NEW JUDGE FOR MEADOW LAKE

Released on May 10, 2006

Donald John Bird, of Prince Albert, has been appointed a judge of the Provincial Court.

"Judge Bird's experience in the fields of corrections, policing, and community-based justice initiatives, coupled with his experience in the practice of law will serve him well in his new role as a Provincial Court judge," Justice Minister Frank Quennell said.

Quennell said Judge Bird's responsibilities will include the establishment of an Aboriginal Provincial Court Party in Meadow Lake, which will travel to a number of court points in northwestern Saskatchewan. Judge Bird is a member of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation and speaks Cree.

Judge Bird received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan in 1996. While he attended law school, he was an investigator with the Saskatchewan Police Complaints Investigators Office. He was the Co-ordinator of the Aboriginal Policing program at Saskatchewan Justice from 1996 until accepting a position with the Prosecutions Division in 2001. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Cree Court party. He is also a lecturer on Cultural Relations at the Saskatchewan Police College.

Prior to attending law school Judge Bird was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in North Battleford, worked as both a probation officer and corrections worker and worked for several years in the mining sector in northern Saskatchewan.

Judge Bird takes an active interest in his community. Since 1997, he has been a member of the multi-disciplinary review team that conducts reviews of child deaths for the Office of the Children's Advocate of Saskatchewan.

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For More Information, Contact:

Andrew Dinsmore Justice Regina Phone: (306) 787-8606