Judicial Advisory Committee Appointments
Backgrounder
| Nominating Body | Name | City | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | Madam Justice Diana M. Cameron | Winnipeg | The Honourable Diana M. Cameron was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench in 2011 and elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2012. Prior to her appointment, she was a Senior Crown Attorney and member of the Appeals Unit for the Prosecutions Service of Manitoba Justice. From 2004-2010, she worked as Crown Counsel in the Constitutional Law Branch, representing the government of Manitoba in significant constitutional, Aboriginal law, and Charter litigation. She appeared before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Cameron has presented to the Manitoba Bar Association, Manitoba provincial court judges, the Winnipeg Police, and the RCMP on issues including domestic violence and the rule of law. In 2006, as a member of the Métis community, she served as Co-Chair of the Liberty Local of the Manitoba Métis Federation. She previously served on the Board of Directors of Teen Touch Manitoba and chaired the Manitoba Judicial Advisory Committee from 2015-2016. |
| Attorney General | Tim Kurbis | Winnipeg | Tim Kurbis is a partner in the law firm of Taylor McCaffrey LLP, where his corporate and commercial law practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and banking and insolvency matters. He has consistently been recognized each year by Best Lawyers and in 2014 was named “Lawyer of the Year” in corporate law for Manitoba. Mr. Kurbis earned his LL.B. from the University of Manitoba, and has returned to his alma mater to teach the Business Planning and Finance Law course in the past. He is active in the Lutheran Church and on charitable boards, including currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Mr. Kurbis was previously a Trustee and Chair of the Fort Whyte Foundation, which operates the largest urban nature education centre in Canada. |
| Law Society | Irene A. Hamilton | Winnipeg | Until April 2017, Irene A. Hamilton was the Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Civil Law Division in Manitoba Justice. Called to the Manitoba Bar in 1980, Ms. Hamilton was a public sector lawyer for nearly all of her career. From 2005-2012, she was appointed Ombudsman for the Province of Manitoba, investigating Manitobans’ complaints about government fairness, access to information, and privacy matters. She also spent nearly a decade as Public Trustee for Manitoba. Ms. Hamilton has been extensively involved with the Law Society of Manitoba, including serving a term as President from 2010-2011. She continues to chair and sit on numerous Law Society committees. In the community, Ms. Hamilton has served on the Board of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba and on the Board of Trustees of the United Way of Winnipeg, serving as its Chair in 2000-2001. In 2002, she received the Manitoba Bar Association’s Community Service Award in recognition of her volunteer contributions and, in 2014, the Richard J. Scott Award for excellence in promoting the rule of law. |
| Canadian Bar Association | Priscilla Sternat-McIvor | Winnipeg | An Indigenous woman from Sandy Bay First Nation, Priscilla Sternat-McIvor received her B.A. from the University of Winnipeg and her LL.B. from the University of Manitoba. After earning her law degree, she held a number of positions with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, including Legal Counsel and Chief of Political Staff. Since 2008, Ms. Sternat-McIvor has been in private practice, focusing on family law, wills and estates, and child protection law. She has particular expertise acting for child protection agencies and has worked extensively in communities across Manitoba, including remote fly-in communities throughout the province. She also serves on the Child Protection Committee of the Court of Queen’s Bench, working with judges, masters, and other lawyers on issues related to child welfare. Since March 2017, she has been a founding partner in Sternat Manaigre Law Corporation, the only Aboriginal-owned law firm in Manitoba. |
| Public Representative | Lorraine Brandson | Churchill | Author and curator Lorraine Brandson, O.M. has long been committed to promoting the heritage and environmental stewardship of northern lands. She holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Winnipeg, in addition to museum and archives certifications. A Churchill resident since 1973, Ms. Brandson is the curator of the Itsanitaq Museum in Churchill (formerly the Eskimo Museum) and the archivist for the Diocese of Churchill Hudson Bay. She chaired the Working Group that conducted public consultations and negotiations to establish Wapusk National Park in 1996 and currently serves on the Park’s Management Board. She has authored three books about the North and its Indigenous peoples. A Canadian Fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America (2008), Ms. Brandson was named to the Order of Manitoba in 2014. |
| Public Representative | Aimée Craft | Winnipeg | Aimée Craft is an Indigenous (Anishinaabe/Métis) lawyer and academic. In January 2017, she was appointed Director of Research for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. She was previously the Director of Research at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba, where her academic research focused on Anishinaabe and Canadian Aboriginal law. Prof. Craft previously spent ten years practising law at the Public Interest Law Centre in Winnipeg, working with Indigenous groups on a diverse range of legal issues. Prof. Craft also hosted and helped develop a TV miniseries about Métis rights and identity that aired on Radio-Canada in 2014. |
