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Operation Overlord — Alec Addington Ballachey Jr.
Alec Addington Ballachey, Sr. grew up in Brantford, Ontario, and received his law degree from Osgoode Hall in 1904. He ventured west and initially set up shop in Fort Macleod. In 1905 he moved to High River. Alec Sr. met his wife, Genevieve McDonell, and they were...
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms at 40
On April 17, 2022, the fortieth anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has come and gone. Since its introduction, there has been plenty of discussion about the political and legal significance of the Charter over the last forty years. Forty years is not...
Kene Ilochonwu — The Story Behind Alberta’s First Black Bencher
Black History Month Every February, Canadians across the country are invited to honour the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities. Here, at the Legal Archives Society of Alberta, we are acknowledging the transformative work of Black lawyers and judges,...
A Conversation with Madam Justice Gaylene Kendell
Black History Month Every February, Canadians across the country are invited to honour the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities. Here, at the Legal Archives Society of Alberta, we are acknowledging the transformative work of Black lawyers and judges,...
Lionel Locksley Jones — The Story of Canada’s First Black Judge
Black History Month Every February, Canadians across the country are invited to honour the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities. Here, at the Legal Archives Society of Alberta, we are acknowledging the transformative work of Black lawyers and judges,...
Violet King Henry – The Story Behind Canada’s First Black Female Lawyer
Black History Month Every February, Canadians across the country are invited to honour the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities. Here, at the Legal Archives Society of Alberta, we are acknowledging the transformative work of Black lawyers and judges,...
Book Review – Strange, Carolyn. The Death Penalty and Sex Murder in Canadian History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020.
Crime fascinates the public. Whether it is watching television and the movies, or reading detective and crime novels, the criminal justice system enticed the public long before the dawn of the Internet. It could be argued that the fictionalized stories and...
Book Review – McLaren, John. Dewigged, Bothered, & Bewildered: British Colonial Judges on Trial, 1800-1900. Toronto: University of Toronto, 2011.
In history, context is everything. While detailing isolated incidents may be of historical interest, a comparative analysis can bring the richer complexity of a period to life. John McLaren achieves this in his 2011 book on judicial discipline in the British...
Book Review — Walker, Barrington, ed. The African Canadian Legal Odyssey: Historical Essays. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012.
February is Black History month in Canada. It is a time when, across the country, people, organizations, and institutions recognize and celebrate the achievements of African Canadians. Canada’s history is rife with stories of the many contributions that African...
Book Review — Canada’s Legal Pasts: Looking Forward, Looking Back.
Campbell, Lyndsay, Ted McCoy, and Mélanie Méthot, eds. Canada’s Legal Pasts: Looking Forward, Looking Back. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2020. In 1973, Professor of Law, R.C.B. Risk, presented “A Prospectus for Canadian Legal History” at Dalhousie Law...