Gurpreet Badh, LL.B., B.Sc.
Gurpreet was born in India, where he was a lawyer before immigrating to Canada. After moving to Vancouver, he worked for the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, first as a correctional officer and then as a probation officer. During this time, Gurpreet continued his studies at the University of Victoria for the purposes of upgrading his foreign credentials.
Areas of Practice:
Administrative law
Personal injury
Society law
Immigration and refugee protection law
Citizenship law
Family law
Civil litigation
Gurpreet has appeared in the Federal Court of Appeal, British Columbia Court of Appeal, Federal Court, Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Provincial Courts in British Columbia, and divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
Gurpreet successfully appeared before the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Grewal v. Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society (2012 BCCA 430), where the Court of Appeal discussed the issue of what constitutes proper notice under the Society Act in British Columbia.
Gurpreet appeared before the Federal Court of Appeal in B010 v. Canada (2013 FCA 87) where the definition of “human smuggling” under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) was discussed by the Court, and the Court held that for the purposes of defining “human smuggling” under IRPA, it was reasonable to consider the definition under Section 117 of the IRPA rather than a definition contained in an international instrument to which Canada is a signatory.
Gurpreet successfully appeared before the Federal Court in Goodrich Transport Limited and Ors. v. Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (2015 FC 520), where the Federal Court set aside the truck licensing process implemented by the Port Metro Vancouver on the grounds of lack of procedural fairness.
Gurpreet appeared before the Federal Court in Canada v. U.S.A. (2014 FC 416) dealing with the issues of terrorism and subversion under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Gurpreet also appeared as counsel in Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v. B072 (2012 FC 563), where the Federal Court discussed the detention provisions in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and reiterated the principles behind immigration detention and release.
Gurpreet advises religious societies, and other not for profit societies, including residential societies and sports and recreational clubs and associations, in the Province, and also regularly appears in the Court litigating matters and disputes under the Societies Act. He recently appeared as counsel in Gill v. Kalgidhar Darbar Sahib Society (2017 BCSC 1423), a case involving the selection of a religious council of a society, where the Court discussed the newly legislated provisions of the Societies Act, related to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of British Columbia under the Societies Act, and laid down the test for conducting such selections.
Gurpreet also advises business corporations, and regularly appears in the courts in the Province, in relation to business disputes, and issues related to rights of shareholders and duties and responsibilities of directors of business corporations.
Gurpreet recently appeared as counsel in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in the matter of Dhillon v. Sher-A-Punjab Community Centre Corporation (2018 BCSC 571), where the Court dealt with the issue of evaluation of shares of a company having religious purposes.
Gurpreet has also represented clients in family law matters and has appeared in the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the provincial courts of the province.
Gurpreet has represented clients in personal injury matters and has successfully settled and litigated personal injury cases, especially involving personal injuries as a result of motor vehicle accidents.
Gurpreet has also represented clients in the Federal Court in relation to international adoptions and has been successful in getting Canadian Citizenship Certificates issued to children adopted by Canadian citizens from outside of Canada.
A self-proclaimed Scotch aficionado, Gurpreet is a keen traveler, and loves reading books on history and geopolitics, and cherishes classic literature, especially from Russia and India. Gurpreet is greatly influenced by the works of Albert Camus and associates his existence on this planet with the troubling story surrounding the Greek Legend Sisyphus.
Gurpreet is fluent in Hindi, Punjabi, English, and can understand and speak Urdu.