| Public Representative | Hymie Weinstein, Q.C. | Winnipeg | Hymie Weinstein, Q.C., is a criminal lawyer and a partner in the firm of Myers Weinberg. Over the course of his career, he has represented parties before numerous inquests and public inquiries, in addition to serving as commission counsel to the Somalia Commission of Inquiry. In 1981, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel. Mr. Weinstein is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the International Society of Barristers, and a Life Bencher of the Law Society of Manitoba. For over a dozen years, Mr. Weinstein was a member of the faculty of the National Criminal Law Program, an annual weeklong educational program for defence counsel, Crown counsel, and judges. Mr. Weinstein has also contributed his time to numerous community organizations. He is a former Chair of the Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre, which provides mental health services to children and youth, and former Board Member of the Misericordia Health Foundation. In addition, he previously served on the Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, addressing issues of racism, anti-Semitism, social justice and religious freedom. |
| Nominating Body | Name | City | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | Madam Justice Margaret E.L. Larlee | Saint Andrews | The Honourable Margaret E.L. Larlee, a supernumerary judge of the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick, was admitted to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 1974. In the following eleven years, she worked in private practice and with the government of New Brunswick. She became the first woman appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench in November 1985 and the first woman appointed to the Court of Appeal in April 1998. Justice Larlee has previously chaired the federal Judicial Advisory Committee for New Brunswick. At present, she serves on the editorial board of the Solicitor’s Journal, published by the New Brunswick Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. |
| Attorney General | Blair C. Fraser | Grand-Barachois | Blair C. Fraser is a partner with the Atlantic law firm of Cox & Palmer, based in the Moncton office. His practice focuses on insurance litigation and he represents major national and international insurers for home, commercial general liability, professional liability, product liability, and motor vehicle liability policies. Mr. Fraser has represented clients at the trial level, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been a board member of the Ethics and Research Committee for the Regional Health Authority of the Province of New Brunswick, president of his local lawyers’ association, and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee for the New Brunswick branch of the Canadian Bar Association. In addition, he lectures regularly at the University of Moncton, Faculty of Law, as well as the New Brunswick Bar Admission Course. He has also been vice president of Tennis New Brunswick for many years. |
| Law Society | Pierre Castonguay | Fredericton | Pierre Castonguay is the Executive Director of the New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission, which provides legal services in criminal and family law to low-income individuals. He is also responsible for the New Brunswick Office of the Public Trustee, protecting the interest of all vulnerable residents in New Brunswick who are not capable of managing their own affairs. A graduate of the Université de Moncton in both business and law, Mr. Castonguay began his legal career as a Crown prosecutor in 1996. He then went on to assume senior management roles with the New Brunswick Public Prosecution Services over his 17 years with the organization. In his spare time, Mr. Castonguay is a dedicated Habitat for Humanity volunteer, having travelled to five countries including Zambia and Guatemala to participate on building teams. |
| Canadian Bar Association | Catherine Lahey, Q.C. | Saint John | Catherine Lahey, Q.C., is a partner with Stewart McKelvey, where her practice focuses on commercial litigation and administrative and employment law. Ms. Lahey received her B.A. from the University of New Brunswick and her LL.B. from Dalhousie University. She has presented and published widely on issues of workplace law, health law, and litigation. Since 1995, she has been an instructor for the New Brunswick Law Society’s Bar Admission Course. In the community, Ms. Lahey has contributed her time to organizations including the United Way, the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative. |
| Public Representative | Clarence LeBreton | Caraquet | Originally from Caraquet, Clarence LeBreton spent 35 years working for the government of New Brunswick. After earning a history degree from the University of Ottawa, Mr. LeBreton began his career with the Department of Historic Resources. Drawing on his training as a historian, he contributed to the creation, in the 1970s, of the Village historique acadien. He spent 15 years as Director of the New Brunswick Aquarium and Marine Centre, before becoming an assistant deputy minister within several provincial ministries. Throughout the years, Mr. LeBreton has contributed to his community – including serving as a municipal councillor, school board president, and Chair of the Board of Acadie Nouvelle, the only French-language daily newspaper in New Brunswick. He previously served on the Board of Radio-Canada and has authored several books on the history of his region. For 25 years, Mr. LeBreton has been the house announcer for several hockey leagues at the Colisée Léopold Foulem. |
