Pivot Legal Society

Pivot Legal Society Legal non-profit working towards a society where dignity & compassion are firmly rooted in the law

[Who we are]
At Pivot, we believe that poverty and social exclusion are not inevitable. In 2001, we opened our doors in response to a health and human rights crisis in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Since then, our lawyers have worked in partnership with marginalized people and grassroots organizations to challenge legislation, policies, and practices that undermine human rights, intensify poverty, and perpetuate stigma. We strategically focus our efforts on the most tangible human rights in order to improve the immediate situation of the people we work with, while creating lasting change that resonates across the country. Our office is on the stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to Indigenous Peoples for their continuous relationship with their lands and are committed to learning to work in solidarity as accomplices in shifting the colonial default.

[What we do]
Pivot works in partnership with communities affected by poverty and social exclusion to identify priorities and develop solutions to complex human rights issues. Our work is focused in four policy areas: police accountability, health and drug policy, homelessness, and s*x workers’ rights. We combine strategic litigation with high-impact public education and advocacy campaigns to maximize our effectiveness. Our deep collaboration with marginalized people and grassroots movements, combined with our unique approach to social change, makes Pivot the only human rights organization of its kind in Canada.

[Our impact]
Alongside our clients, allies, and supporters, we are shifting policies, changing attitudes and paving the way for a more just and inclusive Canada. Together, we have achieved many important human rights victories.
- We have protected the constitutional rights of s*x workers by successfully challenging federal legislation that puts their lives in danger.
- We have worked with vulnerable people who use drugs to breakdown legal barriers to life-saving harm reduction and drug substitution treatments.
- We have supported victims of police misconduct and excessive force to stand up for their rights and spark changes in policing practice.
- We have helped homeless people secure important legal decisions confirming their right to shelter themselves from the elements and make equal use of public space. There has been a lot of progress, but there is more work to be done. Join our email list to keep up to learn more about the issues you care about, keep up-to-date on Pivot's campaigns, and find out how you can get involved.

BC Supreme Court has ruled prohibition on possession for the purpose of drug trafficking unconstitutional, while giving ...
10/01/2026

BC Supreme Court has ruled prohibition on possession for the purpose of drug trafficking unconstitutional, while giving Ottawa six months to change the CDSA. It is important to note: during this six month period, the existing law remains in place and enforceable.

Read the full decision here: https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/sc/26/18/2026BCSC1855.htm

Read Pivot's analysis: https://www.pivotlegal.org/bc_supreme_court_favours_dulf_canada_s_prohibition_on_drug_trafficking_is_unconstitutional

DULF's compassion club saved lives by providing tested drugs to prevent overdoses, and the court agreed: this is harm reduction, not crime. Justice Murray highlighted that CDSA violates Charter rights to life, security, and equality, and affirmed what harm reduction advocates have long argued, that community led non-medicalized safer supply programs are a necessary and evidence based response to a public health emergency that has claimed thousands of lives.

Read the blog post for more details: https://www.pivotlegal.org/bc_supreme_court_favours_dulf_canada_s_prohibition_on_drug_trafficking_is_unconstitutional

In a landmark ruling, the BC Supreme Court agreed with the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) that Canada’s prohibition on drug trafficking is unconstitutional. The decision stays DULF co-founders Erix Nyx and Jeremy Kalcium’s criminal convictions, recognizing that the pair “selflessly put them...

09/29/2026

In a landmark ruling this morning, the BC Supreme Court agreed with the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) that parts of Canada’s drug-trafficking prohibition regime are unconstitutional.
https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/sc/26/18/2026BCSC1855.htm

The decision stays DULF co-founders Erix Nyx and Jeremy Kalcium’s criminal convictions, recognizing that the pair “selflessly put themselves on the line” to save lives through DULF’s safer supply compassion club. This is a watershed moment for the drug user liberation movement.

Stay tuned for a more thorough analysis of the decision.

08/25/2026

Help VANDU Gather, Grieve & Remember This International Overd… VANDU Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users needs your support for VANDU Gather, Grieve & Remember on August 31

The FIFA 2026 Games have left Vancouver. It matters how we remember them.Read the fourth and final installation of Pivot...
08/25/2026

The FIFA 2026 Games have left Vancouver. It matters how we remember them.

Read the fourth and final installation of Pivot’s FIFA on the Block Series: the Post Mortem, where we take stock of Vancouver’s experience hosting the World Cup, cataloguing realities about the summer of 2026 that we insist on remembering.

https://www.pivotlegal.org/fifa_on_the_block_part_4

Our FIFA on the Block Series – Parts 1 through 4 – is intended to serve as an archive, so that we can leverage FIFA’s lessons to make us more organized, more prepared, and better equipped to safeguard dignity, justice, and human rights when (not if) the next mega-event comes to town.

