The Government of British Columbia is appointing three new provincial court judges to support the judiciary with the resources required to continue providing access to justice.

Judge Jeffrey Campbell has been assigned to Coquitlam, effective March 23, 2020. Campbell earned a bachelor of laws (LLB) from the University of Victoria in 1998 and was called to the B.C. bar in 1999. He has practised criminal law for 20 years primarily representing persons and companies in criminal or quasi-criminal matters. Campbell has been a bencher of the Law Society since 2016 and is active in legal education and pro-bono initiatives, including the UBC Criminal Law Clinic. He was a founding member and director of the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society and a director of the International Society for Reform of Criminal Law. Campbell was appointed Queen’s counsel in 2015.

Judge Karina Sacca has been assigned to Victoria, effective April 8, 2020. Sacca practises family law in Victoria and has extensive experience with the Family Law Act. Her career began in Ontario, where she worked with the Office of the Public Trustee and as a children’s lawyer. After moving to Victoria, she volunteered her time with Access Pro Bono and provided pro bono services for clients within her practice. She has more than two decades of experience as a mediator and spent the last two years as chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Forum. Sacca holds an LLB from the University of Manitoba and was called to the Ontario bar in 1997 and the B.C. bar in 2007.

Judge Satinder Sidhu has been assigned to Surrey, effective March 30, 2020. Sidhu earned an LLB from the University of British Columbia in 1995 and was called to the B.C. bar in 1996. After beginning her career with the Surrey Regional Crown office, she served as Crown counsel in New Westminster, where she handled many of the more complicated criminal cases in the busiest Crown counsel region in the province. Sidhu regularly authored papers and presented them at Canadian Bar Association conferences, Crown conferences and the Canadian Police College. She speaks fluent Punjabi.

Government and the public rely on judges for their integrity and impartiality, and trust they will deliver fair, learned decisions. These qualities are essential for maintaining the public’s confidence in the courts and are a vital component of any democratic system.

Quick Facts:

• The chief judge determines the locations to which judges are assigned in order to meet the needs of the court.
• The process to appoint judges involves the following steps:
  • Interested lawyers apply to the Judicial Council of B.C. This statutory body, made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and lay people, reviews the candidates.
  • The council recommends potential judges to the attorney general, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council.
• 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