ABOUT COLIN GALINSKI
Colin provides pension and benefits legal services to boards of trustees, plan sponsors, administrators, labour & employment counsel, and individuals. In addition, Colin practices extensively in the area of pension division on relationship breakdown, where he is retained by family lawyers, mediators, and individuals to draft and implement pension division arrangements.
Prior to establishing Galinski Law, Colin practiced pension, benefits, and executive compensation law in the Vancouver office of a large international law firm. His career started in 2003 in Ontario, where he spent a number of years in collective bargaining and pension and benefits negotiations between faculty members and management at a top tier university.
Colin enjoys being active in the legal community, in particular speaking and writing for The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, and presenting to various associations across British Columbia and the Yukon territory.
Colin is currently Chair of the British Columbia Law Institute project committee with a mandate to review pension division legislation. He is the Past Chair of the Pension and Benefits Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) and has served on the Board of Directors of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation (RCHF) from April 2015 to June 2019. RCHF is an independent charitable organization that raises millions of dollars each year to fund major projects, priority equipment needs, facility enhancements, research, education and innovation at RCH.
Colin enjoys coaching youth hockey and baseball, and spending time in the B.C. outdoors with his wife Marion and their two children.
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COLIN'S PRESENTATIONS
PUBLICATIONS:
POSITIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
Colin provides pension and benefits legal services to boards of trustees, plan sponsors, administrators, labour & employment counsel, and individuals. In addition, Colin practices extensively in the area of pension division on relationship breakdown, where he is retained by family lawyers, mediators, and individuals to draft and implement pension division arrangements.
Prior to establishing Galinski Law, Colin practiced pension, benefits, and executive compensation law in the Vancouver office of a large international law firm. His career started in 2003 in Ontario, where he spent a number of years in collective bargaining and pension and benefits negotiations between faculty members and management at a top tier university.
Colin enjoys being active in the legal community, in particular speaking and writing for The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, and presenting to various associations across British Columbia and the Yukon territory.
Colin is currently Chair of the British Columbia Law Institute project committee with a mandate to review pension division legislation. He is the Past Chair of the Pension and Benefits Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) and has served on the Board of Directors of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation (RCHF) from April 2015 to June 2019. RCHF is an independent charitable organization that raises millions of dollars each year to fund major projects, priority equipment needs, facility enhancements, research, education and innovation at RCH.
Colin enjoys coaching youth hockey and baseball, and spending time in the B.C. outdoors with his wife Marion and their two children.
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COLIN'S PRESENTATIONS
- Faculty, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Family Law Conference, October 10, 2018.
- Presenter, "Pension Division Refresher for Family Law Lawyers," Canadian Bar Association BC Family Law Branch, Vancouver, October 4, 2018
- Faculty, 2018 Federation of Law Societies of Canada National Family Law Program, Vancouver, British Columbia. July 12, 2018
- Course Faculty, CLEBC Advanced Family Law Mediation Course, April 20, 2018.
- Presenter, "Pensions and Family Law: The Perils of Competing Beneficiary Litigation," Westminster Family Bar Association, November 29, 2017.
- Course Faculty, CLEBC Canadian Elder Law Conference -- Coming of Age: Elder Law in Canada and Its Future -- Vancouver, November 3, 2017.
- Presenter, CBA Family Section Meeting, Kamloops, BC, October 20, 2017
- Course Faculty, CLEBC Advanced Family Law Mediation Course, April 11, 2017.
- Course Faculty, CLEBC Course Interplay Between Aging, Death & Divorce, March 3, 2017.
- Presenter, Pensions in Family Law, Law Society of the Yukon. Whitehorse, August 5, 2016.
