The honourable Judge Brian A. Daley.

On March 14, 2005, Brian A. Daley, Q.C., was sworn in as a judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia by the honourable chief judge of the Provincial Court, Carol Baird Ellan, at a ceremony held at the courthouse in Fort St. John. The ceremony was crowded and attended by many of Brian's family, as well as his colleagues, friends and clients. Later that evening, a large reception was held in an informal setting where everyone could meet Judge Daley and partake in two of his favourite activities: eating and laughing. His Honour was especially pleased that his mother, Ann, made the trip from Newfoundland, along with his three brothers: Bruce, Noel and Sean--all practising lawyers from Toronto.

Brian was born in St. Joseph's, Newfoundland, on July 8, 1955. He attended law school at the University of Windsor and graduated in 1979. He was called to the bar in Ontario in 1981 but was convinced that practising law in a large centre was not for him. That summer, Brian and his new bride Barbara travelled to visit Barbara's brother, a teacher in Fort St. John.

On a whim, Brian made his rounds of the local firms looking for a job and began his practice with Bruhaug & Company. Brian was called to the bar of British Columbia in 1982. Around that time, Bruhaug & Company merged with Hoffman & Lewis, and the firm became known as Hoffman, Bruhaug & Lewis. With the merger, Brian met his future law partner, Josh Lewis. The firm went through some changes, and in 1986 Brian became a partner and the firm became Lewis & Daley. Although the firm went through a few more partners and associates throughout the years, Josh and Brian remained constant until Josh's departure for the big city lights of Vancouver in 1997. However, before Josh departed, he managed to find Brian another partner, namely, Augustine Earmme, and in 1997 the firm name was changed to Daley & Earmme. The firm never added another partner, but a few associates came and went, and in 2002 David Levis, a retired Provincial Court judge from Dawson Creek, came out of retirement and joined the firm as an associate. The three amigos had a lot of fun practising together, so it came as a surprise when Brian expressed a serious interest in becoming a judge.

Practising mainly as a barrister, Brian worked in the field of criminal, family and personal injury law. However, he had a career-altering experience when he attended the family mediation course taught by Gordon Sloan and Gerry McHale in 1990. Brian became a firm believer in mediation as a way of resolving family disputes, and since that time he has focused his work such that the bulk of his family practice involved mediation. In recognition of service and contribution to the legal profession, Brian was appointed Queen's Counsel by the attorney general of British Columbia in 2002.

Brian and Barbara have three sons, Kevin, Danny and David. Both Kevin and Danny are attending the University of Victoria, while David is completing grade 10. In addition to having a busy law practice, Brian is a well-known volunteer in the Fort St. John community. During his legal career, he was involved in many community organizations, including the Counselling and Listening Centre, North Peace Justice Society, Rotary Club of Fort St. John and the Fort St. John General Hospital Ethics Committee. His outgoing nature and sense of humour and the fact that he appeared to know everyone in town meant that Brian was tapped at many functions to serve as the master of ceremonies.

Brian is also a fitness nut, working out at the gym six days a week, as well as playing squash and racquetball in the winter and golf in the summer. Although he is not coordinated enough to be good at these sports, he enjoys them nevertheless.

For those who are unaware of Fort St. John, it is located in the northeast portion of the province. The city has one Provincial Court judge and no sitting Supreme Court judge. The nearest fellow judge is the Provincial Court judge sitting in Dawson Creek, approximately 80 kilometres due east of Fort St. John. In addition to sitting in Fort St. John, Brian will also be holding court for one week about once per month in the town of Fort Nelson, which is located about 400 kilometres north of Fort St. John, making Brian B.C.'s most northern resident judge. This gives Brian the honour of covering one of the largest and most isolated judicial areas in British Columbia.

Brian is held in high regard by his clients, fellow lawyers and members of the community. He is known for his compassion, patience, hard work ethic and sense of humour. In addition to those qualities, his skills as a mediator make him an excellent appointment to the Provincial Court of British Columbia. Although his former firm will miss his presence, the city of Fort St. John and the bench will be well served by Brian's appointment.