Government of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Alberta

OTTAWA, May 22, 2019 /CNW/ - The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the new judicial application process introduced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Kevin Feth, Q.C., a partner at Field Law LLP in Edmonton, is appointed a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta and a Judge ex officio of the Court of Appeal of Alberta. Mr. Justice Feth fills one of 5 remaining positions allocated under Bill C-44.

Kent H. Davidson, Q.C., a partner at Miller Thomson LLP in Edmonton, is appointed a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta and a Judge ex officio of the Court of Appeal of Alberta. Mr. Justice Davidson fills one of 5 remaining positions allocated under Bill C-44.

Johanna C. Price, a partner at Peacock Linder Halt & Mack LLP in Calgary, is appointed a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta and a Judge ex officio of the Court of Appeal of Alberta. Madam Justice Price replaces Madam Justice E.A. Hughes (Calgary), who was elevated to the Court of Appeal on November 1, 2018.

Nicholas E. Devlin, Senior General Counsel at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Calgary, is appointed a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta and a Judge ex officio of the Court of Appeal of Alberta. Mr. Justice Devlin replaces Madam Justice J. Antonio (Calgary), who was elevated to the Court of Appeal on December 12, 2018.

Biographies

Justice Feth graduated from the University of Alberta Law School in 1989, articled in Edmonton at Field & Field, and worked with that firm and its successors throughout his career. He practised primarily in the areas of education law, employment and labour, human rights, administrative law, commercial and constitutional litigation, and Aboriginal law.

He was a sessional instructor in Labour Law at the University of Alberta Law School from 2004 to 2009 and an instructor in litigation at the Alberta Bar Admission/CPLED course for 15 years. He has been a frequent speaker and writer for legal educational organizations and is one of the co-authors of Remedies in Labour, Employment and Human Rights Law.

Justice Feth served as President of the Law Society of Alberta for 2014-15 and chaired numerous Law Society committees, including the Legal Aid Task Force from 2014 until 2018 and the Access to Justice Committee. He served previously as chair of the National Civil Litigation Section of the Canadian Bar Association. Since 2015, he has been the president of Pro Bono Law Alberta.

Justice Feth is recognized by Benchmark Litigation: Canada as a peer-reviewed "litigation star" in labour and employment and by Best Lawyers in Canada as a recommended lawyer in education law.

In 2019, Justice Feth received the Distinguished Service Award for Service to the Legal Profession from the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association (Alberta Branch). He was made a Queen's Counsel in 2010.

Justice Davidson was born and raised in Flin Flon, Manitoba. He attended the University of Alberta, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (with distinction) in 1979 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1982. He completed his articles of clerkship with Lucas, Bishop, Bowker and White. He practised for 18 years with the firm and its successors, serving on the management committee in that time. In 2001, he joined the firm of Miller Thomson LLP, heading its Alberta Labour and Employment department. In 2006, Justice Davidson became the Managing Partner for the Edmonton office of Miller Thomson LLP. In 2012, he became the Alberta Managing Partner and he was elected chair of the firm in 2014.  

Throughout his service in management Justice Davidson remained an active practitioner, appearing as counsel in arbitration matters and in civil matters in the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, the Alberta Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Davidson has resided in St. Albert since 1986 and has always enjoyed being active in his community. He served two terms as city councillor for the City of St. Albert, was a charter member and director of the St. Albert Rotary Club, and was the founding president of the St. Albert Community Foundation. He has been involved with many community charitable and sporting organizations over the years.

Justice Davidson has been married to Cari for 37 years. Together, they have 4 children and 5 grandchildren.

Justice Price was born in Buckingham, Quebec. Her father was an immigrant from Canton, China, and her mother was mixed Algonquin First Nation and European decent. She is a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation.

Justice Price graduated in 1994 from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of British Columbia in 1998. She articled and practised at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in the litigation and business law groups, before joining Peacock Linder Halt & Mack LLP in 2004. She became a partner in 2009. As a civil litigator, she practised in a wide range of commercial, energy, construction and general litigation matters.

Justice Price appeared at all levels of court in Alberta and British Columbia and before various regulatory tribunals. She occasionally sat as Inquiry Officer under the AlbertaExpropriation Act.

An advocate of alternative dispute resolution, she was involved in many successful dispute resolutions through negotiation, mediation, arbitration and judicial dispute resolution. She chaired the Alberta Provincial and National CBA ADR Sections.

Justice Price most recently served on the Executive of the Alberta Branch of the CBA and is also a long-standing member and past president of the Association of Women Lawyers. She is an active volunteer and mentor.

When not working, spending time with family and friends, or volunteering, she likes to run. She qualified for and ran in the Boston Marathon in 2016, 2017 and 2018. She is also an avid golfer and competitive field hockey player, but first and foremost she is a proud mom.

Justice Devlin was born and raised in Calgary. From 2001 till his appointment, he served as counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada; he was a member of the Alberta, Nunavut and Ontario bars. Justice Devlin spent a decade as the Appeals Coordinator for the federal Crown in Ontario before returning to Alberta as Senior General Counsel. His practice focused on complex criminal and constitutional trials and appeals and spanned the northern reaches of Baffin Island to the Supreme Court of Canada, where he regularly appeared on behalf of the Crown.

A proud native Calgarian, Justice Devlin attended the University of Calgary's Faculty of Law, graduating as its gold medalist in 1996. He was also the first student to be admitted to the Order of the University of Calgary. He completed his LL.M. at the University of Toronto before serving as law clerk to the Honourable Justice Jack Major of the Supreme Court of Canada. He began his practice in the litigation department of Torys LLP, before spending a year at the Middle Temple in London as a Fox Scholar. 

A passionate teacher, Justice Devlin has taught trial advocacy techniques across Canada and contributed to continuing legal education programs on a wide range of topics. He also served as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School from 2013 to 2017.

When not practising law, Justice Devlin can be found hiking, photographing or restoring old cedar canvas canoes. 

Quick Facts

• At the Superior Court level, more than 300 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S and those who self-identify as having a disability.
• The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 will provide funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
• In addition, Budget 2018 provided funding for a further seven judicial positions in Saskatchewan and Ontario, at a cost of $17.1 million over five years.
• The funding outlined in Budget 2018 comes on top of resources allocated under Budget 2017, which created 28 new judicial positions across the country.
• In addition, the Government will invest $6 million over two years, beginning in 2018-2019, to support the judicial discipline process through which allegations of judicial misconduct are investigated. In this way, the Government will ensure that a robust process remains in place to allow Canadians to voice their concerns and submit complaints about judicial conduct to the Canadian Judicial Council and the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs.
• Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
• The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.
• Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016. Sixteen Judicial Advisory Committees have been reconstituted to date.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada