600 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 4 JULY 2021
time with the Dallaire Institute, he was sole or lead author of several publications,
wrote national level policy documents and assisted in the drafting
and implementation of the Vancouver Principles—a set of 17 principles
focused on preventing the recruitment and use of child soldiers by armed
forces and armed groups around the world.
In 2018, Darin left the Dallaire Institute and returned west in order to be
closer to his parents. For almost three years he and his understanding wife
lived in Fort McMurray, where as Alberta Crown counsel he regularly
appeared in provincial courts and the Court of Queen’s Bench.
Now, in 2021, he brings his experience, intellect, drive and empathy to
the Provincial Court of British Columbia. Those who know Darin and have
worked with him across Canada and around the world throughout both his
military and civilian legal careers know that he will be an excellent judge,
and wish him a long and rewarding judicial career.
The Honourable Judge Diana Vandor
(formerly Juricevic)
Picture the newly appointed Judge Vandor cycling to
work daily—rain or shine—from her East Vancouver
home to the Richmond courthouse. Now picture her
arriving at work in the days when she was chair of
the BC Human Rights Tribunal. She is dripping wet.
With one stroke, she divests herself of her soaked
cape and disappears into the closet in her office,
emerging seconds later in proper business attire, looking composed, and
just in time to rush off to an important hearing. Superwoman!
One might be forgiven for characterizing Diana this way. She certainly
appears to have superpowers. Everyone speaks of her prodigious capacity
for hard work and her laser focus on getting things done in a timely fashion.
But there are other aspects of Diana—notably, her compassion for the
underdog and her capacity to listen—that reveal a more complex person.
When I spoke to Diana’s best friend from her days at The Hague, she
explained that their “expat” community had coined the phrase “from home”
to denote someone you meet who you know gets your thinking, even if they
come from a different country than you. That is what she felt when she met