The new justices will sit in Edmonton and Calgary
The Alberta Court of Justice has welcomed Tracey Bailey, Sheri Epp, Karen McGowan, Alicia Wendel, and Colin Wetter as new justices in Edmonton and Calgary.
Bailey will sit in the Edmonton Family and Youth Division beginning June 23. She was a partner at Miller Thomson, LLP and worked with Alberta’s Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General. She obtained her bachelor of laws degree from the University of Alberta.
Epp has been appointed to the Calgary Criminal Division and Calgary region, commencing on June 2. She was assistant vice-president and associate chief counsel of individual insurance and affinity at Manulife. She also logged stints with Code Hunter LLP, Scott Hall LLP, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, and Talisman Energy Inc. She received her bachelor of laws degree from the University of Alberta.
McGowan will join the bench at the Edmonton Family and Youth Division on June 2. She worked in Legal Aid Alberta's Youth Criminal Defence Office before becoming a senior advisory counsel and eventually joining the Criminal Trial Group.
Wendel will be a justice in the Edmonton region starting June 2. She has been a Crown prosecutor with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service since 2001, working in rural jurisdictions and appearing in regional courts. She is part of the Alberta Justice Restorative Justice Working Group, the Alberta Justice Sexual Violence Working Group, and the Gladue Systemic Change Project Committee.
Wetter commenced as a part-time justice of the peace in Edmonton on May 14. He served as regional director of the Tax Law Services Section (Prairie Region) from 2019 to 2022 and was appointed regional director of the Aboriginal Law Services Section (Alberta) in 2012. He was once also a legal counsel with the federal Department of Justice.
"The Alberta Court of Justice is pleased to welcome and congratulate these new appointments. Access to justice is a fundamental value of our society, ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to be heard, receive fair treatment, and obtain timely, meaningful resolution to their legal challenges. I am confident that their backgrounds and experience will serve Albertans well in achieving these goals," said James Hunter, Alberta Court of Justice's chief justice, in a statement.
