THE ADVOCATE 755
VOL. 80 PART 5 SEPTEMBER 2022
Sheila retired from the military in 2017 and joined the provincial government
as counsel in administrative law proceedings regarding MSP overbillings.
Sheila is an amazing cook with some wonderful foodie experiences,
including cooking lessons in Florence and in Persian cooking with Sally’s
mom. She is a bit accident-prone, however, having once walked into a plate
glass door much to the detriment of her nose.
Now she takes on another exciting challenge by becoming a Provincial
Court judge. We are indeed fortunate to have a woman with such varied life
experience and such an outstanding professional background on our bench.
She is above all else sensible: a woman of the people, frank, decisive and selfdeprecating.
She will judge not only with wisdom, but also with compassion
and a deep understanding of the real human struggles common to all.
The Honourable Judge Michelle Stanford
Michelle Stanford is compassionate, intelligent,
funny, loyal, fearless and humble. The intense love
and respect her friends and family have for her is
evidenced by the vast volume of material they
enthusiastically shared with us, much of which could
not make it into this profile.
Michelle was born in East Vancouver, where she
and her younger brother, Jeff, were raised by their mother, Sheila. Sheila
was a strong, independent woman, instilling in Michelle a solid work ethic
and a lifelong passion to help those less privileged than herself.
Michelle graduated from Gladstone High School and was one of the ambitious
few who went on to post-secondary education. She received her
diploma of nursing in 1983 and her bachelor’s degree in nursing (cum laude)
in 1988. Michelle worked at Vancouver General Hospital as a general duty
nurse and head nurse, and then moved to G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre.
On the side, she was a BC Lions cheerleader, and managed to throw in a bit
of modelling and acting. Nobody could say Michelle did not know how to
have fun!