Hi folks.
As some of you already know, lawyers for the impeached SFSS directors and the people they've brought a lawsuit against (Titus Gregory, Jan Gunn, and Bryan Jones) met in court on Wednesday and agreed on a hearing date for late next week.
Many students have expressed an interest in attending the hearing. We're sending this email to give you some information on attending: when and where, how to find the hearing, what (not) to expect, what to (not) do.
When & where
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The hearing will occur on Thursday, November 30 and Friday, December 1 (if necessary). The hearing will be held in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, in one of the courtrooms in the Vancouver Law Courts building.
The Vancouver Law Courts building is located at:
800 Smithe St. (between Howe and Hornby) Vancouver, BC
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q
Hearings normally run from 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM, and then from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Please try to be at the courthouse at 9:45 AM for the morning session and 1:45 PM for the afternoon session.
How to find the hearing
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We likely won't know until the day of the trial which courtroom it will be in. We advise the following procedure:
- Enter the courthouse via the entrance under the bridge that crosses Smithe St.
- There should be someone in that lobby who'll direct you where to go.
- If there isn't, then look for the bulletin boards at the far end -- there will be a list of courtrooms assigned to cases, and the hearing will be listed on there.
- If you still have questions, ask the court commissioner (the nice person in the bulletproof vest sitting at the desk in the lobby)
What to expect
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The particular type of court case that's being decided here is called a "petition". This is a type of streamlined court action that's designed for a quick response. Because of this, all of the evidence is usually submitted in advance, in the form of affidavits. Thus, you won't see people testifying as witnesses. Instead, the lawyers will be arguing the case based on the various laws, by-laws, and rules that relate to it, and referring to the evidence already filed.
If you're interested in seeing the evidence filed with the court, please see:
http://www.studentunion.ca
What (not) to do
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If you come to the hearing, please:
- come early
- turn off cellphones before entering the courtroom
- remain quiet during the hearing
- dress neatly
- be respectful at all times and to all parties
- use any sort of recording device in the courtroom -- they are _strictly_ prohibited -- this includes cell-phone cameras
- repeatedly leave and re-enter the courtroom
If you have questions about attending the hearing, please contact us: Adam Lein (adam.lein@gmail.com) and/or Mike Letourneau (mletourn@cs.sfu.ca ) -- we are the liasons to the two lawyers opposing the petition.
We look forward to seeing you all there in court!
- Adam Lein & Mike Letourneau