| Public Representative | Bridget Ryan | Sussex | Bridget Ryan is the Community School Coordinator at Sussex Middle School, where she is responsible for engaging volunteers and for initiatives like the breakfast and healthy snacks program. A graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, Ms. Ryan is committed to encouraging children and youth to get involved in their community as volunteers. She has long volunteered with organizations including Junior Achievement, the United Way, and St. Francis Xavier Parish Church. Since 2012, she has served on the Sussex Town Council. In addition, she currently chairs the town’s Administration Committee and chairs the Board of the Fundy Civic Centre. |
| Public Representative | Normand G. Thériault | Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska | Normand G. Thériault worked for nearly 30 years for different credit unions in the northwest region of New Brunswick, including serving as a regional advisor for the Federation of Acadian Credit Unions. Now retired, he is involved with the Coopérative de développement regional – Acadie and the Coopérative d’investissement du nord-ouest, which invests in economic development projects to help create jobs in the region. For three years, Mr. Thériault served on the organizing committee of the 2014 Acadian World Congress, which took place in the “Acadia of Lands and Forests.” He has also contributed to the activities of several organisations in his community, including the Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska Sports Association, the Knights of Columbus, and the Board of Directors of the Edmundston Regional Hospital Foundation. |
| Nominating Body | Name | City | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Judge | Madam Justice Bonnie M. Tulloch | Iqaluit | The Honourable Bonnie M. Tulloch was appointed to the Nunavut Court of Justice in 2012. Before her appointment, Justice Tulloch practised criminal law as both a defence lawyer and a prosecutor. She and her husband first moved from Ontario to Rankin Inlet in 1997, when Justice Tulloch became the Executive Director and Criminal Staff Lawyer of the Keewatin Legal Services Centre. Beginning in 2000, she spent three years based in Gjoa Haven as Executive Director of the newly-formed Nunavut Legal Services Board. She later moved to Iqaluit and, in 2006, became Nunavut’s Chief Federal Prosecutor with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC). Justice Tulloch was a founding member of the Law Society of Nunavut, a member of the Akitsiraq Law School Board of Directors, and the founder of the Rankin Inlet Spousal Abuse Program. From 2007-2012, she was a Special Advisor on Northern Issues for the PPSC, based in Ottawa. Justice Tulloch returned to Iqaluit in 2012 upon her appointment to the bench. |
| Law Society | Joseph Paul Murdoch-Flowers | Iqaluit | Joseph Paul Murdoch-Flowers is an Inuk from Labrador and from Nunavik. He is a lawyer with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and has previously worked as a criminal defence lawyer with the Maliganik Tukisiniarvik legal clinic in Iqaluit, operated by the Legal Services Board of Nunavut. He earned his B.A. and his B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill University. While in law school, Mr. Murdoch-Flowers participated in the Kawaskimhon Moot, was an instructor in McGill’s Aboriginal Field Studies course, and conducted research on Aboriginal law and Inuit customary adoption. Upon graduating, Mr. Murdoch-Flowers clerked for Justice L.S. Mandamin and Justice C.M. Kane at the Federal Court of Canada. He then moved to Iqaluit to work as a lawyer. |
| Canadian Bar Association | Kathryn Kellough | Iqaluit | Kathryn Kellough is a staff criminal lawyer at the Maliganik Tukisiniarvik clinic, operated by the Legal Services Board of Nunavut. She travels to communities throughout Nunavut to assist and represent clients facing criminal charges before the Nunavut Court of Justice. Currently based in Iqaluit, she previously spent three years practising in Rankin Inlet. Before her call to the Nunavut bar in 2011, Ms. Kellough maintained a busy criminal defence trial practice in Toronto. She earned her LL.B. from Queen’s University and holds a B.A. in public policy from York University. Ms. Kellough serves as President of the Canadian Bar Association, Nunavut Branch. She chaired the organizing committee for Nunavut Law Day 2016, which included public legal education initiatives and a mock trial competition for high school students in Iqaluit. She also volunteers with the Qayuqtuvik Society Iqaluit Soup Kitchen. |
