About Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie
Chief Judge Gillespie was appointed to the Provincial Court in 2012, sat in Surrey and the Fraser Valley, and was appointed an Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court in 2016, Acting Chief Judge on May 7, 2018, and Chief Judge on October 19, 2018.
For many years she represented the Court on the board of directors of the BC Justice Education Society (JES). From 2015 through 2021 she worked with JES to provide ongoing education and training to police, prosecutors, and magistrates to strengthen the justice system of Guyana.
In addition, she has been involved in providing education for members of the judicial and legal communities including programs hosted by the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, Trial Lawyers Association, the Advocates Society, Canadian Bar Association, Criminal Defence Advocacy Society, National Judicial Institute, New Judges training, and the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice.
About Judicial Justice Aamna Afsar
In July of 2022 Aamna Afsar was appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia as a part-time Judicial Justice. In November of 2021, she was appointed as an alternate chair with the BC Review Board to adjudicate matters relating to accused persons who are found to be either unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder by the court. Prior to joining the BC Review Board, Ms. Afsar was a bilingual member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) where she adjudicated refugee claims. She was a member of both the Refugee Protection Division’s Gender Related Task Force and Quality Centre where she developed training to enhance the quality of refugee adjudication, including developing training around trauma informed practice, intersectionality, and cultural sensitivity. Prior to joining the IRB, Ms. Afsar was Crown Counsel with the BC Prosecution Service for over thirteen years, prosecuting under the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. She has appeared before both the Provincial Court and British Columbia Supreme Court, conducting prosecutions of varied complexity.
About Judicial Justice Gerry Hayes
Geography degree in Batchelor of Environmental Studies program at University of Waterloo.
Eight years as a bylaw enforcement officer in the City of Surrey ( Oct 1988 – August 1996).
Twenty eight years as a Sitting Justice of the Peace / Judicial Justice – specializing in search warrants and judicial interim release ( Sept. 1996 to present )
About Judicial Justice Lori Plater
Lori Plater has been an Administrative Judicial Justice for the Provincial Court of British Columbia since 2019. JJ Plater was called to the bar in both British Columbia, where she practiced as a Crown Prosecutor in the Fraser Region, and in Alberta, where she practiced as a Provincial Crown Prosecutor and as a Federal Crown Prosecutor with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC). While with the PPSC she acted as the lead Crown prosecutor in the establishment of the Calgary Drug Treatment Court. JJ Plater was appointed as a sitting Justice of the Peace for the Provincial Court of Alberta in 2008. She was appointed as a member of the Parole Board of Canada, as an adjudicator with the Law Society of Alberta, and as Chair of the Alberta Mental Health Review Panel, holding these positions until her appointment as a Judicial Justice for the Provincial Court of British Columbia.
ACKNOWLEDGING FIRST NATIONS TERRITORIES
This webinar is hosted by CBABC, which is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam First Nations. We encourage our members to explore the rich history and knowledge of Indigenous people, and to continue learning about their experience in Canada, past and present.
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS
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