THE ADVOCATE 597
VOL. 79 PART 4 JULY 2021
Because this trajectory doesn’t sound impressive enough, I will add that,
when not running a law firm, coaching moot teams, sitting as president of
the BCCLA (for no fewer than eight years), volunteering endless hours in
the race office at the Whistler Cup (for her very talented daughter’s ski
team) and exercising her superior baking skills for the benefit not only of
her husband Tim and daughter Freya but also sometimes her lucky colleagues,
Lindsay found time to do a great deal of teaching as well.
At UBC, Lindsay taught a number of courses over the years, including
Federalism, Charter Litigation, Human Rights in the Workplace, Administrative
Law and Labour Arbitration. She also co-chaired CLEBC’s incredibly
successful annual Human Rights Conference for five years; contributed regularly
to seminars and courses offered through Lancaster House, CLEBC
and Labour Law Online; and taught an advanced course on labour arbitration
annually at the Canadian Labour Congress Winter School. Oh yes, she
also regularly authored two chapters of CLEBC’s Administrative Law Practice
Manual. Are you tired thinking about all of this yet? Good. You should be.
Although her law partners (and many others) appreciated that she
seemed destined for the judiciary, we nevertheless prayed regularly that
the Minister of Justice might see things differently. Alas, the call we
dreaded came at the beginning of July 2020, just as we were juggling a pandemic
and the imminent retirement of one of the firm’s founding partners,
the incredible Shona Moore, Q.C. Of course, the firm’s (and the bar’s) profound
loss is the bench’s tremendous gain.
Although the sampling of accomplishments set out above is (to my mind
at least) impressive, what Lindsay will truly add to the bench is far more
important but less tangible. She brings with her a sharp and open mind,
humility, empathy, compassion and understanding (each in ample proportions),
a sense of fairness and justice, a deep appreciation for the many barriers
people face in accessing justice today, a tremendous work ethic and a
devotion to serving the public and the law. She will be dearly missed on this
side of the bar, but the years she spent educating and mentoring law students,
associates and colleagues will ensure her legacy as an advocate will
continue even as she sits down to work toward a new published-decisions
record from the confines of the bench.
Originally appointed to sit in Vancouver, Madam Justice Lyster and her
family will soon be heading to Nelson, and what is surely the most beautiful
courthouse in the province. There, I am sure, she will not only dispense
justice to the people of the West Kootenays, but also enjoy everything those
beautiful mountains, lakes and valleys have to offer. In many ways, it will
be a fitting (almost) homecoming for the rancher’s daughter from
Armstrong.