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VOL. 79 PART 2 MARCH 2021
than “ornamental or rare”, the plaintiffs’ damages must be limited to
diminution in the land’s market value. However, the court held “that is an
artificial distinction. One person’s unsightly jungle may be another person’s
enchanted forest; certainly the owner of such land should be allowed to
enjoy it free from a trespasser’s bulldozer.”
The Provincial Court of British Columbia recently saw the appointment of
four new judges: the Honourable Judge Emmet Duncan and the Honourable
Judge Andrea Davis were appointed on January 11, 2021; the Honourable
Judge Darin Reeves and the Honourable Judge Diana Vandor
were appointed on February 1, 2021. Judge Duncan and Judge Davis will sit
in Surrey, Judge Reeves in Fort St. John and Judge Vandor in Richmond.
Paul Singh was appointed as acting chair of the BC Human Rights Tribunal,
where he has been a member since April 2018. The tribunal is responsible for
accepting, screening, mediating and adjudicating human rights complaints.
Amber Lyn Prince, Sonya C. Pighin and Karen Louise Snowshoe were all
appointed to the BC Human Rights Tribunal for terms ending at various
points in 2025. Sonya C. Pighin was also appointed as a member of the
board of the British Columbia College of Social Workers for a term ending
December 31, 2021.
Leah M. Volkers was appointed as a member of the Civil Resolution Tribunal
for a term ending January 26, 2024. Shelley-Meghan L. Lopez was reappointed
as a vice chair of the Civil Resolution Tribunal for a term ending
January 26, 2026.
FROM THE TRENCHES. Here’s a top tip on Court of Appeal advocacy (at
least in British Columbia): asking the bench “do you guys want to take a
break?” during a Zoom hearing is not a recommended way to address the
court, no matter how badly you don’t want to say “My Lord” or “My Lady”.
The Enchanted Forest is a tourist attraction, first opened to the public in the
1960s, near Revelstoke. Its website describes it as “a magical place where
visitors can see, touch and step into the homes of fairy tale heroes, villains
and creatures that hold so many memories for all of us”.
A German-born computer programmer named Stefan Thomas has two
guesses left at his password in order to access the 7,002 Bitcoins he has on
a locked hard drive (known as an IronKey). Mr. Thomas received these Bit-