THE ADVOCATE V O L . 7 9 P A R T 1 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1 13
ON THE
FRONT COVER
THE HONOURABLE LANCE FINCH,
Q.C., O.B.C.
By Timothy Outerbridge
On June 22, 2001, the Honourable Lance Sidney George Finch
was welcomed as Chief Justice of British Columbia. It was a
pleasant Friday afternoon, and occupying the front row of the
ceremony were his wife Judy, their three children and a scattering
of their grandchildren. Toward the end of the new Chief Justice’s
remarks, he paused briefly and described his new office: “The office of the
Chief Justice belongs to the people of British Columbia. The office holder is
for a time being its trustee.” This sentiment perfectly described Lance’s outlook.
His restrained manner belied a robust strength and earnestness that
would lift and empower others, leading them always by example, with good
humour and without ego.
Earlier that month, he had confessed in a more intimate ceremony that
he felt like the great Yankee catcher Yogi Berra at spring training getting fitted
up for his new uniform. When the equipment manager asked him for
his hat size, Yogi’s reply was, “How should I know? I’m not even in shape
yet.” But of course he was. By this time Lance had risen as an insightful
advocate and as a fair-minded judge, but his focus, as always, remained on
how he could best meet new challenges head-on.
And he had plenty of chances throughout his life to do so. Though he
would rarely speak of it, Lance’s parents did not have an easy life. When his
father was two years old, his mother died, and he was sent away to live with
relatives. His father left home at 14 and never got beyond grade nine, enlisting
in the peace-time army between 1929 and 1935, and meeting Lance’s