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The CBA in the North

In l978, while there was an NWT Branch in name, it was not active and in fact most of the local lawyers didn't even know it existed.

That summer, Tom Walsh, the then national CBA President, had the opportunity to visit Yellowknife and told local members about a plan to revamp the CBA Constitution so as to create an Executive Committee, made up of representatives from each province. The only problem was that this plan (which was several years in the making), did not include the North.

Determined to remedy this situation, Ted Richard and John Vertes (now Senior Justice Richard and Mr. Justice Vertes of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories) and Ron Veale (now Mr. Justice Veale of the Yukon Supreme Court), decided on the spur of the moment to attend the CBA's Annual Conference in Calgary. They appeared at the Council meeting when the proposed new arrangement was put up for a vote and moved an amendment to create one northern seat on the Executive which would be shared on a rotating basis by the NWT and Yukon.

While many of those who had negotiated and lobbied for many years for the new arrangement were of the opinion that the proposed amendment would upset matters, eventually a number of delegates (interestingly enough - particularly those from Quebec, and the incoming President, the late Gordon Henderson) saw the rationale and voted in favour of changing the proposal.

That move acted as the catalyst which revitalized the NWT Branch. John Vertes (Mr. Justice Vertes) served as the first President for a number of years. He was supported by Al Brien (then a lawyer with GNWT Department of Justice and now a Provincial Court Judge in New Brunswick). Justice Vertes was succeeded by Joel Fournier (a former partner in what is now Gullberg, Wiest, MacPerson & Kay). It is worth noting that both Justices Richard and Vertes and Mr. Fournier are also Past Presidents of the Law Society of the Northwest Territories.

A small Branch in comparison to others, for many years the CBA was run entirely by a group of volunteer members. As the demands on their time grew along with the number of sections and Branch activities, the Executive realized it needed a more effective and coordinated administrative approach and contracted those responsibilities to the Law Society of the NWT. Already a partner with the CBA on many fronts in the North, this arrangement has worked well and allowed the Branch to be more effective.

More about the CBA nationally on CBA.org >>

Please consult the links below to learn more about CBA NWT:

Branch Executive/Council 
Contact information for the Branch Executive and Members of Council.

Bylaws/Policies
CBA NWT governing documents:  bylaws and regulations; travel policy; section compliance and national funding.

Contacts
Contact information for the CBA NWT Branch.