Judges

There are currently about 150 Provincial Court judges in various locations throughout the province. When appointed, each judge is assigned an office in a particular judicial region, though many judges are required to travel regularly to other areas, in order to meet the demand for judges in the more than 80 locations where Provincial Court is held.

Most Provincial Court judges work full-time. However, judges aged 55 or older, with at least 10 years of service, may elect to hold office as a part-time judge.

Judges conduct trials and other proceedings in criminal, youth, family, and civil matters. They also perform judicial mediation in family and civil settlement conferences. But judges also do considerable work outside the courtroom – reading, writing, public speaking, and committee work.

When they reserve judgment, judges research and prepare written reasons for their decisions. In order to keep abreast of the law they regularly read new legislation as well as reasons for judgment issued by other Provincial Court judges and by judges of other courts, particularly BC courts and the Supreme Court of Canada. They also read articles commenting on recent judgments and on trends in the law.

Judges consider written applications for search warrants in their offices. They also speak frequently to students, service clubs, community groups, justice system professionals and others. They attend swearing in ceremonies for police officers and municipal councils and school boards. Many judges also volunteer their time to serve on committees to help the Court or to liaise with court users and community organizations. Judges also organize and present education programs for their colleagues.

To assist judges and judicial justices with difficult ethical and professional issues and to assist members of the public to better understand the judicial role, the BC Judicial Council has adopted the Ethical Principles for Judges published by the Canadian Judicial Council in 2021, except for its commentary on “Post-Judicial Careers” in s. 5.E.2 restricting the types of activities a judge can engage in upon leaving the judicial office and returning to the legal profession.

For more information on the life of a judge see:

A day in the life of a Provincial Court judge, VictoriaNews
A day in the life of one of Vernon's Provincial Court Judges, infonews.ca
Provincial court judges released for 27 years' good behavior, Northshore News
Retired Provincial Court Judge speaks of his time on the bench, Salmon Arm Observer (VIDEO)
What judges do in a day, Vancouver Sun

and to read about the welcoming ceremony held for each new judge see:
Ceremony held for new judge, Williams Lake Tribune
New Fort St. John judge approaches court with compassion, patience, Alaska Highway News

For changes to the Court’s judicial complement (appointments, retirements, elections to serve as a Senior Judge) see the Court’s monthly Judicial Complement Reports.

Judges sitting as of March 26, 2024:

GILLESPIE, MELISSA (Chief Judge)
DOHM, PAUL (Associate Chief Judge)
WISHART, SUSAN (Associate Chief Judge)

  • This list shows the administrative region where a judge is based, but judges hear cases from all regions.
  • “Senior judge" indicates a judge aged 55 or older with at least ten years of service who has chosen to work part-time.

