Government of Canada announces judicial appointment in the province of British Columbia
News release
February 8, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada
The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the new judicial application process introduced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
Dennis K. Hori, a partner with Fulton & Company LLP, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Kelowna.
Biography
Justice Dennis K. Hori was born and raised in Kamloops, British Columbia. His parents were relocated there from the west coast of the province after the Second World War. He received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of British Columbia before receiving his law degree in 1983 from the University of Victoria Law School, Justice Hori returned to Kamloops after graduation and joined the firm of Hunter Jebson Howard (now Fulton & Company LLP) as an articling student.
Justice Hori practised his entire legal career with Fulton & Company LLP. He became a partner of the firm in 1988 and served as the firm’s administrative partner. After working primarily as a solicitor for a few years, Justice Hori found that his true interest was in litigation. His litigation practice was a mix of commercial, employment, municipal and personal injury litigation. Justice Hori is an active member of the legal community. He has served as an executive of the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C., and was the President in 2013. He was also a guest speaker and advocacy instructor at the Thompson Rivers University Law School as. He and his wife, Diane have one son, Brayden.
Quick facts
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Since 2016, the Government of Canada has made over 250 judicial appointments.
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Canada’s judiciary is internationally renowned and respected for its independence and diversity. In October 2016, the government introduced important reforms to the appointments process, aimed at strengthening the selection process. Of the individuals appointed under the new process, over half are women, eight are Indigenous, 20 identify as visible minorities, 13 identify as LGBTQ2, and three identify as persons with disabilities.
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The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 will provide funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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In addition, Budget 2018 provided funding for a further seven judicial positions in Saskatchewan and Ontario, at a cost of $17.1 million over five years.
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The funding outlined in Budget 2018 comes on top of resources allocated under Budget 2017, which created 28 new judicial positions across the country.
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In addition, the Government will invest $6 million over two years, beginning in 2018-2019, to support the judicial discipline process through which allegations of judicial misconduct are investigated. In this way, the Government will ensure that a robust process remains in place to allow Canadians to voice their concerns and submit complaints about judicial conduct to the Canadian Judicial Council and the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs.
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Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
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The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.
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Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016. Sixteen Judicial Advisory Committees have been reconstituted to date.
Contacts
For more information, media may contact:
Célia Canon
Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
613-862-3270
Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca
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