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ented and universally respected prosecutor. Whenever his colleagues at the
Prosecution Service had a legal question they needed answered, they would
place bets on how long Peder would have to think before realizing the answer.
Invariably, he would give a perfect, eloquent answer off the top of his head.
He was an expert in criminal law, particularly search and seizure law.
Peder was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002 and was appointed a
Provincial Court judge on July 18, 2003. He had tremendous respect for the
rule of law and the office of a judge. Reading his decisions throughout the
years, it is evident that as a judge he was compassionate and always looked
for the best in people but was never blinded by that. He had an impressive
ability to work long hours in his office when writing and researching judgments
but was always able to be present with his family and friends.
Peder was many things: thoughtful, a great listener, a genius, a terrible
golfer and an extremely messy eater. However, first and foremost he was a
family man. He rarely spoke about his own achievements but would never
stop bragging about his family and their lives. It was difficult to have a conversation
with Peder without hearing about the two most important women
in his life. He loved to boast about Holly’s newest quilting or home renovation
project. Next, he would describe his daughter Monica’s most recent
adventure as a world traveller or her strong work ethic—she currently
works three jobs while earning her degree in recreational therapy.
Although amplified with his family, this was a universal theme in his life.
If you had a single positive quality, Peder could find it and point it out to others.
Whenever Peder talked to anyone, he was genuinely interested in their
lives and their work. While he was a prosecutor, he would often wait outside
the courtroom anxiously to hear his colleagues describe the cases they had
told Peder about earlier that day. Peder would make them recount everything
that happened as he reacted excitedly like he was listening to a football
game on the radio. Chief Judge of the Provincial Court Melissa Gillespie
proudly states that, aside from her mom, Peder was her biggest fan.
It was very difficult to ever notice if Peder was having a bad day. He was
a stoic. He had suffered a severe shoulder injury while playing high school
football that resulted in lifelong nerve pain, but he learned to live with the
pain and never complained. In the middle of his life, Peder was diagnosed
with type 2 diabetes. However, he fought hard to stay healthy. In recent
years, he had great success controlling his blood sugar and weight through
his self-taught knowledge of therapeutic fasting. Two weeks before he
passed, he bragged to me that he could fit in the same suit jacket that he
wore at his law school graduation 43 years ago. His friends and family
believed that he was aging in reverse he was getting so healthy.