Court of King's Bench of Alberta
The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta (abbreviated in citations as ABQB or Alta. Q.B.) is the superior court of the Canadian province of Alberta. The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta in Calgary was relocated to the Calgary Courts Centre in 2007. The Court of Queen's Bench has been located at the Law Courts building in Edmonton since the 1970s.
History
The Court originates from the old Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories. Two years after Alberta became a province in 1905, the Court was reorganized as the Supreme Court of Alberta and several lower District Courts possessing a more limited jurisdiction. In 1921, the Supreme Court was reorganized to have an independent trial division (Supreme Court of Alberta Trial Division), and an independent appellate division (Supreme Court of Alberta Appellate Division), the precursor to the Court of Appeal of Alberta. It was not until June 30, 1979 that the Supreme Court Trial Division received its current name as the "Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta".
The District Courts created in 1907 were amalgamated into the District Court of Northern Alberta and the District Court of Southern Alberta in 1935, merging altogether into the District Court of Alberta in 1975. In 1979, it merged for the last time, this time back with the Supreme Court, into the Court of Queen's Bench.
Structure
The Court consists of a Chief Justice of the Court, an Associate Chief Justice, and several judges including those judges who have elected supernumerary status after many years of service and after having attained eligibility for retirement (typically at age 65).
A justice of the Court of Appeal of Alberta is an ex officio justice of the Court of Queen's Bench and may sit on that Court. Likewise, a justice of the Court of Queen's Bench may sit on a panel of the Court of Appeal, by invitation of the Chief Justice of Alberta. It is important not to confuse the Chief Justice of Alberta and the Chief Justice of the Court of the Queen's Bench. The former is the chief justice of the province and sits on the Court of Appeal, while the latter is the chief justice of a court and sits on the Court of Queen's Bench.
The province is divided into 11 districts with court sitting in 13 different locations (some districts have a primary and a secondary locations). In 2010 the locations were:
- Calgary
- Drumheller
- Edmonton
- Fort McMurray
- Grande Prairie
- High Level
- Hinton
- Lethbridge
- Medicine Hat
- Peace River
- Red Deer
- St. Paul
- Wetaskiwin
Jurisdiction
As a superior court, it has inherent jurisdiction and therefore, may hear matters despite absence of specific statutory delegation. Thus, it operates as a civil and criminal trial court, hears surrogate matters, as well as certain appeals from the Provincial Court of Alberta.
Appeals from the Court lie with the Court of Appeal. Civil procedure before the Court are set out in the Alberta Rules of Court.
Appointments
Although provincial superior courts are administered by the provinces, they are considered to be section 96 courts (from section 96 of the Constitution Act, 1867). Therefore, appointments to the Court are within federal jurisdiction and made by cabinet.
Styling
The Court of Queen's Bench Act sets out the styling convention of the Court in section 2(2). During the reign of a Queen, it is known as the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. Should the monarchy be vested in a King, it will be known as the Court of King's Bench of Alberta.[1]
Current Judges (including district)
| Name[2][3][4][5] | Appointed | Division | Nominated By | Prior Position(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice M.T. Moreau Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta |
1994 | Edmonton | Chretien | |
| Justice John D. Rooke Associate Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta |
1991 | Calgary | Mulroney | Partner, Barnet Duckworth Palmer LLP (Calgary) |
| Justice Paul Belzil | 1995 | Edmonton | Chretien | Chatwin, Belzil |
| Justice Elizabeth A. Hughes | Calgary | |||
| Justice Vital O. Ouelette | 2002 | Edmonton | Chretien | General Practitioner, St. Paul AB |
| Justice Karen M. Horner | 2003 | Calgary | Chretien | |
| Justice Eric Macklin | 2003 | Calgary | Chretien | |
| Justice S.D. Hillier | Edmonton | |||
