90 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 1 JANUARY 2021
A few days before his death, Ross penned his obituary, which reflects his
humour, his courage and his dignity. He wrote:
As I turn the last page of the last chapter of my life, I want to say thank
you to all of you who shared a laugh, a philosophical conversation and the
rule in Shelley’s Case. I bid you adieu.
Ross did not suffer fools, but he was always thorough, fair and impartial
in his rulings—the attributes of a fine judge. He made a considerable contribution
to the law that will endure. He is survived by his wife, Vienna, and
his three children, Brad, Lisa and Todd. Rest in peace.
The Honourable Ron McKinnon, with thanks to Tom Finkelstein
Hugh Basil Heath, Q.C.
Hugh Basil Heath, Q.C., known to all as “Buz”, died
in Nanaimo on June 14, 2020 at 95 years of age. He
was the last of his generation of lawyers in Nanaimo.
Buz was born in Ottawa on November 12, 1924 to
Lionel McIvor Heath and Nellie Stansbury. Lionel
was a federal government veterinarian. Shortly after
Buz’s birth, Lionel was posted to Lethbridge to manage
a health of animal station. Unlike most federal government stations,
this was not an agricultural facility. It dealt only with the health of animals.
Buz’s earliest memory was of his father’s blue steel revolver; Dr. Heath used
it to shoot diseased cows.
When Buz was 13 years old, he was sent to Calgary to attend the Strathcona
School for Boys. He was there for grades 7, 8 and 9. He lived in Calgary
with his grandmother Stansbury. In 1939, he was sent to board at Ashbury
College, a private boys’ school in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa. Ashbury is considered
to be one of Canada’s premier schools. Buz was very active in sports
and at Ashbury played cricket, Canadian football and hockey. Ashbury followed
an English curriculum. Buz was there for the fourth, fifth and sixth
forms. Ashbury had a system of student mentorship. When he was a senior