To support continued access to justice for people in British Columbia, the Province has appointed three new Provincial Court judges and one judicial justice.

The new judges are:

• Tyleen Underwood (effective Jan. 2, 2024);
• Mark Erina (effective Jan. 2, 2024); and
• Daniel Loucks (effective Jan. 2, 2024).

Underwood has been in private practice since being called to the British Columbia Bar in 2002. Her practice was evenly split between criminal law and family law in Provincial and Supreme Court. She has deep roots in the West Kootenays and considerable court experience in the region.

Erina was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1996. For the past 10 years, he was the senior counsel and team leader for the Public Prosecutions Service of Canada economic crime group. His extensive knowledge in criminal law led him to teach legal writing at the Federal Prosecutors School.

Loucks has been practising law since 2003 as defence counsel in Ontario and has been working as Crown counsel with the BC Prosecution Service since moving to the province in 2006.

The new judicial justice is Judy Riddle (effective on pronouncement).

Riddle has worked for the Provincial Crown since being called to the British Columbia Bar in 1990. She retired from the BC Prosecution Service in September 2023. She has worked extensively in the front end of prosecution service, responsible for charge assessments and bail hearings.

The Province is committed to promoting equitable access to justice for all residents of B.C. These appointment decisions consider multiple factors, including the needs of the court, diversity of the bench and the candidates’ areas of expertise.

Quick Facts:

• The process to appoint judges involves the following steps:
  • Interested lawyers apply and the Judicial Council of B.C. reviews the candidates.
  • The council is a statutory body made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and members from outside the legal profession.
  • The council recommends potential judges to the Attorney General, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council.
• Although judges and judicial justices are located in a judicial region, many leverage technology such as videoconferencing for court proceedings.
• They also travel regularly throughout the province to meet changing demands.

Learn More:

For information about the judicial appointment process, visit: https://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca/