BRITISH COLUMBIA JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

Ottawa, March 19, 2010 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

• The Honourable Christopher E. Hinkson, a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, is appointed to the Court of Appeal of British Columbia to replace Mr. Justice Robert J. Bauman, who was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia on September 7, 2009.

  Mr. Justice Hinkson received a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of British Columbia in 1975, was admitted to the British Columbia Bar in 1976 and to the Yukon Territory Bar in 1978.

  Mr. Justice Hinkson was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in March 2007. Prior to his appointment, he practised with Harper Grey LLP (formerly Harper Grey Easton & Co.), where he maintained an extensive law practice in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury, professional negligence, commercial litigation, human rights litigation, residential school litigation and administrative law. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel on December 29, 1990.

• The Honourable Dev Dley (Sukhdev Singh), a judge of the British Columbia Provincial Court in Kamloops, is appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia to replace Mr. Justice D. Brine, who passed away on November 6, 2009 and whose position was transferred to Kamloops.

  Mr. Justice Dley received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1973 and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1978 from the University of Victoria. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1979.

  Mr. Justice Dley started his private practice in 1979 and was named Commissioner and General Counsel to the Western Hockey League in 1996, a position he held until 2000 when he joined with Mair Jensen Blair. Over the course of his career, he maintained a civil litigation practice with some criminal and administrative matters. He was appointed to the British Columbia Provincial Court on June 23, 2008.

• The Honourable Miriam A. Maisonville, Q.C., a lawyer with the Ministry of Attorney General in Vancouver, is appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia (Vancouver) to replace Mr. Justice S.R. Romilly, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of January 7, 2010.

  Madam Justice Maisonville completed her undergraduate studies in Political Science in 1982 and received a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of British Columbia in 1985. She was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1986 and to the Alberta Bar in 1991.

  Madam Justice Maisonville has been Crown Counsel with the Ministry of Attorney General since 1994, and is presently a member of the Bilingual Prosecutor Group. She articled with Howard Rubin, Q.C. in 1985, and went on to become partner with the firm from 1986 to 1994. Her area of expertise is criminal law, including Criminal Code prosecutions of complex commercial fraud and theft cases. She also has experience in criminal defense and civil litigation.

  Madam Justice Maisonville is an active member of the Judicial Council for the Provincial Court of British Columbia, as well as member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Bar Association. She served as President of the Canadian Bar Association’s B.C. Branch (2008-2009), the Conférence des juristes d’expression française de common law (2006-2008) and the Association des juristes d’expression française in British Columbia (2008-2009). She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2009.

  With respect to community involvement, Madam Justice Maisonville served as Board Member of the Developmental Disabilities Foundation, and as Chair of the Fundraising Committee. She was coach at the Crofton House School Swim Club for three consecutive years and was Judge at the International Independent Schools Public Speaking Championship in 2003.

• The Honourable David C. Harris, Q.C., a lawyer with Hunter Litigation Chambers in Vancouver, is appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia (Vancouver) to replace Mr. Justice Christopher E. Hinkson, who was appointed to the Court of Appeal of British Columbia.

  Mr. Justice Harris received a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Exeter College, University of Oxford, in 1977; a Master of Philosophy in 1979, and a doctorate (D.Phil., Politics) from Nuffield College, University of Oxford in 1982. He received a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of British Columbia in 1985, and was called to the British Columbia Bar in March 1987.

  Mr. Justice Harris has practised with Hunter Litigation Chambers since 2006. He worked as a law clerk with the B.C. Court of Appeal from 1985 to 1986, and later with the firms Russell & Dumoulin (1986-2000) and Berardino & Harris (2000-2006). He has extensive experience in civil litigation, including product liability, class action, personal injury, corporate, commercial, real estate, constitutional and mass tort litigation. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2004.

  Mr. Justice Harris taught civil procedure at the University of British Columbia Law School in the late 1990s, and more recently was involved with the Trial Advocacy program and the Inns of Court program. He has been involved in a number of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs, and served on the editorial board of the CLE Book on Experts. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

  Mr. Justice Harris has been involved in various charity campaigns, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and has been a volunteer at an emergency shelter for the homeless for the past several years.

• The Honourable Robert A. Prior, a lawyer with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Vancouver, is appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia (Vancouver) to replace Madam Justice D.J. Martinson, who resigned effective June 30, 2009.

  Mr. Justice Prior received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Toronto in 1983 and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1986. He was admitted to the British Columbia Bar in May 1997, and is former member of the Alberta Bar (1993-1997) and the Ontario Bar (1988-1993).

  Mr. Justice Prior has been Chief Federal Prosecutor at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada since 2006. He served as Director at the Federal Prosecution Service in British Columbia from 1996 to 2006, in Alberta from 1992 to 1996, as well as Counsel (1988-1992) and Research Assistant (1987-1988) in Toronto. He has significant experience in the area of criminal law, and exposure to public law practice, including tax law, civil litigation and Aboriginal issues.

  Mr. Justice Prior has lectured at various courses offered by the Law Society, and has been a guest speaker for groups such as the B.C. Association of Credit Unions, the Investment Dealers Association, the Vancouver Board of Trade and the Vancouver City Council.

  He is extensively involved in cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies and prosecution services, mainly in the United States, China, Bangladesh and Jamaica, and is a contributor to various working groups related to criminal law reform and transparency regarding alleged police misconduct, as well as multi-disciplinary committees.

  Over the years, Mr. Justice Prior has been involved in various charity events, has taught money management skills to new immigrants, and has served as course marshal on fund raising runs.

These appointments are effective immediately.

-30-

Ref.:

• Pamela Stephens
  Press Secretary
  Office of the Minister of Justice
  613-992-4621

• Media Relations
  Department of Justice
  613-957-4207