438:. In the spring of 1995, the provincial government again relied on his services, appointing him a Special Commissioner to review the issue of the public usage of the Cypress Park, which had become controversial over the conflicting interests of conservation and economic development. He made his report to the provincial Cabinet in August, 1995.
478:
deleted them as quickly as possible. He was quoted as saying that the reason for the resignation was friction with the executive committee of the judges of the
Supreme Court. News reports at the time indicated there may have been dissatisfaction with his leadership style in pushing for reforms to the court system.
496:
praised
Williams for pushing for reforms to the court process, which were aimed at making the court process more accessible, faster and cheaper. He said: "It takes courage to initiate change. Chief Justice Williams retires knowing that he has the admiration and respect of the Law Society, and with a
386:
throughout his legal career. He was the president of the
British Columbia Branch of the CBA in 1977-78, and the national president of the CBA in 1986-87. In 1983-84, he was the chair of the CBA National Law Reform and Legislation Committee and in 1984-85, he was the founding chair of the CBA Law for
334:
Williams was called to the
British Columbia bar in 1959. He practised law with the Vancouver firm of Swinton and Company for close to forty years, being made partner in 1961. A litigator in commercial matters, administrative and environmental law, he eventually led the firm's litigation department.
512:
In 2000, the
President of ICBC, Thom Thompson, approached Williams with the idea of an ICBC ombudsman (later to be known as the ICBC Fairness Commissioner). This was to be an independent commissioner to hear and assess complaints from certain customers of Insurance Corporation of British Columbia,
477:
In 2000, after four years as Chief
Justice, Williams resigned from the Supreme Court. The circumstances of the resignation were not clear. There were rumours that nude pictures had been found on Williams's computer. He denied those rumours, saying that someone had e-mailed the images to him and he
354:
in Canada. He was asked directly by the
Premier of British Columbia to argue the province's position. Williams later said it was the most interesting case of his career. The case went on appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but Williams was not able to act for the provincial government in the
378:
Upon the expiry of his term on the Law Reform
Commission, the Commission paid tribute to him in their annual report: "Mr Williams brought to our deliberations a wealth of experience as senior counsel. His intuitive grasp of complex issues combined with a keen appreciation of the practical
489:, said that the resignation would be considered a loss by the legal community. Dosanjh said that the Chief Justice was seen as a champion of the underdog, and had pushed hard to implement innovations in the court system, such as alternative dispute resolution and video conferencing.
426:. In 1985, the provincial government appointed him the chair of the Wilderness Advisory Committee established by the provincial government. The Committee recommended the creation of several new wilderness parks and also changes to the boundaries of some existing parks, such as
335:
He developed a very busy practice in the courts, often juggling different complicated court matters simultaneously. He appeared in major cases involving aboriginal land claims, physician billing practices, and lawyer advertising rules. He also appeared in two cases in the
285:. In addition to an extensive litigation practice, he was heavily involved in a number of organizations relating to the practice of law and the administration of justice, including a term as national president of the
343:, is a leading case on the constitutional jurisdiction of provincial superior courts, as well as the interplay between federal competition law, and provincial regulation of the legal profession.
375:; and Governor of the British Columbia Law Foundation. He also served as permanent chair of a number of arbitration committees under various collective bargaining agreements.
828:
427:
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363:
Williams was heavily involved in a number of organizations relating to the legal profession and the justice system. At various times he was a member of the
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724:
569:
516:
Williams accepted the appointment and commenced business as the
Fairness Commissioner on March 1, 2001. He served in this position until 2004.
921:
775:
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for
British Columbia, commented that Williams "... has lectured, published and generally made waves on numberless platforms and podiums."
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832:
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411:
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in 1995. He was only on the Court of Appeal for a short time, as a year later he was appointed Chief Justice of the
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854:
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467:
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454:. He was also the chair of the YVR (Vancouver airport) Art Foundation, and a director of the Laurier Institution.
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956:
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364:
314:
282:
232:
816:
951:
310:
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Williams has a strong interest in the environment and the wilderness. He was a member and director of the
317:. His wife, Audrey Williams, was a competitive ice skater and ice skating judge, including judging at the
318:
829:""Williams lauded by Law Society of BC", Law Society of British Columbia News Release, February 8, 2000"
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130:
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at the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The case was one of the most important cases relating to
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534:
372:
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British Columbia Courts: Court of Appeal: Current & Former Justices of the Court of Appeal
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and determine whether they had been fairly treated in their dealings with the Corporation.
765:
Bryan Williams, QC, "Report of the Cypress Park Special Planning Commission", August, 1995.
8:
787:
British Columbia Courts: Supreme Court: Members of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
379:
consequences of law reform measures made him a tower of strength in our deliberations."
541:
430:. In 1995, he was appointed Canada's special advisor in relation to the North American
346:
One of his major cases was acting as counsel for the government of British Columbia in
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504:, criticized the lack of transparency about the reasons for the resignation.
486:
305:, but his family moved to British Columbia when he was young. He grew up on
526:
640:"Former CBA president appointed new chief justice of BC Supreme Court",
497:
distinguished career of service as a lawyer, jurist and Chief Justice."
451:
423:
165:
725:
Peter Kennedy, "B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice expected to resign,"
501:
266:
671:(1993), 30 B.C.A.C. 1, 104 D.L.R. (4th) 470, 5 C.N.L.R. 1 (BCCA).
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Supreme Court because by then he had been appointed to the bench.
302:
298:
801:"Chief Justice taking early retirement", CBC, February 8, 2000.
447:
817:"Chief Justice takes early retirement", CBC. February 7, 2000.
