The British Columbia government is appointing two new provincial court judges to ensure the judiciary has the resources it needs to continue to provide access to justice.

The appointments and effective dates are:

• Judge Karen Whonnock – Aug. 8, 2016
• Judge Robin McQuillan –  Aug. 15, 2016

Whonnock received her law degree from the University of Toronto in 1999 as well as a master’s in law from Osgoode Hall at York University in 2003. Currently, she is a candidate for a doctorate in social sciences at Royal Roads University. She has been an associate judge of the Colville Tribal Court, has worked for the Legal Services Society and has been a sole practitioner in Terrace. She has published on Indigenous women, matrimonial real property and Aboriginal courts. A member of the Wet’suwet’en First Nations, Whonnock will serve Williams Lake and other communities.

McQuillan received a law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1989. Since 1998, he has been a sole practitioner focused on child and family protection cases. For more than 15 years, he has volunteered as a family advice lawyer with the Western Canada Society to Access Justice and has been a Robson Square Family Duty counsel roster lawyer since 2002. McQuillan has been a contributing author for Family Practice Manual. He will serve in the Vancouver and Fraser regions of the court.

British Columbia’s judicial system is recognized as one of the best in the world because of the diversity, experience and knowledge of its judges. The chief judge determines the locations to which judges are assigned in order to meet the needs of the court.

Quick Facts:

• Whonnock replaces Judge Marguerite Church, who was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
• McQuillan will be assigned to the Office of the Chief Judge, pending an anticipated retirement.   
• As of April 1, 2016, British Columbia has the equivalent of 127 full-time provincial court judges who serve more than 80 court locations.
• Although judges are located in a judicial region, many travel regularly throughout the province to meet changing demands.

Learn More:

Information about the judicial appointment process: www.provincialcourt.bc.ca/about-the-court/judicial-officers/judges-court