Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of British Columbia

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 17, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

The Honourable Michael Brundrett, a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver, is appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in Vancouver. Justice Brundrett replaces Justice P.M.E. Abrioux, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective April 25, 2025.

The Honourable Amy D. Francis, a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver, is appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in Vancouver. Justice Francis replaces Justice L. Fenlon, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective July 1, 2025.

The Honourable Gregory W. Koturbash, a Judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia in Penticton, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Kelowna. Justice Koturbash replaces Justice D.A. Betton (Vernon), who resigned effective April 19, 2024.  Due to internal court transfers by the Chief Justice, the vacancy is located in Kelowna. 

Lorne D. Lachance, Deputy Supervising Counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in New Westminster. Justice Lachance replaces Justice S.C. Fitzpatrick (Vancouver), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective June 30, 2025.  Due to internal court transfers by the Chief Justice, the vacancy is located in New Westminster.

Julie K. Gibson, Legal Counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia in Victoria, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Victoria. Justice Gibson replaces Justice G.R.J. Gaul (Victoria), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective July 29, 2025.

Kate Saunders, K.C., Supervising Counsel for the Litigation Group at the Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia in Victoria, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Victoria. Justice Saunders replaces Justice B.M. Young (Victoria), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective October 18, 2025.

Quote

"I wish Justices Brundrett, Francis, Koturbash, Lachance, Gibson, and Saunders every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of British Columbia well as members of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia and the Supreme Court of British Columbia."

-- The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Biographies

Justice Michael Brundrett was born in Montreal and raised in North Vancouver. He received a B.A. in political science from UBC in 1988 and an LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1991. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1992.

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2017, Justice Brundrett was a senior lawyer with the British Columbia Ministry of Justice, Criminal Justice Branch. He had joined the BC Prosecution Service in 1994. As a trial prosecutor for over 13 years, he handled cases in all areas of criminal law. He had conducted appeals in the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Brundrett had long been committed to legal education. He was chair of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Professional Development Committee, a co-editor of the Working Manual of Criminal Law, and coordinator of the Jury Trial Resource Counsel group at the Criminal Justice Branch. 

Justice Amy D. Francis was born and raised in Vancouver. She received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1994 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1999. She was called to the bars of British Columbia and Ontario in 2001. 

Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2019, Justice Francis practiced at Legacy Tax + Trust Lawyers, where she had built a litigation career focused on resolving trust and estate disputes. As a junior lawyer, she practiced in the litigation departments of national law firms in both Toronto and Vancouver and worked as a tax litigator for the federal Department of Justice.

Justice Francis was ranked as "Consistently Recommended" by Lexpert and was named in Best Lawyers in Canada for Trusts and Estates. She taught succession law as an adjunct professor at Allard School of Law at UBC. She is a past chair of the Wills and Trusts Section of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association.

Justice Gregory W. Koturbash is originally from Saskatchewan. He obtained a combined Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Juris Doctor from the University of Saskatchewan in 1992. He was called to the bar of Saskatchewan in 1993 and the bar of British Columbia in 1998. 

Justice Koturbash served on the Provincial Court of British Columbia as the Regional Administrative Judge for the Interior Region. Appointed to the bench in Penticton in 2012, he brought with him two decades of experience as a Crown prosecutor, where he specialized in criminal law and dedicated his career to public service.

Justice Koturbash has served as a sessional faculty member at Thompson Rivers University, Faculty of Law, mentoring future members of the legal profession. He remained deeply involved in judicial education and contributed to national discussions on the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence and the justice system. He has also authored texts on Canadian criminal law, reflecting his commitment to the ongoing development of legal scholarship in Canada.

Justice Koturbash is a lifelong Saskatchewan Roughriders fan. He enjoys downhill skiing, wake surfing, and painting, and especially values time spent with his family.

Justice Lorne D. Lachance grew up in rural Northern Ontario. He earned his law degree at the University of Ottawa in 1991 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1993.  However, him and his wife moved to their adopted province of British Columbia in 1994, and he joined the British Columbia Bar in 1995.

Justice Lachance spent five years working in a general practice firm, focusing primarily on civil litigation, employment, and criminal law. Starting in 2000, he then worked for 24 years with the Department of Justice Canada, conducting civil litigation involving torts, contracts, regulatory, administrative and constitutional laws. Before leaving his departmental position as Senior General Counsel in 2023, he also gained expertise in class actions, was a founding member of the department's national class-action committee and was a member of the class action Federal Court's Bench and Bar Liaison Committee. In 2023, he joined the Attorney General of British Columbia as a senior counsel, then was promoted to a Deputy Supervising Counsel position. He advocated before all court levels in British Columbia, as well as the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court of Canada. 

Justice Lachance was a consistent organizer of and contributor to continuing legal education conferences, was a principal to many articling students and a mentor to even more counsel. 

Justice Lachance and his wife, Lisa, are proud parents of three children.  In his leisure time, he enjoys restoring old British cars and playing guitar.

Justice Julie K. Gibson was born and raised in Toronto. She obtained her Honours Bachelor of Science (Loran Scholar) from the University of Toronto (1999), a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia (2002), and a Master of Laws (Administrative Law) from Osgoode Hall Law School (2013). She was called to the British Columbia Bar in 2003.

Justice Gibson practised at Harper Grey LLP in Vancouver for over 15 years, where she enjoyed exceptional mentorship and held several leadership roles. She was appointed to the Civil Resolution Tribunal, Canada's first online tribunal, from 2015-2021. In 2021, she joined the Ministry of Attorney General, Legal Services Branch, where her broad litigation practice included being lead counsel in several cases about COVID-19 pandemic public health measures.

Justice Gibson spent many years as the volunteer lawyer coordinator for Law Students' Legal Advice Program (UBC's Britannia Clinic). As co-Chair of the Policy and Research Committee with the British Columbia Council of Administrative Tribunals, she introduced initiatives to make administrative justice more accessible and inclusive. She has guest lectured at UVIC Law School, co-authored a chapter for CLE-BC's Administrative Law Practice Manual and is proud to have been a long-standing Legal Member on the BC Cancer Agency's Research Ethics Board.

Justice Gibson lives on Vancouver Island with her husband George and their two amazing children.

Justice Kate Saunders, K.C., was raised in Quesnel and Victoria. She completed a B.Sc. (Hons) and an LL.B. at the University of British Columbia, graduating from the Faculty of Law in 2006. She was called to the British Columbia Bar in 2007 and to the Alberta Bar in 2009.

Justice Saunders began her legal career in private practice in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton with Davis LLP and Branch MacMaster LLP. Her practice focused on civil and public law litigation, and she appeared as counsel before all levels of court in British Columbia and Alberta, as well as before numerous administrative tribunals. In 2015, she joined the Ministry of Attorney General of British Columbia. She was appointed the Supervising Counsel of the Legal Services Branch's Litigation Group in 2019, where she provided strategic direction and oversight on thousands of active cases on behalf of the province. Her work included diverse matters ranging from personal injury litigation to major constitutional cases. She was appointed King's Counsel in 2024 and received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025.

Justice Saunders was recognized for her contributions to her community in 2010 with the CBA (National) Young Lawyers Pro Bono Award. She has served as a sessional instructor at the University of Victoria's Faculty of Law, a lawyer adjudicator with the Law Society of BC Tribunal, and a board member with the Advocates' Society, the Lawyers Assistance Program, and several research ethics boards.

Justice Saunders and her husband live in Victoria and are proud parents to two wonderful children.

Quick Facts

• Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
• The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

Contacts: For more information, media may contact: Lola Dandybaeva, Manager of Media Relations, Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, 343-549-0347, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]