Nova Scotia Provincial Court

This page was last substantively updated or reviewed December 2022. (Rev. # 86533)

(~X) = approximate number of published decisions according to CanLII as of July 2020, unless otherwise indicated.

The Provincial Court was created by the Stipendiary Magistrates Act, on April 14, 1938. The name of Provincial Court was introduced in 1976.

Current Judges

Name	Location	Date Appointed	Appointed By	Prior Position(s)	Other Details
Pamela S. Williams (CJ)[1]	HRM	September 19, 2003 (Judge) 2013 (Chief)	PC (2003) NDP (2013)	NS Legal Aid, Youth Called to bar (1985)	Published criminal decisions (~24) (as of the end of December 2022)
Alanna Murphy [2]	Dartmouth	November 13, 2002	Hamm / Baker (PC)	NS Public Prosecution Service (1987 to 2002) Chief Crown (2000 to 2002) Called to bar (1987)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2022)
James H. Burrill [3]	Yarmouth	September 19, 2003	Hamm / Baker (PC)	NS Public Prosecution Service (1987 to 2003) Called to bar (1986)	Published criminal decisions (~20) (as of the end of December 2022)
Laurel J. Halfpenny-MacQuarrie [4]	Port Hawkesbury	September 19, 2003	Hamm / Baker (PC)	NS Public Prosecution Service Private Practice Called to bar (1990)	Published criminal decisions (~9) (as of the end of December 2022)
Gregory E. Lenehan [5]	Halifax	October 19, 2010	Dexter / Landry (NDP)	NS Public Prosecution Service (1989 to 2010)	Published criminal decisions (~4) (as of December 2022)
Timothy D. Landry [6] [7]	Digby/Yarmouth	September 19, 2012	Dexter / Landry (NDP)	NS Legal Aid (1994 to 2012) Called to bar (1992)	Published criminal decisions (~4) (as of December 2022)
Daniel A. MacRury [8]	Dartmouth	July 30, 2014	McNeil / Diab (Lib)	NS Public Prosecution Service Called to bar (1986)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2022)
Elizabeth Buckle [9] [10]	Halifax Amherst	March 31, 2015	McNeil / Diab (Lib)	Beveridge, MacPherseon & Buckle (criminal) (2008 to 2015) PPSC Crown (2004 to 2008) Heller Rubel Called to bar (1994)	Published criminal decisions (~38) (as of the end of December 2022)
Alain Bégin [11] [12]	Truro	September 1, 2016	McNeil / Whalen (Lib)	McLellan Richards & Bégin (2000 to 2016) Private practice Called to bar (1995)	Published criminal decisions (~28) (as of the end of December 2022)
Ronda van der Hoek [13]	Kentville/Windsor	January 23, 2017	McNeil / Whalen (Lib)	Public Prosecution Service of Canada Nova Scotia Legal Aid Called to bar (1997)	Published criminal decisions (~44) (as of the end of December 2022)
Cathy Benton [14] [15] [16]	Bridgewater/ Shubenacadie	January 23, 2017	McNeil / Whalen (Lib)	NS Legal Aid Called to bar (1994)	Published criminal decisions (~4) (as of the end of December 2022)
Rickcola Brinton [17]	Halifax	March 31, 2017	McNeil / Whalen (Lib)	NS Legal Aid, Youth (2001 to 2017) Called to bar (~2000)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2022)
Rosalind Michie [18]	Amherst	March 31, 2017	McNeil / Whalen (Lib)	NS Public Prosecution Service (2001 to 2017) Called to bar (1997)	Published criminal decisions (~10) (as of the end of December 2022)
Amy Sakalauskas [19] [20]	Sydney	March 31, 2017	McNeil / Whalen (Lib)	Private practice Called to bar (2003)	Published criminal decisions (~6)
Diane L. McGrath [21]	Sydney	September 19, 2017	McNeil / Furey (Lib)	NS Prosecution Service NS Legal Aid Private Practice Called to bar (1993)	Published criminal decisions (~6) (as of the end of December 2022)
Anne Marie Simmons [22]	Halifax	November 10, 2017	McNeil / Furey (Lib)	Public Prosecution Service of Canada (2005 to 2017) NS Crown Attorney (1995~ to 2005) private practice (1984 to 1995~) Called to bar (~1984)	Published criminal decisions (~2) (as of the end of December 2022)
Chris Manning [23]	Kentville	May 31, 2018	McNeil / Furey (Lib)	Private Practice (criminal) NS Legal Aid Called to bar (1985)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2022)
Perry Borden [24]	Halifax	July 9, 2020	McNeil / Furey (Lib)	NS Crown Attorney (2007 to 2020) Private Practice (criminal) Called to bar (2003)	Published criminal decisions (~2) (as of the end of December 2022)
Christine Driscoll		December 2021	Houston / Brad Johns (PC)	Crown Attorney	Published criminal decisions (~0)
D. Shane Russell		December 2021	Houston / Brad Johns (PC)	Crown Attorney	Published criminal decisions (~2) (as of the end of December 2022)
Brad G. Sarson [25]	Dartmouth	June 3, 2022	Houston / Brad Johns (PC)	Legal aid Called to bar (1997)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2022)
Kelly J. Serbu [26]	Halifax	June 3, 2022	Houston / Brad Johns (PC)	Adjudicator re Residential Schools (2008 to 2019) Private practice (criminal) [27] Called to bar (1997)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2022)
Nicole A. Rovers [28]	Antigonish	June 3, 2022		Legal Aid Called to bar (2002)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2022)
Jill Hartlen	Dartmouth	February 3, 2023
Jill Barrington	Sydney	February 3, 2023
Bronwyn Duffy	Dartmouth	February 3, 2023
Bryna Hatt	Pictou	February 3, 2023

