Marie-Noël was called to the Bar in New York State and British Columbia. She started her legal career in Canada at a pro bono organization where she launched and managed programs to represent clients before various tribunals. She was later appointed as an adjudicator for the Mental Health Review Board, then opened her law firm, focusing primarily on Immigration & Refugee Law and Housing Law. She is now honoured to serve older adults in British Columbia along with Seniors First BC’s dedicated team.
Norbert graduated from the UBC Sauder School of business with a degree in Commerce, specializing in accounting. With several years of experience in accounting, finance and human resources in both private industry and public health, Norbert is excited to bring his business background to Seniors First BC. He is proud to be part of an organization that provides support to older adults in need.
Mr. Marshall is the senior counsel at Seniors First BC. A member of the Law Society of British Columbia and the Canadian Bar Association, Mr. Marshall has worked as trial and appellate counsel since being called to the Bar in Manitoba in 1973 and the British Columbia Bar in 1975.
Zack recently completed his legal education at the University of Victoria. While at UVic Zack became involved in numerous access to justice initiatives and gained valuable clinic experience through a term at The Law Centre. Prior to his legal education Zack graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice. Zack is passionate about serving his community, advocating for vulnerable and underserved individuals and expanding access to justice. Outside of work Zack enjoys travel and spending time by the ocean.
Catharine is a lawyer with a background in civil litigation, administrative law and public interest law. She spent six years in private practice before returning to the non-profit sector to manage our Advance Planning Clinic Program and work as a staff lawyer. Catharine has been an active member of the legal community and her local community on Vancouver Island, sitting on non-profit boards and volunteering with various organizations.
Sara is a lawyer whose education and work have focused on older adults. Sara obtained a degree in gerontology before attending law school. Her LLM thesis examined supports for family caregivers of older adults. Prior to joining SFBC, Sara worked at the Canadian Centre for Elder Law. There, she wrote on elder abuse, decision-making laws for people with dementia, long-term care laws, and health care professional regulation. Sara is co-chair of the BC Adult Abuse and Neglect Prevention Collaborative and secretary of the CBA Elder Law Section. Outside of work, Sara likes to get lost in a good book and go skating, when not running after her three daughters.
Nighat has a law degree and practised law for 15 years in Pakistan. As a Britannia Chevening Scholar, she completed her Master’s degree in International Law from the University of Hull, UK. She also has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado-Denver. Nighat works in the Legal Advocacy Program, providing information, referral and representation services to older adults.
Preetkamal is a Lawyer with a passion for social justice and equity. She studied Law at the University of Birmingham (UK) and obtained her LLM in American Law from Boston University. After being called to the bar, she worked at a nonprofit law clinic practicing administrative law and provided legal guidance and support to those who are vulnerable and marginalized. Preetkamal works in the Legal Advocacy Program, helping older adults navigate their legal issues.
Natalija has many years of experience in the areas of wills and estates, litigation, real property and corporate commercial. Prior to joining Seniors First BC Natalija worked at various places, both private and public. While working Natalija also attended courses to update her skills and expertise and gained her paralegal certificate. She is a member of the BC Paralegal Association. When it comes to legal communication Natalija values plain and simple language.
Nataliya enjoyed studying English language and literature at Lviv State University (Ukraine). She completed a diploma in Tourism from the International Air Transport Association (Geneva, Switzerland). She also successfully completed the Legal Assistant Certificate program at Vancouver Community College. She has worked as a Legal Assistant at various law offices specializing in Corporate, Personal Injury and Aboriginal Law.
Tina holds a Criminology and Political Science degree and a Legal Studies certificate from Simon Fraser University. Tina began her career by volunteering in the field of intimate partner violence, crisis intervention, and corrections. Her recent experience includes providing critical incident response to victims, their families, and/or witnesses of trauma and/or crime in cases such as sudden deaths, serious accidents, and domestic disputes. Tina’s experience in supporting the vulnerable population has provided her with a belief that individuals are the experts in their own lives and have within them the strength to change and recover.
Queen is a graduate of the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a graduate of the Vancouver Community College Community Counselling Skills Program. She has volunteer and work experience with the Multicultural Family Centre, YWCA, and Battered Women Support Services. Queen also has training in Community and Settlement Services, Crisis Line Intervention, Domestic Violence Intervention, Non-violence Intervention and Mental Health First Aid. She provides support to older adults, victims of a crime and/or elder abuse or neglect.
She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Simon Fraser University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Counselling & Human Development. Her previous volunteer experience includes psychology research, crisis intervention, and peer mentorship. She is passionate about working with individuals to support their resiliency.
Sarah works for the Seniors Abuse and Information Line. She has completed training in Emergency Medical Call taking with the British Columbia Ambulance Service and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of British Columbia. Sarah has experience providing support and advocacy for older adults, in community and emergency settings.
Maggie served as the Seniors First BC office manager for six years and is thrilled to be back as part of the SAIL Team, doing meaningful work and supporting older adults across the province. Prior to this, Maggie worked for the federal government at the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for 29 years as a Citizenship and Immigration Officer and served as the citizenship judge coordinator for the BC-Yukon region. Maggie is fluently trilingual and has a BA from Concordia University in Montreal.
Angela completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of British Columbia with a major in French and a minor in Psychology. She worked for the federal government as a Citizenship and Immigration officer for 30 years and enjoyed helping people from around the world to navigate government resources and processes. She is proud to be serving seniors through the Seniors Abuse and Information Line.
Cara works on the Seniors Abuse and Information Line and is a registered social worker in British Columbia. She graduated from the University of Victoria with a degree in social work and is interested in the field of gerontology, specifically dementia-care and end-of-life care. Cara has experience working in community-based settings offering programs for older adults on one of the Gulf Islands where she lives.
Aneet is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Minor in Counselling. She has volunteer and work experience working on crisis lines and providing emotional support to others along with coaching new volunteers and helping them excel. She is proud to be apart of the Seniors First BC community and looks forward to helping senior's find the right resources and information needed.
Julie spent 9 years working with the Alzheimer's Society of BC providing support and information on dementia care. She is passionate about supporting older adults and grateful to be working with Seniors First BC.
Justin has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC), majoring in Philosophy. He has volunteered as a Clinic Assistant for Access Pro Bono, a kitchen leader for a local soup kitchen that serves Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, a Grant Writer for Shelter Movers Vancouver, a Resource Navigator for the BC Association of Neighbourhood Houses, and a Writer for the Source Newspaper. He started as a volunteer for Seniors First BC, transitioned to the role of Workshop & Outreach Coordinator, and later worked as the Communications Coordinator before his current role. He is passionate about providing information to the public about issues that affect seniors across the province of British Columbia.
Linda brings a background in education, social work, and gerontology to the SFBC team. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and an Inter-professional Diploma in Gerontology. Her wide range of experience includes teaching English as a Second Language to adults in Vancouver and Latin America, volunteering with community organizations, and supporting residents with dementia and complex care needs as a Recreation Therapy Assistant in a long-term care facility. Linda believes in sharing information to build awareness of issues, options and resources, and after starting as a volunteer with SFBC, Linda is excited to be contributing to the Public Education and Outreach Program.
Seniors First BC is a charitable, non-profit society that provides information, advocacy, and support to seniors across BC who are dealing with issues affecting their well-being.