Judge:
Adams, Nancy (Vancouver Region)
Albert, David (Fraser Region)
Alexander, Therese (Fraser Region)
Armstrong, Mariane (Interior Region)
Arthur-Leung, Kimberley (Fraser Region)
Bakan, Laura (Vancouver Region)
Barrett, Jennifer (Vancouver Island Region)
Bennett, Lorianna (Interior Region)
Bernt, Wendy (Northern Region)
Blaskovits, Richard (Senior Judge) (Northern Region)
Boblin, Dawn (Vancouver Region)
Bond, Patricia (Vancouver Region)
Bowry, Rita - Regional Administrative Judge (Fraser Region)
Brecknell, Michael (Senior Judge) (Northern Region)
Brooks, Adrian (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Island Region)
Brown, Anja (Fraser Region)
Brown, Gregory (Senior Judge) (Fraser Region)
Brown, Robert (Interior Region)
Browning, Richard (Fraser Region)
Brownstone, Andrea (Vancouver Region)
Burnett, Clarke (Interior Region)
Campbell, Jeffrey (Fraser Region)
Challenger, Joanne (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Region)
Chettiar, Valliammai (Fraser Region)
Churchill, Christopher (Vancouver Island Region)
Craig, Bonnie (Vancouver Region)
Cronin, Kasandra (Fraser Region)
Cutler, Roger (Vancouver Island Region)
Daley, Brian (Senior Judge) (Northern Region)
Daneliuk, Michelle (Interior Region)
Davis, Andrea (Fraser Region)
Denhoff, Kathryn (Vancouver Region)
Dhillon, Harbans (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Region)
Dickey, Roy (Interior Region)
Dion, Tina (Fraser Region)
Docolas, Georgia (Fraser Region)
Doerksen, Lynal (Interior Region)
Doherty, Patrick (Vancouver Region)
Dohm, Paul - Associate Chief Judge (Fraser Region)
Dorey, Diana (Fraser Region)
Dossa, Shehni (Senior Judge) (Fraser Region)
Doulis, Judith (Northern Region)
Duncan, Emmet (Fraser Region)
Dunn, Dannielle (Fraser Region)
Elden, Colleen (Fraser Region)
Erina, Mark (Northern Region)
Ferriss, Kathryn (Fraser Region)
Fleck, Oliver (Northern Region)
Frame, Stella (Interior Region)
Gaffar, Deanne (Fraser Region)
Galati, Joseph (Vancouver Region)
Gill, Gurmail (Senior Judge) (Fraser Region)
Gillespie, Melissa - Chief Judge (Fraser Region)
Golinsky, Tamera (Northern Region)
Gordon, Ellen (Vancouver Region)
Gouge, Ted (Vancouver Island Region)
Guild, Jeremy (Interior Region)
Hamilton, Robert (Vancouver Region)
Harris, Jodie (Fraser Region)
Harris, Reginald (Vancouver Region)
Harvey, Brian (Vancouver Island Region)
Heinrichs, Cathie (Interior Region)
Hermanson, Jeremy (Vancouver Island Region)
Hewson, Richard (Senior Judge) (Interior Region)
Hinkson, Timothy (Vancouver Region)
Hodge, Tamara (Vancouver Island Region)
Hughes, Ellen (Fraser Region)
Hutcheson, Brian (Vancouver Island Region)
Jackson, William (Senior Judge) (Northern Region)
Jahani, Delaram (Fraser Region)
Jamieson, Eugene (Vancouver Region)
Janzen, Patricia (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Region)
Jetté, Mark (Fraser Region)
Jung, Lynett (Interior Region)
Keyes, Shannon (Interior Region)
Koturbash, Gregory - Regional Administrative Judge (Interior Region)
La Prairie, Peter (Fraser Region)
Lamperson, Ronald (Vancouver Island Region)
Lee, Glenn (Vancouver Region)
Lee, Wilson (Fraser Region)
Leven, George (Interior Region)
Leung, Karen (Vancouver Region)
Lopes, Jennifer (Fraser Region)
Loucks, Daniel (Fraser Region)
Lowe, Christine (Vancouver Island Region)
Lucky, Hollis (Vancouver Island Region)
MacCarthy, Parker (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Island Region)
Macdonald, Trudy (Fraser Region)
MacLean, Malcolm (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Region)
Mah, Derek (Vancouver Region)
Malfair, Cassandra (Northern Region)
McDermick, Peter (Northern Region)
McKimm, Mayland (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Island Region)
McParland, Monica (Interior Region)
McQueen, Jacqueline (Vancouver Region)
McQuillan, Robin (Fraser Region)
Mengering, Susan (Fraser Region)
Merrick, Steven (Vancouver Region)
Milne, John - Regional Administrative Judge (Vancouver Region)
Mrozinski, Lisa (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Island Region)
Mulder, Scott (Northern Region)
Mundstock, Kristen (Fraser Region)
Munro, Michael (Vancouver Island Region)
Nadon, Martin (Northern Region)
Oh, Grace (Fraser Region)
Ormiston, Andrea (Fraser Region)
Oulton, Jennifer (Vancouver Region)
Patterson, David (Interior Region)
Peacock, Michele (Fraser Region)
Phillips, Nancy (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Region)
Phillips, Raymond (Interior Region)
Preovolos, Nicholas (Fraser Region)
Purewal, Nina (Northern Region)
Raven, Rose (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Region)
Reeves, Darin (Northern Region)
Rideout, Gregory (Senior Judge) (Vancouver Region)
Ritchie, Edna (Fraser Region)
Rogers, Carmen - Regional Administrative Judge (Vancouver Island Region)
Rounthwaite, Jill (Fraser Region)
Ruse, David (Interior Region)
Sacca, Karina (Vancouver Island Region)
Sandhu, Paul (Fraser Region)
Sangha, Susan (Vancouver Region)
Senniw, Donna (Vancouver Region)
Sicotte, Craig (Interior Region)
Sidhu, Satinder (Fraser Region)
Silverman, David (Vancouver Island Region)
Simpkin, David (Northern Region)
Smith, Garth (Fraser Region)
Smith, Lyndsay (Vancouver Region)
Solomon, Jay (Fraser Region)
St. Pierre, David (Vancouver Region)
Stanford, Michelle (Northern Region)
Stark, Patricia (Vancouver Region)
Stewart, Dwight (Vancouver Island Region)
Struyk, Calvin - Regional Administrative Judge (Northern Region)
Sudeyko, Danny (Fraser Region)
Sutherland, James (Vancouver Region)
Tam, Andrew (Interior Region)
Thomas, Linda (Northern Region)
Vandor, Diana (Vancouver Region)
Underwood, Tyleen (Interior Region)
Wagner, Sheryl (Vancouver Region)
Weatherly, Daniel (Fraser Region)
Whonnock, Karen (Vancouver Island Region)
Whyte, Peter (Fraser Region)
Wishart, Susan - Associate Chief Judge (Vancouver Island Region)
Wolf, Alexander (Vancouver Island Region)
Wright, Terence (Northern Region)
Wyatt, Lisa (Interior Region)
Young, Wendy (Fraser Region)

This list does not include judges who are not sitting due to long term disability conditions.

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