Creating effective change in the legal system

Leadership and GovernmentProfessional and Corporate
Written by Stuart McNish

Guest: Wally Oppal (lawyer, former Attorney General of British Columbia)

In this edition of Careers That Matter, we sit down with The Honourable Wally Oppal, Q.C., a man who has made an indelible mark on the law on in British Columbia.

Not only was he a lawyer, judge, politician, Attorney General, Cabinet Minister and a Special Prosecutor, but his work has changed the law and the role of police officers.

It’s a job that does not have a clearly defined career path outside of a legal education. As you’ll hear, Wally Oppal cares passionately about his work and the responsibilities that come with it.

Watch more episodes
Studying businesses and understanding how they work
Studying businesses and understanding how they work

What does a vice-president of research do? This is Steven Zicherman’s role with Odlum Brown – he studies businesses by looking at their financial filings and trying to understand how a company “ticks.” This could be from internal factors within the company but can be affected by its ecosystem and competitors, which need to be taken into account; this requires skills geared towards recognizing patterns and seeing everything with a fresh set of eyes.

Read more →
Fundraising by selling impact and showing how to help
Fundraising by selling impact and showing how to help

How does the Kettle Society, a mental health and housing nonprofit, get its funding? That is the challenge that Michelle Vanderzon tackles, in her role as the director of philanthropy. This is often in the form of grant writing and applications, which relies on a variety of strategies, such as storytelling and building relationships with companies, family foundations, and those who care about the mission.

Read more →
Connecting to Vancouver’s residents and businesses as their mayor
Connecting to Vancouver’s residents and businesses as their mayor

As mayor of Vancouver entering a municipal election, Ken Sim has to transition into an additional role as mayoral candidate. This means this is a double-duty role, having to run the city and run a campaign at the same time. But he sees himself as just one member of the council chamber and campaign team – he follows the advice of the team that he has assembled, connecting to the city’s residents and businesses as much as he can.

Read more →
Understanding the city and being drawn into public service
Understanding the city and being drawn into public service

What does it take to be a principled and strong opposition city council member? Pete Fry learned how to do that when he was placed in that situation after the rise of Ken Sim as Vancouver mayor. After all, his journey as an entrepreneur and longtime resident of the city gives him an insight on what it takes to build a life in Vancouver, and his personal struggles allows for an understanding of what families in crisis may go through.

Read more →
Stuart McNish
Previous

The journalistic passion that saved a TV station
Next

Studying active volcanoes on a daily basis