| Justice June M. Ross | 2003 | Edmonton | Chretien | Professor, University of Alberta Faculty of Law |
| Justice John J. Gill | 2005 | Edmonton | Martin | Partner, McCuaig Durocher LLP |
| Justice R.A. Graesser | 2006 | Edmonton | Harper | Lawyer, Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP |
| Justice Donna L. Shelley | 2006 | Edmonton | Harper | Chair, Law Enforcement Review Board of Alberta |
| Justice D.K. Miller | 2006 | Lethbridge | Harper | Sole Practitioner in Medicine Hat |
| Justice Kristine M. Eidsvik | 2007 | Calgary | Harper | Bennett Jones LLP |
| Justice Kent G. Nielsen | 2007 | Edmonton | Harper | |
| Justice Donald J. Manderscheid | 2007 | Edmonton | Harper | Counsel, City of Edmonton |
| Justice K.D. Yamauchi | 2007 | Calgary | Harper | Professor, University of Calgary |
| Justice J.R. Jeffrey | 2009 | Calgary | Harper | Partner, Jeffrey Twyman LLP |
| Justice Sandra L. Hunt McDonald | 2009 | Calgary | Harper | Provincial Court (1997 to 2009) |
| Justice M.R. Bast | 2009 | Red Deer | Harper | Provincial Court (2006 to 2009) Schnell Hardy Jones (1991 to 2006) |
| Justice John T. McCarthy | 2009 | Calgary | Harper | Provincial Court (2003 to 2009) Miles Davidson LLP |
| Justice W.A. Tilleman | 2009 | Calgary | Harper | William A. Tilleman Professional Corporation |
| Justice Joanne H. Goss | 2010 | Edmonton | Harper | Provincial Court (1999 to 2010) |
| Justice Robert J. Hall | 2010 | Calgary | Harper | Partner, Scott Hall LLP |
| Justice G.H. Poelman | 2010 | Calgary | Harper | Macleod Dixon LLP (1983 to 2010) |
| Justice R.A. Jerke | 2011 | Lethbridge | Harper | Davidson & Williams LLP |
| Justice P.B. Michalyshyn | 2011 | Edmonton | Harper | Chatwin LLP |
| Justice M. David Gates | 2011 | Calgary | Harper | Crown Counsel, Justice Canada |
| Justice Craig M. Jones | 2011 | Calgary | Harper | Partner, Felesky Flynn LLP |
| Justice Bruce A. Millar | 2011 | Calgary | Harper | Judge, Provincial Court of Alberta (2004 to 2011) Private practice (1978 to 2004) |
| Justice Kim D. Nixon | 2013 | Calgary | Harper | Solo Practitioner (2012 to 2013) Bennett Jones LLP (1984 to 2010) |
| Justice C.S. Anderson | 2013 | Calgary | Harper | Ross Smith Asset Management Inc Alberta Securities Commission Philips & Company |
| Justice Eldon J. Simpson | 2013 | Edmonton | Harper | Judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta since 2003 |
| Justice Glenda A. Campbell | 2013 | Calgary | Harper | Lawyer, Alberta Securities Commission |
| Justice D. Pentelechuk | 2013 | Edmonton | Harper | Cleall Barristers & Solicitors |
| Justice C. Dario | 2013 | Calgary | Harper | Smart Technologies ULC, Calgary |
| Justice D.A. Yungwirth | 2014 | Edmonton | Harper | Yungwirth Tumbach (1999 to 2014) |
| Justice John S. Little | 2014 | Edmonton | Harper | Lawyer, Witten LLP |
| Justice L.R.A. Ackerl | 2014 | Edmonton | Harper | Public Prosecution Service of Canada Miller, Thomson, Sedgewick, Lewis & Healy |
| Justice D.Blair Nixon | 2014 | Calgary | Harper | |
| Justice Wayne N. Renke | 2014 | Edmonton | Harper | University of Alberta, Faculty of Law |
| Justice John William Hopkins | 2015 | Red Deer | Harper | Chatters Canada Ltd (2014 to 2015) Woollard Hopkins & Company (1991 to 2013) Gordon Smith and McCrimmon (1986 to 1988) |
| Justice Richard A. Neufeld | 2015 | Calgary | Harper | Dentons Canada LLP (1979 to 2015) |
| Justice J.T. Henderson | 2016 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Judge, Provincial Court of Alberta |
| Justice A.B. Inglis | 2016 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Crown Counsel, Alberta Justice |
| Justice D.R. Mah | 2016 | Edmonton | Trudeau | General Counsel, Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta |
| Justice G.D. Marriott | 2016 | Calgary | Trudeau | Family Lawyer |
| Justice K.P. Feehan | 2016 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Dentons Canada LLP |
| Justice James T. Eamon | 2016 | Calgary | Trudeau | Partner, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Calgary) |
| Justice J. Antonio | 2016 | Calgary | Trudeau | Crown Counsel, Alberta Justice |
| Justice George Fraser | 2016 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Crown Counsel, Alberta Justice |
| Justice B. Bokenfohr | 2016 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Edmonton Police Department |