| Public Representative | John M. Hickes | Rankin Inlet | John M. Hickes is an Elder who speaks both English and Inuktitut. Born near Pistol Bay, on the western Hudson Bay coast, he has focused his professional career on ensuring that Inuit organizations and individuals are meaningfully included in economic development. He currently owns and operates two hotels in Rankin Inlet, in addition to a company that specializes in traditional knowledge and environmental and tourism consulting. Mr. Hickes previously served a term on his community’s Hamlet Council and three terms as Mayor of Rankin Inlet. He is currently the Head Negotiator for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated on the Dene and Inuit land claims in southern Nunavut and Manitoba, as well as the Chief Negotiator for the Kivalliq Inuit Association on the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreements for the Meliadine and Meadowbank gold projects. For ten years, he was also the President and CEO of the Nunavut Development Corporation, which oversees businesses in seven communities across the territory. His work has earned awards from Nunavut Tourism (an organization he helped found) and the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce. In his spare time, he maintains a kennel of sled dogs, helps organize dog races, and helps coordinate an annual veterinary clinic in Rankin Inlet. |
| Public Representative | Eliyah Padluq | Kimmirut | Eliyah Padluq is an Inuktitut-speaking Elder living in Kimmirut. He currently helps organize the Elder Food Support Program and develops programming for Baffin Correctional Institute’s Pamiujaq Outpost Camp. From 2007-2015, he served as a Board Member of the Nunavut Legal Services Board. Mr. Padluq previously sat on the Kimmirut Hamlet Council and the Kimmirut Housing Association. He was Secretary-Treasurer of the Kimmirut Co-op and served on the Kimmirut Anglican Church Vestry for over a decade. Today, Mr. Padluq volunteers to assist people in the community who do not have the resources to hunt or engage in cultural activities. He volunteers to teach hunting and traditional activities to community members, and has taught himself to build houses and cabins around the community. Mr. Padluq is also an accomplished artist and stone-carver. |
| Public Representative | Lena Pedersen | Kugluktuk | Lena Pedersen is an Elder living in Kugluktuk. She was the first woman elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly from 1970-1975. Ms. Pedersen went on to establish a career in counselling and social work, working with families, children and youth, as well as individuals receiving treatment for addictions. She previously served as a caseworker at Bosco Homes, a treatment centre for youth in Yellowknife. Ms. Pedersen also worked as a program coordinator and assistant manager for the Nunavut Department of Justice at the Ilavut Centre in Kugluktuk and as a family support worker at the Yellowknife Women’s Centre, among other positions. From 2001-2003, she served on the Nunavut Law Commission, helping to facilitate public consultations in all Nunavut communities on legislation for the new territory. She speaks Danish, English, Inuktitut, and Inuinnaqtun. |
| Nominating Body | Name | City | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | Madam Justice Lynne C. Leitch | London | The Honourable Lynne C. Leitch was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (as it is now called) in 1992. She served as Regional Senior Judge for the Southwest Region from 2003-2009 and is currently the regional administrative judge for bankruptcy matters. Justice Leitch is active in the Commonwealth Judges and Magistrates Association, including serving as Chair of the Association’s Gender Section. She has volunteered her time to participate in experts’ missions and exchanges with Mexico, Peru, Jamaica, and Ukraine. Closer to home, Justice Leitch is a former President of the Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association, and remains involved with the organization as Chair of the Compensation Committee. She frequently speaks at education programs on topics including trial advocacy, class actions, and commercial law. Before her appointment to the bench, Justice Leitch earned her LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario and practised at Harrison, Elwood in London. In recognition of her achievements, in 2015 she received the YMCA of Western Ontario’s “Women of Excellence” Award. |
| Attorney General | Kuljit K. Bhamra | London | Kuljit K. Bhamra is a sole practitioner in London, focusing exclusively on criminal defence law. She holds three degrees from the University of Windsor, including an M.A. in philosophy and an LL.B. She sits on the Middlesex County Youth Justice Advisory Committee and volunteers with the Ontario Justice Education Network. She also serves on the Board of the Kidney Foundation of Canada (London Chapter). In addition to her legal and community work, Ms. Bhamra is a fine artist who has had works exhibited in New York, Hamburg, Detroit, Windsor and Toronto. Born in Punjab, India, she speaks fluent English, Punjabi, and Hindi. |
| Law Society | Beverly K. Jacobs | Ohsweken | Beverly K. Jacobs is a lawyer, academic, and advocate from the Mohawk Nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She lives and practices law at the Six Nations of the Grand River territory. Her career has been dedicated to obtaining justice for Indigenous peoples, especially for Indigenous woman and girls. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Calgary, focused on human rights law, Indigenous legal traditions, and Indigenous health. She previously earned an LL.B. from the University of Windsor and an LL.M. from the University of Saskatchewan and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2003. Ms. Jacobs was the lead researcher on Amnesty International’s pivotal report “Stolen Sisters,” which shed light on the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. From 2004-2009, she was elected President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada. She continues to teach, publish, and speak out on issues affecting Indigenous women, including gender discrimination, women’s health, and the legacy of residential schools. Ms. Jacobs will be joining the Faculty of Law, University of Windsor as an Assistant Professor as of July 1, 2017. |