Part-time/Supernumerary Judges

Name	Location	Date Appointed	Appointed By	Prior Position(s)	Other Details
Jean M. Whalen [29]	Dartmouth	January 16, 2009	MacDonald / Clarke (PC)	NS Public Prosecution Service Called to bar (~1985)	Published criminal decisions (~50)
Paul V. Scovil [30]	Bridgewater	August 2, 2011	Dexter / Landry (NDP)	NS Public Prosecution Service (1998 to 2011) Called to bar (1982)	Published criminal decisions (~44)
Del W. Atwood [31] [32]	Pictou	November 10, 2009	Dexter / Landry (NDP)	NS Public Prosecution Service (2002 to 2009) Crown Attorney (Nlfd) (1993 to 2002) Legal aid (1986 to 1992) Called to bar (~1985)	Published criminal decisions (~187) (as of the end of Dec 2021)
E. Ann Marie MacInnes [33]	Sydney	November 10, 2015	McNeil / Whalen (Lib)	NS Legal Aid Called to bar (1991)	Published criminal decisions (~2)
Theodore K. Tax [34]	Dartmouth	October 1, 2008	MacDonald / Clarke (PC)	Federal DOJ Called to bar (1978)	Published criminal decisions (~64)
A. Peter Ross	Sydney	1990	PC (Buchanan/?)	NS Public Prosecution Service Called to bar (~1978)	Published criminal decisions (~45)
Barbara Beach	Halifax, Youth	1994	Liberal (Savage/?)	NS Legal Aid Called to bar (~1978)	Published criminal decisions (~6) (as of the end of December 2021)
Michael B. Sherar [35]	Halifax	1990 (Judge) January 2020 (Sup.)	PC	Blois Nickerson Called to bar (~1978)	Published criminal decisions (~12)
Warren Zimmer	Truro	April 12, 2011 (Judge), 2017 (Sup.)	NDP	Private Practice (1984 to 2011) Crown Attorney (1978 to 1984) Called to bar (1978)	Published criminal decisions (~0) (as of the end of December 2021)
Marc C. Chisholm [36]	Halifax	September 19, 2003 (Judge), 2017 (Sup.)	PC	NS Public Prosecution Service (1980 to 2003) Called to bar (1980)	Published criminal decisions (~40)
William Digby [37] [38]	Halifax	June 10, 1997 (Judge), 2017 (Supernumerary)	Liberal	NS Legal Aid Director (1994 to 1997) NS Legal Aid (1973 to 1997) Called to bar (1972)	Published criminal decisions (~3) (as of the end of December 2022)
Flora I. Buchan	Dartmouth	1996 (judge), 2017 (Sup)	Liberal	private practice Called to bar (~1981)	Published criminal decisions (~1) (as of the end of December 2021)
Alan T. Tufts [39]	Kentville	1998 (Judge) 2013 (ACJ) May 31, 2018 (Sup)	Liberal (1998) NDP (2013)	Muttart Tufts Dewolfe and Coyle Called to bar (~1980)	Published criminal decisions (~61)
William Dyer	Bridgewater				Published criminal decisions (~0)
John D. Comeau	Dartmouth	1981 [40]			Published criminal decisions (~0)
Claudine MacDonald					Published criminal decisions (~8)

