Appointing a Hearing Panel
Last updated on June 25, 2024The Commissioner for Teacher Regulation appoints a disciplinary hearing panel of three members based on the following criteria:
- One person must be a BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) member, unless no BCTF member is available
- One person must have knowledge and experience related to independent schools, if a case involves an independent school teaching certificate
The hearing panel members receive payment for their service. The Hearing Panel Remuneration Plan (PDF) outlines how payment is set and managed.
Some are selected from the Disciplinary and Professional Conduct Board
There are nine members on the Board from the BC Teachers' Council, five of whom are from education partner groups other than the BC Teachers' Federation.
Members from the Disciplinary and Professional Conduct Board
- Lesya Balsevich – Term expires April 2026
- Terence Berting – Term expires April 2025
- Jatinder Kaur Bir – Term expires April 2027
- Jo Cornthwaite – Term expires April 2026
- Robert Holmes – Term expires April 2026
- Lisa Marie Kishkan – Term expires April 2027
- Michelle LaBounty – Term expires April 2027
- Danielle Leah Neer – Term expires April 2027
- Cathleen Anne Tenning – Term expires April 2025
See BC Teachers’ Council members to learn more about each member.
Some are selected from a pool of pre-qualified legal/professional regulation experts
During a hearing, persons from the public share input from outside the school system. The public hearing panel pool has five members who were appointed based on the results from a public invitation for applications.
Members from the public hearing panel pool
Teresa Mitchell-Banks – Term expires February 2025
Teresa has over 30 years’ experience as litigation counsel. After practising as defence counsel and a family lawyer she went to the Crown where she prosecuted on behalf of the province for 20 years focussing on commercial crime and then organized crime. Teresa then spent three years with the B.C. Securities Commission as Director of Enforcement. She is now in private practice.
Karen Nordlinger - Term expires February 2026
Karen is a family law lawyer, arbitrator and mediator. She has been engaged in the practice of family law since 1975 and as a neutral in labour arbitration since 1995. Karen has extensive experience in complex property division and disputes about support, custody and access. She is a former Bencher and Treasurer (President) of the Law Society of British Columbia. Karen is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the Canadian Bar Association's Family Law Section.
Sarah Levine - Term expires August 2025
Sarah R. Levine is a lawyer who practices in the area of estate litigation and mediation in Vancouver. She was recently Research counsel to the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the decline of the Fraser River sockeye salmon. She is extensively involved as a volunteer in the community.
Apply to be a Panel Member
Anyone who lives in B.C. can apply to be a part of the public hearing panel pool. The ministry is looking for individuals who have:
- Demonstrated commitment to the public interest and the protection of children
- Previous experience conducting administrative hearings or writing reasons for decisions
- Demonstrated understanding of the principles of administrative law and natural justice
- Strong oral and written communication skills
Applicants must not:
- Be a current employee of the Ministry of Education and Child Care
- Be elected to or be a declared candidate for public office in the provincial government or a board of education
- Be a complainant in an outstanding complaint about a teacher in B.C.
- Have been a certified teacher at any time during the last 20 years
Applicants must:
- Consent to a criminal records check
- Provide information about any discipline or investigation about themselves from a professional body within the last 10 years
- Be willing and available to take training in administrative law and principles of natural justice, the conduct of fair hearings and evaluating evidence, decision making and writing, and the processes of the Ministry of Education and Child Care
Anyone selected from the pool to serve on a hearing panel is paid approximately $600 per day of a hearing. Travel expenses for hearing panel proceedings are reimbursed according to provincial government rates.
Note: Even though many hearings are scheduled, only a few actually proceed.
If you are interested, send your resume and current contact information (including your email address) by:
Mail or in-person
Ministry of Education and Child Care
201-828 8th Avenue W
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1E2
Address your package to "Hearing Panel Pool"