Department of Justice

ALBERTA JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, November 15, 2001 - The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

Bryan E. Mahoney, Q.C. of Calgary is appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary. He replaces Madam Justice M.S. Paperny who was appointed to the Alberta Court of Appeal.

Mr. Justice Mahoney received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta in 1974 and was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia the following year. He obtained his Masters at Cambridge University, England and upon his return to Alberta was admitted to the Bar of that province in 1979. Since establishing the Bryan E. Mahoney, Q.C. Law Office in Calgary in 1985, he has practiced primarily in family law and civil litigation with a particular focus on personal injury, employment and commercial matters.

From 1980 to 1995, Mr. Justice Mahoney was a Sessional Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary in the areas of family law and professional responsibility. In 1994, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Law, Australian National University in Canberra, in Australia. Mr. Justice Mahoney has been a frequent presenter and has contributed materials in family law for bar admission and professional development courses.

At the time of his appointment he was serving a second term as a Bencher of the Law Society of Alberta.

Sheila J. Greckol of Edmonton is appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Edmonton. She replaces the Honourable L.L. Jones who resigned earlier this year.

Madam Justice Greckol received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta in 1975. After completing a clerkship with the Alberta Court of Appeal, she began practice with the Edmonton firm of Wright Chivers & Company, becoming a partner in 1978.

In 1986, Madam Justice Greckol became a founding partner in Chivers Greckol Kanee in Edmonton. Throughout her career, she has practiced primarily in the area of labour law and the related areas of human rights, administrative and Charter law and has appeared before all levels of the courts in Canada.

Madam Justice Greckol served as President of the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers from 1996 to 1998 and was a member of the Canadian Bar Association's Task Force on Gender

Equality in 1994. She has been a frequent presenter and has published numerous articles on Human Rights and Labour Law. In 1998, Madam Justice Greckol was the recipient of the Bertha Wilson Touchstone Award for her work in human rights law.

Elizabeth A. Hughes of Calgary is appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary. She replaces Mr. Justice D.B. Mason who elected to become a supernumerary judge.

Madam Justice Hughes received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan in 1981 and, after completing her articles in British Columbia, joined the Ministry of the Attorney General for British Columbia as a Crown Attorney for the Fraser Region. In 1987, she became a Crown Prosecutor with Alberta Justice in Calgary; at the time of her appointment she was the Chief Crown Prosecutor in Calgary. Having held a variety of positions in the Crown Attorney's Office, Madam Justice Hughes has acquired extensive experience in all aspects of the administration of criminal justice at the trial, appellate and administrative level.
Madam Justice Hughes has been active in numerous professional legal associations including having served as a member of the Executive of the National Criminal Justice Section of the Canadian Bar Association. She has been a presenter on criminal matters for various organizations including the Legal Education Society of Alberta, the Bar Admission Course of the Law Society of Alberta, and the University of Calgary Faculty of Law.

Marsha Colleen Erb of Calgary is appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary. She replaces Mr. Justice R.P. Fraser who elected to become a supernumerary judge.

A former journalist with the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Madam Justice Erb received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan in 1983. She was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia the following year and to the Bar of Alberta in 1986. She began her career in general practice where she gained experience in civil, criminal and family law litigation. In 1995, Madam Justice Erb became General Counsel for the Tsuu T'ina (Sarcee) First Nation and, at the time of her appointment, her practice was concentrated on a wide variety of legal issues affecting aboriginal people.

Madam Justice Erb designed and negotiated the implementation of Canada's first comprehensive aboriginal justice system, which operates on the Tsuu T'ina (Sarcee) lands blending traditional native justice concepts with common law principals.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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Ref.: Farah Mohamed
Minister's Office
(613) 992-4621