| Canadian Bar Association | Allen J. Wynperle | Hamilton | Allen J. Wynperle is the principal of his own law firm, founded in 2002. He practices exclusively plaintiff-side personal injury litigation. Called to the Ontario Bar in 1996, Mr. Wynperle became a certified specialist in civil litigation in 2006. He has been extensively involved in the legal profession and in the broader community, including serving as Secretary-Treasurer and Vice President of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association. He previously held volunteer leadership roles with the Canadian Paraplegic Association (Ontario) and was an executive member and honourary legal counsel for the Hamilton Jewish Federation and United Jewish Appeal. |
| Public Representative | Lynn Macaulay | Waterloo | Lynn Macaulay is a social worker and housing advocate in Kitchener-Waterloo. She currently divides her time between Lutherwood, where she assists individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and the Homelessness and Housing Umbrella Group. In the latter role, Ms. Macaulay works on systemic initiatives aimed at ensuring everyone has safe, decent, and affordable housing. Through her work, Ms. Macaulay has witnessed how profoundly the legal system can affect the lives of people who are marginalized and living in poverty. This experience has motivated her to serve on the Board of Waterloo Region Community Legal Services and as Co-Chair of the Board of the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario – both legal aid clinics that address poverty law and tenant-housing law. In 2011-2012, Ms. Macaulay took a 21-month leave of absence from her work in Waterloo Region and participated as a community development volunteer with the United Church of Canada in El Salvador. |
| Public Representative | Jessica Sartori | Windsor | Born and raised in Windsor-Essex County, Jessica Sartori earned a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Windsor. Since 2012, she has been the Director of Quality Assurance at the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society, where she focuses on research, program evaluation, and strategic planning. She previously served as Manager of Community Impact for the United Way of Windsor-Essex County. Her research experience includes working with a cross-disciplinary team studying team effectiveness in the Canadian Forces. Ms. Sartori has built her career and her community service around ensuring all people in Windsor-Essex have an equitable chance to succeed. She was elected a trustee of the Greater Essex County District School Board for the 2014-2018 term. In this role, she initiated a collaborative, evidence-based task force on improving math teaching and learning throughout the district. She has also volunteered with the Distress Centre of Windsor-Essex County, Women’s Enterprise Skills Training, and Windsor Regional Hospital. |
| Public Representative | Betty-Lou Souter | St. Catharines | Betty-Lou Souter is CEO of Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold, which provides assistance to individuals facing homelessness, hunger, mental illness, and poverty. Community Care offers a range of services aimed at combatting inequality and fostering social inclusion, from help finding housing to emergency services to clothing and school supplies for families. Ms. Souter has also been a dedicated volunteer for over 40 years. She has contributed her time and expertise to non-profit boards including the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Cancer Care Ontario, and the Niagara Community Foundation. She currently sits on the Board of Y Canada and is Vice-President of the Niagara Workforce Planning Board. In 2014, Ms. Souter received an honourary Doctor of Laws from Brock University in recognition of her leadership and advocacy. |
| Nominating Body | Name | City | Biography |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice | Mr. Justice Brian A. Barrington-Foote | Regina | The Honourable Brian A. Barrington-Foote was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan in 2012. Before his appointment, Justice Barrington-Foote practised law in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, focusing on civil litigation and acting as counsel for First Nations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. He was also employed as Crown counsel in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, primarily in constitutional law and reform, and was Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General for Saskatchewan from 1987-1992. Justice Barrington-Foote was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1987 and received the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2005. He has contributed his time and expertise to the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan, the Canadian Bar Association, the United Way of Regina, and Hockey Regina, among other organizations. |