- Faculty, 2016 Federation of Law Societies of Canada National Family Law Program, St. John's, Newfoundland. July 11, 2016
- Presenter, CBA Family Section Meeting, Kamloops, BC, June 17, 2016
- Course Faculty, "Pension Division and Valuation: Actuarial, Legal, and Practical Considerations," CLEBC Advanced Family Law Mediation Course, April 4, 2016
- Presenter, Westminster Family Bar Association, February 24, 2016
- Presenter, Collaborative Divorce Vancouver, January 12, 2016
- Faculty, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Grey Divorce Program, October 28, 2015
- Presenter "New and Improved Pension Plan Options: BC's New Pension Legislation", Human Resources Management Association, October 21, 2015
- Course Faculty, "British Columbia's New Pension Options," Employment Law CLE Conference, May 8, 2015
- Presenter, "Pension Division Tips and Traps," Westminster Law Group Mediation Practice Group, April 22, 2015
- Presenter, "Pension and RRSP Division in British Columbia," North Fraser Collaborative Law Group, March 5, 2015
- Presenter, "Pension Division in the Federal Jurisdiction", National Judicial Institute Family Law Program, February 4, 2015
- Presenter, "Legal Update: BC's new PBSA and Regulation", Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, November 18, 2014
- Presenter, "Pension Division in British Columbia - Consideration of Tips and Traps", Family Law Advocates Group, October 29, 2014
- Presenter, “Pooled Registered Pension Plan - An Introduction to PRPP”, Dentons Canada LLP Employment and Labour Law Client Seminar, May 30, 2013
- Presenter, “Key Changes to Pension Division Under the FLA”, Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia, Vancouver, February 20, 2013
- Presenter, “New Pension Division Rules under the Family Law Act”, Canadian Pension and Benefit Institute course “Dividing Benefits When a Relationship Ends”, February 6, 2013 (Vancouver) and March 7, 2013 (Victoria)
- Presenter, “New Pension Division Rules under the Family Law Act”, Canadian Bar Association Joint Family Law and Pension and Benefits Law Section Meeting, Vancouver, February 7, 2013
- Presenter, “New Part 6 (Pension Division) of the Family Law Act”, Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia Family Law Act Conference, Vancouver, September 21, 2012
- Presenter, “Pension Division on Marriage Breakdown”, Federation of Law Societies of Canada National Family Law Program, Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 2012
- Presenter, “Pension Case Law Update”, British Columbia Pensions and Benefits Law Section Meeting, Vancouver, May 31, 2012
- Presenter and Planning Committee Member, “Consideration of Employment Benefits on Marriage Breakdown”, “Pension & Benefits: Critical Issues & What’s Often Overlooked”, Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, Vancouver, May 25, 2011
- Presenter, CLE Live TV Pension Division Basics, Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, May 17, 2011
- Presenter, Nolan v. Kerry, CBABC Joint Pension & Labour Section Meeting, Vancouver, September 2009
PUBLICATIONS:
- Author, "Securing Income for Old Age: Pensions, Pension Division, and Annuities." CLEBC Publication March 2017.
- Contributing Author, Family Law Sourcebook, a Continuing Legal Education publication, 2013-ongoing (annual publication)
- Contributing Author, Annotated Family Practice 2014 – 2018, a Continuing Legal Education publication (annual publication)
- Author, "British Columbia's New Pension Options," presented at Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia Employment Law Conference 2015, Vancouver, May 8, 2015
- Author, “Lacey v. Weyerhaeuser (B.C.C.A): Post-retirement benefits ‘for life’” (with Nicole Gilewicz), For Your Benefit - CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, September 2013
- Author, “Post-Retirement Benefits Case Law in British Columbia”, CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, March 2013
- Author, Annotations to Part 6 (Pension Division) of the Family Law Act Transition Guide, a Continuing Legal Education publication, September 2012 – Winner of the ACLEA Award for Professional Excellence in Publications
- Author, "Post Retirement Benefits: Can Employers Change Post Retirement Benefits Plans?” (with Michael Wolpert and François Parent), CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, July 2012
- Author, “Different Divisions: New Pension Division Rules (with Terra Klinck and Natasha Monkman), CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, July 2012
- Author, “Employer Liability for Mismanagement of Registered Pension Plans” (with Jonas McKay), presented at Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia “Employment Law Conference 2012”, Vancouver, April 26 and 27, 2012
- Author, “Jarman v. Jarman: Division of Supplemental Pension Plan Benefits on Marital Breakdown”, For Your Benefit CBA National Pensions and Benefits Law Section Newsletter, February 2012
- Author, “Pension Division on Marriage or Common Law Relationship Breakdown”, Pension Planning - Federated Press, Volume XVI, No. 4, 2011, pp. 1102-1108
- Author, “Bankruptcy - Re lndalex Limited: Fiduciary Duty, Deemed Trusts and Constructive Trusts” (with Chris Brown and Ross Gascho), Pension Planning - Federated Press, Volume XVI, No. 3, 2011, pp. 1086-1090
- Author, “Consideration of Employment Benefits on Marriage Breakdown” (with Diane Bell), presented at Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia “Pension & Benefits: Critical Issues & What’s Often Overlooked” Seminar, Vancouver, May 25, 2011
- Author, “Pension, Employment Benefit and Executive Compensation Strategies on Termination of Employment” (with Scott Sweatman), presented at Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia Employment Law Conference 2011, Vancouver, May 12-13, 2011
- Author, “Age Discrimination and Pension Benefits” (with Scott Sweatman), Pension Planning, Federated Press, Volume XV, No. 4, 2010, pp. 1042-1045
- Author, “Timeliness Pursuant to Section 22 of the Human Rights Code”, (with Shanti P. Reda and Pamela Murray), Proceedings of the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC Human Rights Conference, November 2009. Paper 6.1, pp. 1-14
- Author, “No Surplus Distribution on Federal Partial Plan Termination”, Canadian Benefits & Compensation Digest, October 2008, v. 26, no. 5, pp. 4-5
POSITIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
- Past Member, Board of Directors, Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation
- Past Chair, Pension and Benefits Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch)
- Member, Law Society of British Columbia
- Member, Pension Law, Employment Law Section and Family Law Section, Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch)