Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Alberta

June 12, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada  

The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Christopher A. Rickards, K.C., Partner at Johnston Ming Manning LLP in Red Deer, is appointed a Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta in Red Deer. Justice Rickards fills the remaining position authorized further to the Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1.

Melanie Gaston, Partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Calgary, is appointed a Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta in Calgary. Justice Gaston replaces Justice M.R. Bast (Red Deer), who resigned effective January 4, 2022. The Chief Justice has transferred Justice G.D. Marriott (Calgary) into this vacancy. The vacancy is therefore located in Calgary.

Quote

“I wish Justices Rickards and Gaston every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve Albertans well as a members of the Court of King’s Bench.”

—The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biographies

Justice Christopher A. Rickards, K.C., was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lived there until his family immigrated to Canada in 1979. He moved to Calgary and did his undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary, then attended law school at the University of Toronto. He received numerous awards and scholarships during his university career and graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in philosophy and political science in 1986 and from the University of Toronto with a Juris Doctor degree in 1990. He was called to the Alberta bar in 1991.

Justice Rickards articled and practised in Calgary at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP before joining Johnston Ming Manning LLP in 1992, where he was the head of the litigation department and the managing partner for many years. He had a general litigation practice, with commercial, personal injury, estate, and construction litigation and employment law being his main areas of focus. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2014.

Justice Rickards is a past chair of the Board of the Central Alberta Community Legal Clinic, a former member of the Board of Directors of Pro Bono Law Alberta, and past president of the Central Alberta Bar Society, and he was the Red Deer Judicial District representative of the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association for a number of years. He was also involved with a number of fundraising activities for Red Deer Polytechnic.

During his years as President of the Central Alberta Bar Society, Justice Rickards was significantly involved in advocating for a much-needed new courthouse for Red Deer and was pleased to see those efforts and the efforts of others bear fruit in the new Justice Centre for Red Deer which is in the process of being built and promises to improve access to justice for Central Albertans.

Justice Melanie Gaston was raised in the Niagara Region of Ontario and has lived in Calgary since 1998. She received her B.A. (Hons.) from Queen’s University, her LL.B. from the University of Calgary, and her LL.M. from Osgoode Hall. She was called to the Alberta bar in 2002 and the Northwest Territories bar in 2022.

Justice Gaston practised commercial litigation at two firms through her career: first at Blake Cassels and Graydon LLP and then at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. She managed a diverse practice with experience in energy, construction, insurance, securities, product liability, insolvency, and commercial leasing disputes. She also regularly accepted and appeared on a number of pro bono matters.

Actively involved in her community throughout her career, Justice Gaston was a member of the boards of directors for Trellis Society, the Association of Women Lawyers, Student Legal Assistance, the Calgary Bar Association, and the Calgary Rotary Foundation. She enjoyed being a volunteer lawyer for Student Legal Assistance, Calgary Legal Guidance, and Pro Bono Law Alberta. Frequently speaking at legal and industry professional development programmes, she has also spent rewarding hours as a principal and mentor. She often wrote about civil litigation and advocacy matters for a number of publications.

Justice Gaston and her husband, Jason, are fortunate to be the parents of three accomplished daughters.