Steven Point

The Honourable
Steven Lewis Point
OBC
28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
In office
October 1, 2007 – November 2, 2012
Monarch Elizabeth II
Governor General Michaëlle Jean
David Johnston
Premier Gordon Campbell
Christy Clark
Preceded by Iona Campagnolo
Succeeded by Judith Guichon
Personal details
Born (1951-07-28) July 28, 1951
Chilliwack, British Columbia
Nationality Canadian
Spouse(s) Gwendolyn Point
Profession Judge

Steven Lewis Point, OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl) (born July 28, 1951)[1] is a Provincial Court of British Columbia judge and former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia whose term of office ended on November 1, 2012.[2] He also served as the chair of the advisory committee on the safety and security of vulnerable women, a committee that provides community-based guidance to the implementation of the recommendations from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.[3]

From 1975 to 1999, Steven Point served as Chief of the Skowkale First Nation. From 1994 to 1999 he served as Tribal Chair of the Stó:lō Nation.

Steven Point attended the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in May, 1985. From 1986 to 1989 he practiced criminal law and native law as a partner in the law firm of Point and Shirley. He worked for Citizenship and Immigration Canada as an immigration adjudicator for several years, starting in about 1989, at its refugee backlog office in Vancouver. In 1999, he became a British Columbia Provincial Court judge. On February 28, 2005, he became Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission.

His appointment as Lieutenant-Governor was announced on September 4, 2007 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He assumed his duties in a ceremony at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia on October 1, 2007. As The Queen's vice-regal representative in British Columbia, he was styled His Honour while in office and retains the style of The Honourable for life.

On December 17, 2012, Point was appointed Chair of an Advisory Committee under a one-year contract that allowed him to bill up to $220,000 in that year. The position required him to assist the Minister of Justice to implement the recommendations dealing primarily with police reform and public safety made by Wally Oppal in his Inquiry Report released December 12, 2012. On May 17, 2013, Point resigned from his position as Chair on the grounds that lawsuits commenced by the children of missing women prevented him from fulfilling his mandate. Members of the Advisory Committee and family members expressed doubt about this reason on the basis that Point had expressed his intention to resign before the children's lawsuits were filed, and on the basis that there is no logical or practical connection between his work as Chair of the Advisory Committee and the lawsuits.

On February 20, 2014, Point was re-appointed as a provincial court judge, effective March 3, 2014.

Awards

Arms

Arms of Steven Point
Adopted
March 20, 2009
Crest
An eagle displayed reguardant Or its head Argent
Escutcheon
Azure a serpent with a head at each end in base respectant Argent its back enarched and set with fusils Sable, in chief five mullets in chevron Or
Supporters
Two timber wolves Sable
Compartment
A grassy mount set with cedar branches and dogwood flowers proper rising above barry wavy Argent and Azure
Motto
LĚTSǍ MÖT Salish: ONE MIND
Symbolism
The double-headed serpent emblem was given to His Honour by his father, who was from the Musqueam Indian Band. The five stars allude to the Five Star canoe club, which was named after a constellation of stars important to his people. In forming a chevron, they come to a point, making an allusion to his name. The eagle represents His Honour’s name from the Blackfoot of “Flying eagle.” The supporters honour His Honour’s mother who was head of the Wolf Clan of the Sumas First Nation. The dogwood represents his leadership of the province of British Columbia. The compartment represents the habitat of the wolf. Meaning “One mind,” this phrase in the Salish language expresses the concept of unity.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/compilations/ProvinceTerritory/LieutenantGovernors.aspx
  2. ↑ "Office of the Lieutenant Governor - Biography". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  3. ↑ Government takes immediate action on missing women report
  4. ↑ Canada Gazette
  5. ↑ Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges of Canada > Steven Lewis Point". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved February 10, 2014.

External links

Order of precedence
Preceded by
Robert J. Bauman, Chief Justice of British Columbia		 Order of precedence in British Columbia
as of 2013 		Succeeded by
Iona Campagnolo, Former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
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