New to the bench African-Nova Scotian from Windsor becomes provincial judge
Ronda van der Hoek, from Windsor, has been appointed as a provincial judge, adding to the diversity of the province’s judicial system.
Van der Hoek, a prosecutor and team leader with the
Public Prosecution Service of Canada, was appointed to the bench on Jan. 23 by Governor in Council on the recommendation of acting Attorney General and Minister of Justice Michel Samson.
Joining van der Hoek is Catherine Benton, a lawyer with Nova Scotia Legal Aid, the first Mi’kmaq woman to serve as a judge in Nova Scotia.
“Ms. van der Hoek and Ms. Benton are both experienced lawyers with deep roots in their communities,” Samson said in a press release. “Their professional integrity and outstanding contributions to the practice of law and the province make them fine additions to the provincial and family court.”
Van der Hoek has been practicing law for 19 years. Before joining the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, she was a counsel with Nova Scotia Legal Aid in Windsor and Halifax.
She’s a Dalhousie Law School graduate and is also the federal co- chair of the Justice Committee of the Mi’kmaq-Nova Scotia-Canada Tripartite Forum.
“These appointments will further strengthen our justice system,” Premier Stephen McNeil said in a press release. “It is important that Nova Scotians see themselves reflected in our institutions, and that our judges reflect the diversity of our province. Our justice system is made stronger by the different life experiences of the people who work in it.”
The provincial court presides over most indictable offence charges under the Criminal Code and has exclusive jurisdiction over all summary offence charges under provincial and federal statutes and regulations except a charge of murder by an adult.
The family court provides a forum to hear family issues, including maintenance, custody and access and child protection matters.