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VOL. 79 PART 1 JANUARY 2021
Most importantly, however, at Regent, Craig met love of his life, Carmen.
After a short courtship, they were married following Craig’s graduation.
True “pathological” romantics (as Carmen often puts it), they have been
happily married now for over 36 years with three grown children.
As young idealists determined to change the world and help the poor and
marginalized, Craig and Carmen spent their early “dates” volunteering at a
local soup kitchen in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Carrying that joint
mindset into their marriage, they continued generously giving of their time,
energy and resources to others and opening their small home to those in
need of a place to stay.
While Craig’s studies at Regent initially appeared to be a radical departure
from his academic ambitions, they ultimately inspired him to further study.
His love of people and his desire to practically assist others motivated Craig
to pursue studies in law and politics. He enrolled in political studies at UBC.
To make ends meet, each summer Craig returned to his roots in Kaslo to
work on the Forest Service fire suppression crew. Reflecting on his experience
during those years, he becomes quite animated (perhaps too much so)
discussing burning and slashing and lighting backfires with napalm-
dripping torches. And, if you ever need to know how to step off a helicopter
onto the burning side of a mountain while carefully shifting your weight to
prevent the chopper from flipping, Craig is the one to speak to. Returning
to the Kootenays to work each year provided Craig with a continued connection
and grounding, extending the small-town boy foundation through
academia and his early profession.
Following three years at UBC and an LSAT score in the top one percentile,
Craig became a Law Foundation Scholar at UVic Law. After law school, a
B.C. Supreme Court clerkship, articles and a junior position for six months
at Bull, Housser and Tupper (all the while parenting small children), Craig
decided to hang out his own shingle. He realized he wasn’t cut out for the
insulated big firm life and relished the opportunity to just get into court, roll
up his sleeves and get to work.
During his early career junioring on a variety of serious criminal files,
Craig discovered his legal passion: being on his feet in a courtroom day after
day. This also involved travelling to many remote locations around B.C.,
further cultivating Craig’s love for the province in general. Even now, with
his chambers established in Abbotsford, Judge Sicotte jumps at the opportunity
to sit in and explore remote communities across B.C.
Initially as a sole practitioner, Craig’s practice ran the full gamut before
eventually narrowing to family and criminal law. As he hired on associates
and built his law firm, Craig focused all of his energy on criminal defence