[41]

Previous Judges

• Nova Scotia Provincial Court (Historical)

Contact Info

Halifax [42] Halifax Provincial Court 5250 Spring Garden Rd. Halifax, NS B3J 1E7 Phone: (902) 424-8718 Fax: (902) 424-0551 <[email protected]> Halifax (Youth Court) [43] Youth Justice Court Halifax Provincial Courthouse 5250 Spring Garden Rd. Halifax, NS B3J 1E7 Phone: (902) 424-8718 Fax: (902) 424-0551 Dartmouth [44] 277 Pleasant St. Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4B7 Phone: (902) 424-2390 Fax: (902) 424-0677 <[email protected]> Dartmouth (Mental Health Court) [45] Dartmouth Provincial Courthouse Courtroom #5, 1st Floor (Offices on the 2nd Floor) 277 Pleasant St. Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4B7 Phone: (902) 722-1040

Truro [46] Provincial Court 540 Prince Street Truro, NS B2N 1G1 Phone: (902) 893-5840 Fax: (902) 893-6261 Shubenacadie (Satellite) [47] 5 Mill Village Rd. Shubenacadie, NS B0N 1Y0 (902) 893-5840 (Truro Court) Pictou [48] 69 Water Street P.O. Box 1750 Pictou, NS B0K 1H0 Phone: (902) 485-7350 Fax: (902) 485-3552 <[email protected]> Antigonish [49] 11 James Street Antigonish, NS B2G 1R6 Phone: (902) 863-3676 Fax: (902) 863-7479

Amherst [50] 16 Church Street 3rd Floor Amherst, NS B4H 3A6 Phone: (902) 667-2256 Fax: (902) 667-1108 Kentville [51] 87 Cornwallis Street Kentville, NS B4N 2E5 Phone: (902) 679-6070 Fax: (902) 679-6178 <[email protected]> Windsor (Satellite) [52] 240 King Street Windsor, NS B0N 2T0 Phone: 679-6070 Digby [53] 119 Queen St. P.O. Box 1089 Digby, NS B0V 1A0 Phone: 245-4567 Fax: 245-6722 Annapolis Royal (satellite) [54] 377 Saint George Street P.O. Box 129 Annapolis Royal, NS B0S 1A0 Phone: 532-5462 Fax: 532-7225

Yarmouth [55] 164 Main Street Yarmouth, NS B5A 1C2 Phone: 742-0500 Fax: 742-0678 Shelburne (Satellite) [56] 136 Hammond Street Shelburne, NS B0T 1W0 Phone: 742-0500 Bridgewater [57] 141 High Street Bridgewater, NS B4V 1W2 Phone: (902) 543-4679 Fax: (902) 543-0678 Port Hawkesbury [58] 15 Kennedy Street Port Hawkesbury, NS B9A 2Y1 Phone: (902) 625-2665 Fax: (902) 625-4084 [email protected] Sydney [59] 136 Charlotte Street Suites #4 & #5 Sydney, NS B1P 1C3 Phone: (902) 563-3510 Fax: (902) 563-3421 [email protected]

External links

• Provincial court
• government announcements

Court Membership
Supreme Court of Canada (SCC)
British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) Supreme Court of British Columbia (BCSC) Provincial Court of British Columbia (BCPC)	Court of Appeal of Alberta (ABCA) Court of King's Bench of Alberta (ABKB) Alberta Court of Justice (ABCJ)	Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan (SKCA) Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan (SKKB) Provincial Court of Saskatchewan (SKPC)	Manitoba Court of Appeal (MBCA) Court of King's Bench of Manitoba (MBKB) Provincial Court of Manitoba (MBPC)	Court of Appeal for Ontario (ONCA) Superior Court of Ontario (ONSC) Ontario Court of Justice (ONCJ)	Quebec Court of Appeal (QCCA) Quebec Superior Court (QCCS) Court of Quebec (QCCQ)	New Brunswick Court of Appeal (NBCA) Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick (NBKB) New Brunswick Provincial Court (NBPC)	Court of Appeal of Prince Edward Island (PEICA) Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island (PEISC) Provincial Court of Prince Edward Island (PEIPC)	Nova Scotia Court of Appeal (NSCA) Nova Scotia Supreme Court (NSSC) Nova Scotia Provincial Court (NSPC)	Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Court of Appeal) (NLCA) Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (NLSC) Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (NLPC)
Territorial Courts (YKTC, YKSC, YKCA, NTTC, NTSC, NTCA, NUCJ, NUCA)
Membership of Federal Appointments Committees