883:"Annual Report of the ICBC Fairness Commissioner, March 2004"
615:
The British Columbia Court of Appeal: The First Hundred Years
656:
Attorney General of Canada v Law Society of British Columbia
341:
Attorney General of Canada v Law Society of British Columbia
754:
British Columbia Wilderness Advisory Committee (1985-1986).
481:
When contacted before the resignation was confirmed, the
855:"Annual Report of the Fairness Commissioner, March 2002"
570:
Richard Vogel, "The Bryan Williams Story" (1986), 44
410:. At the provincial level, he was involved in the
908:
172:President of the British Columbia Branch of the
743:Rafe Mair, "CKNW Editorial for May 25, 2000".
507:
390:One of his friends, Richard Vogel, a former
265:is a Canadian lawyer and retired judge from
812:
810:
808:
696:Law Reform Commission of British Columbia,
321:in 1994. They have four children together.
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718:
711:Canadian Bar Association: Past-Presidents.
617:. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2010, pp. 197-198.
402:Williams was a long-time supporter of the
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586:"BC Sports Hall of Fame: Audrey Williams"
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367:; a commissioner on the British Columbia
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796:
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432:Commission for Environmental Cooperation
406:and a personal friend of Prime Minister
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292:
890:Legislative Library of British Columbia
862:Legislative Library of British Columbia
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715:
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909:
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609:
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329:
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592:from the original on October 13, 2017
382:Williams was heavily involved in the
922:Peter A. Allard School of Law alumni
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644:, October 1996, Vol. 8, No. 5, p. 1.
500:A well-known political commentator,
483:Attorney General of British Columbia
412:British Columbia Social Credit Party
942:Canadian Bar Association Presidents
604:
441:
436:North American Free Trade Agreement
100:Court of Appeal of British Columbia
13:
642:BarTalk - CBA BC Branch Newsletter
457:
373:British Columbia Legal Aid Society
14:
968:
47:Supreme Court of British Columbia
468:British Columbia Court of Appeal
279:British Columbia Court of Appeal
875:
847:
821:
780:
769:
758:
747:
494:Law Society of British Columbia
324:
704:
689:
674:
669:Delgamuukw v. British Columbia
662:
648:
578:
472:British Columbia Supreme Court
365:Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
348:Delgamuukw v. British Columbia
315:University of British Columbia
283:British Columbia Supreme Court
281:and also Chief Justice of the
233:University of British Columbia
1:
927:20th-century Canadian lawyers
547:
446:Williams was on the board of
434:, established as part of the
474:, the superior trial court.
7:
932:Lawyers in British Columbia
450:, a regional subsidiary of
397:
319:Lillehammer Winter Olympics
10:
973:
947:Judges in British Columbia
685:at 10: An Insider’s Tale".
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508:ICBC Fairness Commissioner
424:World Wildlife Fund Canada
462:Williams was appointed a
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384:Canadian Bar Association
287:Canadian Bar Association
174:Canadian Bar Association
131:Canadian Bar Association
937:Canadian King's Counsel
392:Deputy Attorney General
337:Supreme Court of Canada
215:Liberal Party of Canada
698:Annual Report, 1984/85
681:Hon. Bryan Williams, "
535:University of Victoria
129:58th President of the
957:People from Vancouver
492:The President of the
404:federal Liberal Party
369:Law Reform Commission
359:Leadership at the bar
297:Williams was born in
293:Early life and family
45:Chief Justice of the
952:Lawyers from Calgary
428:South Moresby Island
418:Environmental issues
835:on February 2, 2017
729:, February 7, 2000.
613:Christopher Moore,
330:Litigation practice
525:1990 - awarded an
309:and then attended
387:the Future Fund.
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831:. Archived from
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442:Other Activities
352:aboriginal title
307:Vancouver Island
271:British Columbia
264:
204:Calgary, Alberta
195:Personal details
184:
162:
150:
141:
119:
110:
88:
81:William A. Esson
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35:
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542:Queen's Counsel
522:
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460:
458:Judicial career
444:
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371:; chair of the
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339:. One of them,
332:
327:
295:
260:
224:Audrey Williams
211:Political party
185:
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111:
106:
98:Justice of the
86:
76:
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53:
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17:
16:Canadian lawyer
12:
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5:
970:
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727:Globe and Mail
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464:puisne justice
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92:Donald Brenner
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28:Bryan Williams
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25:The Honourable
24:
15:
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2:
969:
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658:, 2 SCR 307.
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487:Ujjal Dosanjh
484:
479:
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469:
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408:Jean Chrétien
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70:Jean Chrétien
68:
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893:. Retrieved
889:
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865:. Retrieved
861:
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837:. Retrieved
833:the original
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594:. Retrieved
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325:Legal career
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181:
161:Succeeded by
154:Robert Wells
138:
118:Nominated by
107:
87:Succeeded by
65:Nominated by
54:
18:
839:January 29,
596:January 29,
273:. He was a
149:Preceded by
77:Preceded by
911:Categories
700:, pp. 1-2.
683:Delgamuukw
548:References
452:Air Canada
311:law school
244:Profession
166:Jean Bazin
533:) by the
502:Rafe Mair
267:Vancouver
229:Education
186:1977–1978
182:In office
143:1986–1987
139:In office
112:1995–1996
108:In office
59:1996–2000
55:In office
590:Archived
572:Advocate
540:Awarded
398:Politics
206:, Canada
895:July 3,
867:July 3,
520:Honours
466:of the
313:at the
303:Alberta
299:Calgary
277:on the
448:Air BC
247:Lawyer
221:Spouse
886:(PDF)
858:(PDF)
897:2019
869:2019
841:2017
598:2017
574:459.
237:LL.B
200:Born
527:LLD
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