340 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 3 MAY 2022
On the other hand, the legal world is lucky that she was willing to stand
up and push back against the numerous prejudices and attitudes that were
so ingrained they were hardly seen as worth mentioning, let alone questioning.
She was fighting on two fronts: fairness and justice for vulnerable
clients, and equality for herself as one of few women in the bar. Her constant
battles made it so much easier for those of us who came along 15 to 20
years later, as the ground had been prepared by Nancy and the very few
women who were pursuing careers in litigation through the sixties and
seventies.
At age 14, Nancy contracted polio, and she continues to cope with difficulties
from that disease. It is a tribute to Nancy that that is the last thing
anyone notices about her. Her clothes and jewelry are stylish, hair and
make-up always impeccable. Her presence is lively and warmly welcoming.
Nancy’s friend, Elizabeth Bennett J.A., suggests that our notions of age have
changed as a result of people like Nancy.
At age 85, Nancy’s joie de vivre has not diminished. She is relentlessly
social, and her calendar is always full. She reads voraciously (almost exclusively
non-fiction, mostly political). She will discuss social issues endlessly
and will take a bet on anything political. She loves to cook and constantly
makes dinner for small and large groups (using, of course, recipes from Love
in the Kitchen), and makes vats of jam and marmalade that she distributes
not only to friends and neighbours, but also to vendors and service people
of all kinds, who all know her by name. She knows people everywhere, and
her political instincts keep her aware of the whole room. Going somewhere
with Nancy is like going somewhere with Wally Oppal, Q.C.: it takes a while
to get through the greetings. She studies French and works out with a personal
trainer (she’s actually on the gym website, skipping). She’s a competitive
and scary bridge player. She cheats compulsively at backgammon,
according to her old friend, Bill Rand, who was introduced to her on a ski
hill at Whistler, where she persuaded him to leave the cold slopes for the
lodge and the first of many games.
As her friend Alison MacLennan says, Nancy was in a league of firsts and
not only held her own but pushed the boundaries for herself and everyone
who followed her. In times where there is a tendency by people who were
not there to casually dismiss the past as of little relevance, it is nice to think
that the qualities that Nancy’s friends note as having governed her life—
compassion, generosity and respectful interest in the views of others—are
timeless and always important.