William H. Davies Bill Davies, was a Justice of the

Supreme Court of British Columbia Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...

(BCSC),

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, from 1982 until his retirement in 1999. In 2007 he was appointed Commissioner of the

Davies Commission Inquiry The Davies Commission Inquiry or Davies Commission Inquiry into the Death of Frank Paul (2007 - 2011) was an inquiry under Commissioner William H. Davies a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia (BCSC), Canada. The final report w ...

which investigated circumstances around the 1998 death by hypothermia of Frank Paul, a

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

homeless man.

Education

He graduating from

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Law School in 1955.

Career

He articled with Baker, Newby LLP, then known as Wilson & Hinds Law Office in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

, where he became a partner in 1956. In 1978 Davies was appointed as a County Court of New Westminster in 1978, Bill started his new role as a judge. Davies served as Justice on the Supreme Court of British Columbia from 1982 until his retirement in 1999. He also served as Justice in the

North West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

. He retired in 1999.

Davies Commission Inquiry

Justice Davies was called out of retirement to chair the (2007 - 2009) Davies Commission Inquiry into the 1998 death by hypothermia of Frank Paul, a homeless

man originally from

Elsipogtog First Nation The Elsipogtog First Nation , formerly called the Big Cove Band, is a Miꞌkmaq First Nations band government in New Brunswick, Canada. The First Nation's territory comprises Richibucto Reserve #15, lying southwest of Rexton, New Brunswick on t ...

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. According to the report, Paul died of hypothermia in an alley in east side Vancouver where he had been released by Vancouver police. In his 446-page report, Justice Davies was "harshly critical" of the actions of

Vancouver Police Department The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) (french: Service de police de Vancouver) is the police force for the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Metro Vancouver Area and is the second ...

(VPD) in relation to Paul's death. In his May 2011 report, "Alone and Cold: Criminal Justice Branch Response", he questioned the decision "on the part of the crown prosecutors to not proceed with criminal charges against Sergeant Sanderson and Constable Instant in the death of Frank Paul." In References and Footnotes section Davies "ruled that the B.C.'s Criminal Justice Branch needed an overhaul to its conflict-of-interest policies that were brought up during the inquiry" The Inquiry "resulted in the recommendation to establish the Independent Investigations Office which investigates officer-related incidents of death or serious harm in BC."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, William H. University of British Columbia alumni People from Chilliwack 1931 births 2017 deaths Judges in British Columbia Canadian lawyers