THE ADVOCATE 101
VOL. 79 PART 1 JANUARY 2021
Beth, and granddaughters Abigail and Alison. When they were living in the
same town, Harvey had a standing weekly engagement to take Abigail to
White Spot, and he loved these special times with her.
In retirement, Harvey kept up with developments in human rights
law, often e-mailing his former colleagues his commentary on newly
released court or tribunal decisions or commenting on media coverage.
Whether at work or in retirement, Harvey was never shy to “tell it like he
saw it”.
Harvey’s hard work and commitment were not forgotten by his clients.
On one particularly challenging matter, a former client asked him to come
out of retirement to re-join their team of legal representatives. Harvey volunteered
his time, energy and considerable expertise as a member of a
working group convened by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal to recommend
ways to strengthen its processes for complaints brought on behalf of those
without legal capacity, including minors. Harvey continued that work until
his ill health forced him to withdraw from this role.
Harvey also continued his good-natured “personal” advocacy in retirement.
In a letter to the New Westminster Record newspaper, he posed the
question as to why New West beer drinkers were treated as second-class citizens.
Harvey had discovered that many brands of beer were not available
in six-packs at liquor stores in New West but were available in Vancouver
and neighbouring Burnaby.
Late in 2018, Harvey learned of his diagnosis. We watched as he
fought with optimism and grace, supported by family and friends. He
shared his thoughts throughout this time. Early on, and true to his character,
Harvey demanded that we show no pity towards him. He came to terms
with his illness by refusing to view it through a lens of “Why me?”, but
rather by recognizing the randomness of whom it impacts and asking, “Why
not me?”
On May 24, 2019, our friend Harvey died peacefully, surrounded by his
loving family.
Sadly, Harvey’s son, Michael, a lawyer with McLean & Armstrong LLP,
passed away earlier this year. Our condolences are extended to Leslie, Beth,
Abigail and Alison for their losses.
Catherine Hunt