The Government of British Columbia has appointed four new Provincial Court judges to support access to justice.

The new judges are:

• Ariana Ward (effective March 28, 2025);
• James Henry (effective March 21, 2025);
• Brian Dybwad (effective March 21, 2025); and
• Mylene de Guzman (effective March 28, 2025).

Ariana Ward has practised law for 27 years. Born in Iran, Ward moved to the United States before immigrating to Canada. After completing law school, she became Crown counsel. Since 1996, Ward has worked in almost every area of the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS). From 2008-17, she worked for the BCPS as weekend bail Crown. Since 2018, she has worked as trial counsel. Committed to Indigenous reconciliation, she has been counsel in North Vancouver’s Indigenous sentencing court. Ward’s contributions to the legal community include judging in the UBC Moot Court program and working as a sessional instructor at Douglas College where she taught an Introduction to Criminal Justice, Indigenous People and the Law course.

James Henry was called to the B.C. bar in May 1996. He has been working as Crown counsel since 2017. For 20 years before that, he worked as defence counsel in Surrey and the Fraser Valley. He is Métis on his grandfather’s side of the family, and is a member of and served on the board of directors of the Nova Metis Heritage Association. In 2020, he joined the Indigenous Prosecution Service Resource Group. In 2022, he was appointed as administrative Crown counsel overseeing the scheduling of more than 50 prosecutors in the Surrey office.

Brian Dybwad is a member of the Tsetault-Gitxsan Nation on his mother’s side, and his father is Norwegian. He is a hereditary Chief, with the name Skawill, which translates to big rock in the middle of the river. He graduated from University of Victoria in 1998 and was called to the B.C. bar in 2010.  He has primarily practised as a lawyer on north Vancouver Island. In private practice, between 2010 and 2018, he focused on criminal defence, family law and child-protection matters. Between 2018 and 2022, he was the managing lawyer for the Parents Legal Centre in Campbell River. From July 2022, he has held managing lawyer positions at Legal Aid BC. From 2015-17, he was the president of the Campbell River Bar Association, member at large at the British Columbia Law Institute, and in 2022 and 2024 was elected as a bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Mylene de Guzman was born in the Philippines. She immigrated to Ontario where she attended the University of Windsor and obtained her law degree in 1995. Articling at Greig, Skagen & Kennedy, she has worked as a family law lawyer in New Westminster and the Fraser Valley for most of her career. She obtained her accreditation as a family law mediator and arbitrator in 2015. She devotes 20% of her practice to alternative dispute resolutions. She is on the roster of Access Pro Bono lawyers, participating in legal clinics and conducting mediations. De Guzman is also a member of Amici Curiae Friendship Society, participating as a guest speaker and lecturer for legal clinics. She has worked as a volunteer in the legal community, taking on executive roles, including president of the New West Bar Association in 2022. She is the first vice-president of the Canadian Bar Association.

These judicial appointments are made by considering various factors, such as the court's requirements, the diversity of the judiciary and the candidates’ areas of expertise. The appointments show the Province’s continued dedication to ensuring fair access to justice for everyone in British Columbia.

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 use technology, such as videoconferencing, for court proceedings.
• Judges travel regularly throughout the province to meet changing demands.

Learn More:

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