BRITISH COLUMBIA JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, June 24, 2011 – 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 Douglas A. Betton, a judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia in Vernon, is appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Kelowna, to replace Mr. Justice T.R. Brooke, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of September 23, 2010.

Mr. Justice Betton received a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of British Columbia in 1985 and was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1986.

Mr. Justice Betton was appointed to the British Columbia Provincial Court in 2007. Prior to his appointment, he practised as an associate and partner with Nixon Wenger from 1986 to 2007. His main area of practice, prior to his appointment to the Provincial Court, was general litigation including commercial, criminal, personal injury and bankruptcy.

Mr. Justice Betton was administrative judge for the Okanagan District and an elected member of the British Columbia Provincial Court Judges Association and the Association’s Compensation Committee. Prior to his appointment, he was an elected member of the Provincial Council for the British Columbia branch of the Canadian Bar Association for six years. He was a member of the Trial Lawyers Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association.

The Honourable Kenneth N. Affleck, of Affleck Hira Burgoyne in Vancouver, is appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver, to replace Mr. Justice F.W. Cole, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of March 19, 2011.

Mr. Justice Affleck received a Bachelor of Arts (History) in 1967 and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the University of British Columbia in 1973. He was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1974 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2000.

Mr. Justice Affleck has been a partner with Affleck Hira Burgoyne since February 2011. He was an associate and a partner with Macaulay McColl from 1982 to 2011 and was an associate counsel with Drost Coultas and Stanfield from 1974 to 1982. His main area of practice was general litigation, primary commercial, tort and business law.

Mr. Justice Affleck was the Chair and Fellow of the British Columbia branch of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2004 and an instructor on Advocacy with the University of British Columbia program (Allan McEachern Lectures). He was a board member of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (2007) and of the Bard on The Beach Theatre Society from 1994 to 2010. He was a board member of St. Jude’s Anglican Home Society from 1980 to 1990 and of the John Howard Society of British Columbia from 1982 to 1986.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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Ref.:

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

• Media Relations
  Department of Justice
  613-957-4207