| Justice M. Slawinsky | 2017 | Red Deer | Trudeau | Judge, Provincial Court of Alberta |
| Justice M. H. Hollins | 2017 | Calgary | Trudeau | Partner, Dunphy Best Blocksom LLP |
| Justice W. T. deWit | 2017 | Calgary | Trudeau | Criminal Defence Lawyer |
| Justice Johnna C. Kubik | 2017 | Lethbridge | Trudeau | Sole Practitioner, Kubik & Company |
| Justice J. Ashcroft | 2017 | Calgary | Trudeau | Legal Counsel, Alberta Human Rights Commission |
| Justice S. Mandziuk | 2017 | Edmonton | Trudeau | General Counsel, Finning Inc. |
| Justice G. Dunlop | 2017 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Partner, Ogilvie LLP |
| Justice M. Lema | 2017 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Crown Counsel, Department of Justice |
| Justice M. Burns | 2018 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Crown Counsel, Alberta Justice |
| Justice L. Bernette Ho | 2018 | Calgary | Trudeau | Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP |
| Justice Gaylene Kendell | 2018 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Chapman Riebeek LLP |
| Justice David Labrenz | 2018 | Calgary | Trudeau | Crown Counsel, Alberta Justice |
| Justice James Nielson | 2018 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Partner, Parlee McLaws LLP |
| Justice Nancy Dilts | 2018 | Calgary | Trudeau | Vice President of Legal and Corporate Services, Ferus Inc. |
| Justice April Grosse | 2018 | Calgary | Trudeau | Partner, Bennett Jones LLP |
| Justice Jane Fagnan | 2018 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Legal Counsel, Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta |
| Justice Anne Kirker | 2018 | Calgary | Trudeau | Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP |
| Justice Michael Kraus | 2018 | Edmonton | Trudeau | Emery Jamieson LLP |
Supernumerary
| Name | Appointed | Division | Nominated By | Prior Position(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice S.M. Bensler* | Calgary | |||
| Justice D. Lee* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice C.A. Kent* | Calgary | |||
| Justice J.K. Langston* | Lethbridge | |||
| Justice C.S. Phillips* | Calgary | |||
| Justice W.P. Sullivan* | Calgary | |||
| Justice C.L. Kenny* | Calgary | |||
| Justice C.S. Brooker* | Calgary | |||
| Justice S.M. Sanderman* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice B.E.C. Romaine* | Calgary | |||
| Justice D.A. Sulyma* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice R.E. Nation* | Calgary | |||
| Justice B.R. Burrows* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice G.A. Verville* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice T.D. Clackson* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice B.E. Mahoney* | Calgary | |||
| Justice D. Thomas* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice A. MacLeod* | Calgary | |||
| Justice Adam W. Germain | Edmonton | |||
| Justice B.A. Browne* | Edmonton | |||
| Justice Earl C. Wilson* | Calgary | Evans, Martin, Wilson | ||
| Justice Juliana E. Topolniski | Edmonton |
Former Justices of the Court
- Joanne B Veit (1981 to 2017)[6]
- Sheila J. Greckol (2001 to 2016)
- Sheilah Martin (2005 to 2016)
- Ritu Khullar (2017 to 2018)
- J Richard Philippe Marceau (1995 - ?)[7]
- N.C. Wittmann[8]
Former Chief Justices of the Court
- Allan H.J. Wachowich
- W. Kenneth Moore
- William R. Howson
See also
- Master Judicial officers part of the Court of Queen's Bench
References
- ^ CanLII, R.S.A. 2000, c. C-31. "Court of Queen's Bench Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. C-31".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta Judges".
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Alberta Judicial Appointments Announced". NationTalk. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
- ^ Communications, Government of Canada, Department of Justice, Electronic. "Alberta Judicial Appointments Announced". www.justice.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Canada, Department of Justice. "Government of Canada announces judicial appointment in the province of Alberta - Canada.ca". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
- ^ http://www.cmac-cacm.ca/bios/veit-eng.shtml. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20031111225633/http://www.justice.gc.ca:80/en/news/ja/1995/ALTA7.html.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "PM Announces Alberta Judicial Appointments".