focus on fertility law, working with the 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and also with polyamorous and multiparent families. In addition to presenting on matters related to fertility law and how the law intersects with non-traditional families, Catherine is often consulted on fertility law matters by other family law lawyers in the context of cohabitation, marriage, and separation.
Catherine is an active member of her communities and has served on a number of boards and organizations including the City of Vancouver 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee and was the former board chair of Out on Screen. Professionally, Catherine is a member of Fertility Law BC, the CBA, and the TLABC. She also currently serves on the executive of the BC subsection of the CBA SOGIC committee and the Racial Justice Grants Advisory Committee of the Law Foundation of BC.
Elder Maria Reed Waabigekek Ikwe (Metis)
When Maria was a child she had a recurring dream that she was being chased on horseback by "wild Indians." Back then, she didn't know she was Indigenous, but now that she knows, the dream makes sense symbolically.
Like so many Indigenous people, her parents and grandparents were robbed of their heritage in residential schools and were fearful of discrimination, so they didn't practice their culture.
Like the dream she had as a child, however, Maria's Indigenous background would eventually catch up to her in her teens when one of her aunts discovered the family's Indigenous roots.
Maria hasn't looked back since, immersing herself in the culture. Her great-grandmother was from the Batchewana First Nation in Ontario, and her great grandfather was French and Métis.
Maria is French, Cree and Ojibway on her father's side and Swedish Sami on her mother's side. The Sami are Sweden's Indigenous people and known as Reindeer Herders.
Since finding out about her Indigenous roots in her teens, Maria has immersed herself in learning about her culture. "When I found out it was one of those aha moments," says Maria. Her Indigenous name, Waabigekek Ikwe, means White Hawk Woman.
Maria loves being an Elder and feels that everything she has done in the fields of wellness—body, mind and spirit—has come together to prepare her to be an Elder.
Early on, Maria took a course on Indigenous culture that exposed her to sweats, smudging, circles, and healing practices. Maria has worked as a Life Skills Coach and a Human Relations Counsellor and spent years working with the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Health Council on health and wellness initiatives and as an Elder with Circle 5. "I learned a lot about human nature and a lot about myself," says Maria.
She credits her greatest learnings to fellow Elders. "You learn about all the different cultural practices. The more teachings you learn, the more you find out about human nature," says Maria. "In our business we work with people and the more you can understand where they come from, the better you can work with them."
Maria says she is not much of a person for hobbies. "I love what I do," says Maria, who prefers to be working or spending time with her two daughters and grandchildren. She says she loves challenges, creating well working systems, and helping people. She is a problem-solver by nature. She is also a life-long learner and is currently taking a course on death and grieving.
Maria believes Elders set the tone and bring culture and wisdom. She says it took time at Circle 5 to build that culture so that it became a natural way to do things. She urges staff to reach out to the Elders, to build relationships.
She believes the Indigenous world view of everything being connected is essential to the work of the Agency. "No one is better than anyone or anything else," says Maria.
Planning Committee
Lynda Cassels — Cassels Murray, Victoria
barbara findlay, KC — Law Office of barbara findlay KC, Vancouver
Michelle Kinney — Michelle Kinney Law, Victoria
Monique Shebbeare — Monique Shebbeare Law Co., Vancouver
Zara Suleman — Suleman Family Law, North Vancouver
Catherine J. Wong — Saltwater Law, Vancouver
Faculty
Jeannette Aucoin — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
barbara findlay, KC — Law Office of barbara findlay KC, Vancouver
Christine Murray — Cassels Murray, Victoria
Elise Schopper-Brigel — West Coast Family Law, Victoria
Monique Shebbeare — Monique Shebbeare Law Co., Vancouver
Zara Suleman — Suleman Family Law, North Vancouver
Dr. Beth Taylor, MD, FRCSC — Olive Fertility Clinic, Vancouver
Jasmeet K. Wahid — Kahn Zack Ehrlich Lithwick LLP, Richmond
Cindy R. Wasser — Hope Springs Fertility Law, Toronto
Click here for full faculty bios