Seminar Overview:         

This seminar will discuss the recent amendments to the provincial Family Violence Protection Act, passed in 2024, which expanded the eligibility of Emergency Protection Order (EPO) applicants in the province. In addition, the seminar presenters will discuss the advocacy that led to this legislative change, including the issues and concerns that were presented by stakeholders, including the Office of the Seniors’ Advocate, the NL Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, the RNC and RCMP, and others.

Seminar Presenters:

Michael Noseworthy, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice and Public Safety
Micheal Noseworthy is a lawyer and Assistant Deputy Minister with the Department of Justice and Public Safety in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was first called to the Bar in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2009, after earning his undergraduate degree in Political Science, and law degree from Dalhousie University. Micheal worked in private practice in St. John’s and also spent time working in Labrador, before moving to Whitehorse, Yukon, where he worked in various senior leadership roles in the Government of Yukon focused on regulation and public protection, and was awarded the Premier’s Award of Excellence for his work towards the development of Yukon’s first ever Housing Action Plan. In 2016, Micheal moved to British Columbia to lead a newly created standalone government agency responsible for regulation of the real estate industry, and was responsible for building the office and a team to restore public trust in the regulatory system and enhance public protection. He then served as the Senior Vice President of Compliance and Market Conduct at the British Columbia Financial Services Authority after working as part of the team to create a single financial services regulator for BC. He is a former member of the boards of directors of the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities of Canada, and currently sits on the Executive of the Canadian Bar Association’s Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section. He has appeared before and provided expert testimony to various commissions and panels, and has appeared before all levels of court in Newfoundland and Labrador. Micheal also holds a Certificate in French as a Second Language from the Université du Québec à Montréal, and a Certificate in Inclusion from the University of Toronto Rotman School of Business.

Kevin O’Shea, Executive Director, Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
Kevin O’Shea is the Executive Director of the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PLIAN), a role he has been in since 2014. He is proud to lead a team of dedicated and caring professionals who provide legal education and information services to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador with the goal of increasing access to justice.

Originally from St. John’s, NL, Kevin completed his law degree at the University of Ottawa in 2009 and his Master of Laws at the University of Turin in 2013, with a focus on International Crime and Justice. He was called to the bar as a Member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 after articling with the Crown Attorney’s Office in St. John’s.

Kevin was appointed as a Commissioner of the Law Commission of Canada in 2024. He also currently serves as the Chair of the Access to Justice Steering Committee for Newfoundland and Labrador. Previously, Kevin as President of the Public Legal Education Association of Canada and as Chair of the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Alzheimer Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.  Kevin also has prior experience working in the fields of education and human rights advocacy in the United States, Cambodia, and Tanzania.

Susan Walsh, Seniors’ Advocate Newfoundland and Labrador
Susan began her career as a front-line Social Worker at the Waterford Hospital in 1991. It didn’t take long for her to realize that to really help people she needed to have an impact at the decision making level. She obtained a Master of Social Work degree, specializing in policy, from the University of Toronto and spent 31 years in progressive leadership positions within the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial government departments of Health and Community Services, Regional Health Authority, Municipal Affairs, Labour Relations Agency, Workplace NL, Labour Relations Agency, Cabinet Secretariat and Executive Council. Susan served on various provincial and national boards, including the National Deputy Ministers Responsible for Seniors and Deputy Ministers responsible for Social Services.  Her most recent role, prior to her appointment as the Seniors’ Advocate in June of 2022, was Deputy Minister of the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development.

PLEASE NOTE:  THE REGISTRATION PROCESS IS ONLINE ONLY.  TO REGISTER FOR THIS SEMINAR, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

CPD Credit: 1 hour

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