by Graham Price, K.C.

Graham’s thesis is one of the first to undertake a history of the law in the Northwest Territories following the establishment of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. It is a rare examination of the administration of justice in the NWT between 1905 and 1955 with a specific emphasis on the role of Stipendiary Magistrates. Not an exhaustive assessment of the development of law and society in the Territories, it is a balanced mix of description and analysis. Graham wrote in his Preface that his purpose was to “establish a point of reference for subsequent scholars who come to deal with other aspects of the machinery of justice in the post-1905 period in the Northwest Territories”

by The Hon. Russell Armitage Dixon, K.C.

“…One day I was sitting with my buddies in the Rec Building when we noticed a sign on a billboard stating Join the Paratroops and earn an extra 75 cents a day danger pay. That was all we needed to sign up for Camp Shilo, Manitoba, and parachuting…” “…what a wonderful adventure for me! I made life-long friend among good old C Company and we kept in touch and meet at the odd reunion…” Read more about Russell Dixon personal experience as a paratrooper. On the end of this paper you will find the names of the battalions in each of the divisions, their home base in Canada, where the major battles were fought and some figures and casualties.

by The Hon. Russell Armitage Dixon, K.C

“As I sit in my downtown Calgary office and reflect on the surrounding concrete and glass, the tangle of traffic, the people crunch, the suburban “private property” and “no trespassing” signs, I am reminded of earlier uninhibited and uncomplicated days and of a simple, yet glorious heritage. I shall ever be grateful for the blessings and bounties that I have enjoyed throughout my life, but the first eighteen years were special and can probably not now be duplicated, even in the setting which I will hereinafter describe.”

by The Hon. Russell Armitage Dixon, K.C.

“I spent the happiest 19 years of my life as a Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta…. My judicial time commenced on October 24, 1980 and ended on November 14, 1999, the date of my 75th birthday. I am now 88 and getting sentimental about life and times and determined that if I was going to record some of my funny courtroom experiences and occasional ventures in mischief making I had better get on with it….”

Edward M. Bredin, K.C.

A biography of Leonard Brockington written nearly fifty years after his death presents formidable obstacles. Biographies are already one of, if not, the most difficult history to write. Biographies are usually written about exceptional men, or those whom we think are exceptional. Historians avoid the atypical kind of biography – the celebratory biography – with its obituary like, mind numbing adulation that follows one simplistic rule: “don’t speak ill of the dead.” … History is about dismantling myth and replacing legend with fact. This is more than a biography of a man; this is also a history of a country. Not an in-depth historical study. Rather a history of many of the key events that encompassed Brock’s life.

Artwork: Tzak, Text: James Mahony

The concept for this publication began when LASA President Graham Price contacted the artist Jack Rogers (“Tzak”} to do some sketches of Calgary courts. Tzak gained permission to sketch inside and outside the court buildings and was able to capture images of high profile criminal trials as well as the day-to-day work required by people in the legal system. The text, by James Mahony, describes the depicted scenes and explains the court system in terms that are easily understandable for those of us not familiar with court proceedings. It is hoped that this publication can be enjoyed for the energetic and attractive sketches as well as being a source of information.