The Latest

In British Columbia, a defamation lawsuit filed by author Steven Galloway against a woman he says falsely accused him of sexual and physical assaults can go to trial. Galloway, who was once chair of the University of British Columbia’s creative writing program, filed the lawsuit three years ago. The woman’s identity is protected by a publication ban, but she is referred to in court documents as A.B. Galloway’s lawsuit also names more than 20 other defendants.

Engaged as I am in the endless fight to protect the rights of creative professionals, I spend way too much of my time reading ridiculous claims by folks who just want free stuff. Ask any writer, musician, artist of any kind; approximately four out of every five interactions around our work involves us explaining that we can’t work for free or give away the product of our work without compensation. The pressure for free cultural product is relentless and exhausting to those who are trying to make a living in culture.

On January 13, 2022, the Supreme Court surprised many observers by agreeing to hear the appeal in Neufeld v Hansman, a relatively obscure anti-SLAPP case from British Columbia.  

For its persistent efforts to impede the free flow of information to the public, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy in the law enforcement category.