SUPREME COURT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, October 5, 2012 - 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 Robin A. Baird, a judge with the Provincial Court of British Columbia in Surrey, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Nanaimo, to replace Madam Justice J.A. Power, who was transferred to Victoria to replace Mr. Justice R.W. Metzger, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of January 10, 2011.

Mr. Justice Baird received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia in 1986, a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in 1989 and a Master of Law with merit from the London School of Economics in London, England, in 1999. He was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1990.

Mr. Justice Baird was appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia in 2011. Prior to his appointment, he had been a Crown prosecutor with the Criminal Justice Branch, Ministry of Justice, in Vancouver and Victoria from 1990 to 1995 and from 2004 to 2011 respectively. He was a private practitioner from 1999 to 2000 and an associate with Green & Claus in Victoria from 1996 to 1997. His main areas of practice were criminal law and civil litigation.

Mr. Justice Baird was a commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission from 2008 to 2011 and a member of the Provincial Council of the Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Branch, from 2010 to 2011. He was a Director of the Victoria Bar Association and a volunteer lawyer for the Salvation Army Pro Bono Legal Clinic from 2000 to 2004. He was a lecturer at the University of Victoria from 2000 to 2006.

The Honourable Gordon S. Funt, a lawyer with Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, to replace Mr. Justice D.C. Harris (Vancouver), who was appointed to the Court of Appeal on April 5, 2012.

Mr. Justice Funt received a Bachelor of Commerce in 1976 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia in 1977. He was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1978.

Mr. Justice Funt had been with Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (and its predecessor firms) since 1984. He was a member of the tax group at Thorne Riddell, Chartered Accountants (now KPMG) from 1981 to 1984 and an associate with Braidwood, Nuttall, MacKenzie, Brewer, Stevenson and Greyell from 1977 to 1981. His main area of practice was tax law.

Mr. Justice Funt was a member of the International Fiscal Association, the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Society of Tax and Estate Practitioners. He has been Editor-in-Chief for Business Vehicles, Federated Press, since 2001. He is the author of numerous published articles and papers, and a lecturer at various conferences.

The Honourable John J. Steeves, a sole practitioner in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, to replace Madam Justice L.A. Loo (Vancouver), who elected supernumerary status as of April 30, 2012.

Mr. Justice Steeves received a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) in 1974 and Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia in 1985. He also received a Master of Arts (Political Science) from Simon Fraser University in 1979 and was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1986 and to the Bar of Yukon in 1992.

Mr. Justice Steeves has been a sole practitioner since 2003. He was Chief Appeal Commissioner, Appeal Division, of the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia from 2000 to 2002. He was a lawyer with Steeves & Company from 1989 to 2000 and with McGrady & Company from 1986 to 1989. His main areas of practice were administrative law, arbitration and mediation.

Mr. Justice Steeves has been Director and Vice-President of the Arbitrators’ Association of British Columbia since 2009 and was a member of the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals from 2000 to 2009. He has been a member of the ADR Institute of Canada and a Chartered Arbitrator since 2007, and is a past member of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. He has been a guest lecturer at several conferences and presented papers at Continuing Legal Education seminars from 1986 to 2001.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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