BarTalk June 1999
Volume 11, Number 3

Fisher, lawyer, volunteer

Ian Bryce has had a lifelong passion for fishing--at age 14 he purchased his first boat “The Lyric”. He pursued his fishing career with a series of larger vessels and eventually built a 48-foot troller “The Gypsy Soul” in 1980. Ian’s fishing put him through law school, as he attended university in the off season, and kept his fishing business afloat. He received his LL.B from Queen’s University in 1988, articled at Bull Housser & Tupper and was called to the Bar in 1990. Ian continued to fish and practised part-time as a sole practitioner, but soon reached a crossroads as he struggled to balance his two businesses. Ian bought 38 acres of land in Nanoose Bay and built a large log home. He then met Lynne Yamanaka, a Fisheries Biologist, and they married in 1992. Lynne and Ian have two young boys.

While committed to the practice of law, the annual roe herring fishery calls Ian away every March. Ian’s respect for the fishing industry has brought about his involvement in the Nanoose Streamkeepers Society. The Society’s focus is salmon runs. Society members re-establish streams destroyed by logging and residential or industrial development, to make them viable again. “Ian’s a person who has a civic conscious,” says Eve Flynn, a fellow Nanoose Bay Resident. “He would see (the Streamkeepers Society) as a way that he could make a significant contribution to his community.”

Ian is also active in both the Community Plan Review and the Nanoose Bay Parks and Greenspaces Committee. The Greenspaces Committee is in the process of purchasing a new piece of land that will hopefully be developed to include park benches, walking paths and a kayak launch area. The Committee also plans to create a green spaces map to help area residents enjoy all the natural areas of their community. The Community Plan Review allows community members to re-design community development to manage future growth.

Ian’s community involvement is built on the continuity of his involvement in the area. “Ian is community minded,” says Eve. “He knows what he liked when he grew up here, and he is trying to give back to his community.”

We’re looking for more outstanding lawyers
If you know of a lawyer who has made a vital contribution to life in his or her community beyond the law, please call BarTalk Editor Caroline Nevin at 604.687.3404 or, if you’re outside the Lower Mainland, call our toll free line at 1.888.687.3404.

This article was published in the June 1999 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.