Sign up for updates: https://www.pivotlegal.org/get_updates

Part 4 of Pivot’s FIFA on the Block series takes stock of Vancouver’s experience hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Here are five realities about the summer of 2026 that we insist on remembering.

Support VANDU's fundraiser to make IOAD 2026 accessible!https://gofund.me/03a374675
08/21/2026

Support VANDU's fundraiser to make IOAD 2026 accessible!
https://gofund.me/03a374675

**FUNDRAISER**

Help VANDU Gather, Grieve & Remember This International Overdose Awareness Day

https://www.gofundme.com/f/vandu-gather-grieve-remember-on-august-31

Across Canada, 56,631 people died from opioid toxicity between 2016 and the end of 2025.
In the United States, there were more than 832,000 drug overdose deaths over those same ten years.
Every country counts these deaths differently. But none of these numbers are just numbers.
They are our friends, family, neighbours, members and loved ones.

In its 25th year, IOAD now brings together more than 1,000 events in over 40 countries.

This year, we’re planning a community memorial at Oppenheimer Park for the neighbourhood to mourn, eat, make art, share stories and stand together.

And, a public rally will kick off in the evening at the Vancouver Art Gallery with a Speaker’s Corner and screenings. Some parts of the day are still coming together, and we’ll share more as they are confirmed.

This gathering is organized by, with, and for the community most affected by this crisis.

We remember those we have lost.
We stand with those who are still here.
The blessing of VANDU comes to Us through our ill, difficult members.
The most remarkable experience of those members who reach out to our abandoned, street involved members is that, in the end,
They give more than They receive.
They give Us Hope!

The Ask:
We are raising $7,000 to help make the day accessible to the people most affected.
Donations will support food and water, peer member stipends, transportation, Elder and speaker honoraria, memorial and art materials, permits, equipment, harm reduction supplies and the practical work of bringing people together safely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photo by Darryl Dyck

07/27/2026

Asking for support isn't a sign that you've given up. It's a reminder that you deserve care, too.

Our Support Line offers compassionate peer support from people who understand what families are going through.

📞 The Moms Stop the Harm Support Line is open today.

Call 1-866-355-MSTH (6784)

07/27/2026

Working towards the recognition, implementation and exercise of our inherent Indigenous Title, Rights and Treaty Rights

07/27/2026

The program for Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness's National Conference on Ending Homelessness is now live!

Join the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness’ Prevention and Policy & Research streams, alongside hundreds of organizations, sector leaders, community organizers, frontline workers, and people with lived experience for this national conversation on ending homelessness.

Explore the program and event details: conference.caeh.ca/event/90f36943-1023-47cf-9b37-738bb3e5e7a9/program

07/27/2026

Join us on August 19 for a discussion of Addiction Treatment in Context: Principles for a System of Just, Accessible, and Voluntary Care.

This conversation takes place amid governments' growing reliance on addiction treatment as a primary response to the unregulated drug crisis. We’ll examine the ideological role of treatment within the broader social and policy context of criminalized substance use. We'll also consider how governments can promote better outcomes for people who use drugs, including through bold investments in housing, income security and health care, and by reforming our drug laws and policies.

📅 August 19
🕙 10–11 a.m. PT / 1–2 p.m. ET
💻 Online

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3617840553326/WN_VQv7b6RoTz-H5cV-KAWCAA

Responding to Police in Health Service Settings: Know Your Rights, Protect Your Clients is a practical resource for heal...
07/07/2026

Responding to Police in Health Service Settings: Know Your Rights, Protect Your Clients is a practical resource for health service providers in British Columbia seeking to reduce police interference in healthcare settings and in the lives of their clients.

Read the guide: https://www.pivotlegal.org/a_guide_for_service_providers_in_health_service_settings

Since BC ended its decriminalization pilot, Pivot received a surge of reports from service providers in healthcare settings about increased police presence in and around health services, with devastating effects on clients’ health and safety.

Many of those service providers had the same request: a practical toolkit to inform them of their rights when interacting with police, and to implement strategies for reducing police interference with health services.

Responding to Police in Health Service Settings: Know Your Rights, Protect Your Clients is for those of you who stand in solidarity with your clients against state violence and organized abandonment every day.

This guide was designed to support people who provide services in health-focused settings, including but not limited to:

🟢 Health Clinics
🟢 Drug checking services
🟢 Drug user resource centres
🟢 Supportive housing and shelters
🟢 Supervised consumption sites and overdose prevention sites

Read it and download today: https://www.pivotlegal.org/a_guide_for_service_providers_in_health_service_settings

Disclaimer: This resource provides information about your legal rights and risks in BC health service settings, current to July 2026. It is not legal advice. If you need assistance with a legal matter, speak to a lawyer.

Responding to Police in Health Service Settings: Know Your Rights, Protect Your Clients is a practical resource for health service providers in British Columbia seeking to reduce police interference in healthcare settings and the lives of their clients.

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Vancouver, BC
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