| Attorney General | Lisa Watson | Saskatoon | Lisa Watson is a partner with Peszko & Watson in Saskatoon, maintaining a general practice with an emphasis on criminal defence. She earned both her B.A. and her LL.B. from the University of Saskatchewan, and remains involved with her alma mater as a supervising lawyer in the College of Law’s intensive criminal law clinical program. She is particularly passionate about mentoring other young women with an interest in criminal defence law. Ms. Watson sits on the Board of Governors of the Saskatchewan Trial Lawyers Association. She previously volunteered with the legal advice clinic run by CLASSIC (Community Legal Assistance Services for Saskatoon Inner City) and served on the board of Saskatoon Community Mediation Services. |
| Law Society | Heather Laing, Q.C. | Saskatoon | Heather Laing, Q.C. is a partner with the law firm McDougall Gauley LLP, in its Saskatoon office. She was raised in Saskatchewan and attended the University of Saskatchewan, earning a B.A. with Great Distinction in 1990 and an LL.B. in 1993. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2013. Ms. Laing practices exclusively in the areas of insurance law and civil litigation, with a focus on defence of claims involving personal injury, property and fire losses, professional liability, construction liability and automobile accidents and benefits. She was a Bencher of the Law Society of Saskatchewan from 2010-2015 and served as President of the Law Society in 2013. Ms. Laing is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for CAA Saskatchewan and a member of McDougall Gauley’s Executive Committee. |
| Canadian Bar Association | Diana K. Lee, Q.C. | Regina | Diana K. Lee, Q.C. is a partner with Kanuka Thuringer LLP in Regina. Called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1982, she is a litigator with experience in diverse areas of law, including corporate/commercial litigation, insolvency, oppression, municipal law, professional negligence, Aboriginal law, and employment law. Ms. Lee is Past President of both the Regina Bar Association and the Regina Women’s Network. For many years, she was an Intensive Trial Advocacy course instructor. A Canadian of Chinese descent, she has volunteered her services as a legal advisor to the Regina Chinese Canadian Association and the Regina Dragon Boat Festival, among other organizations. In her spare time, Ms. Lee is an avid squash player. She has served as the President of Saskatchewan Squash and is the Harassment and Appeals Officer for Squash Canada. |
| Public Representative | Kim Beaudin | Saskatoon | Kim Beaudin is an outreach worker at STR8 UP, a gang rehabilitation program in Saskatoon. Throughout his career, he has worked with youth caught up in the criminal justice system. He previously served five years as a Justice of the Peace, which entailed carrying out specific administrative and judicial functions of the Provincial Court. He also served as a mental health and addictions outreach worker for the Saskatoon Health Region and as a youth restitution coordinator with the Saskatoon Indian Métis Friendship Centre. In 2016, Mr. Beaudin was elected National Vice-Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. He has served on the Congress’s Board of Directors for ten years and previously was President of the Coalition of Aboriginal Peoples of Saskatchewan. In that role, he travelled to communities across Saskatchewan to discuss and advocate for issues facing Indigenous peoples. Mr. Beaudin received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to his community. |
| Public Representative | Curtis Kleisinger | Regina | Curtis Kleisinger was the founding principal of Mother Teresa Middle School in Regina – a school providing enriched education and 360° support to students from low-income backgrounds in Grade 6 through Grade 8. Since August 2013, he has served the middle school as Executive Director and CEO. Mr. Kleisinger has nearly 15 years of experience as a classroom teacher in the Regina Catholic School Division, where he taught history, Indigenous studies, law, and Canadian studies. He holds both a B.A. in Canadian history and a B.Ed. from the University of Regina, in addition to an M.A. in educational leadership from the University of Notre Dame. He currently serves on the Saskatchewan War Memorial Committee and on the Board Governors for Commissionaires South Saskatchewan. Mr. Kleisinger has also been awarded the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation in recognition of his work supporting Canadian veterans. |
| Public Representative | Brenda Merasty | Saskatoon | Brenda Merasty is an educator and consultant on Indigenous education policy. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master’s in Education Administration, both from the University of Saskatchewan. An Indigenous woman, Ms. Merasty began her career teaching elementary school and coordinating community programming for schools in Saskatoon and on reserve. She then developed and conducted research focusing on social services for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Ms. Merasty later served in executive administration at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies. She has also been a senior policy analyst specializing in education and other socio-economic issues for the Assembly of First Nations and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. From 2008-2015, Ms. Merasty served on the board of SaskWater. |
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