The Honourable Chief Justice Ritu Khullar is pleased to welcome two new justices to the Court of Appeal of Alberta:
• The Honourable Justice Tamara Friesen in Edmonton, and
• The Honourable Justice Joshua B. Hawkes in Calgary.
Read the announcement by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Arif Virani for details and additional biographical information.
Justice Tamara Friesen—Background Summary
Justice Tamara Friesen was appointed to the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in 2019. She earned her law degree from the University of Alberta and was called to the Alberta bar in 2002. Justice Friesen was a Crown prosecutor with Alberta Justice from 2002 to 2010, working in the general, specialized and appellate branches.
Justice Friesen held positions as legal counsel with the Law Society of Alberta and as a Director of Legal Research and Writing at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law.
From 2013 to 2019, she practiced labour, employment, constitutional and administrative law at Nugent Law Office. She has appeared before administrative tribunals and Courts at all levels.
Justice Joshua B. Hawkes—Background Summary
Justice Joshua B. Hawkes was appointed to the Alberta Court of Justice in 2017 following and became Assistant Chief Justice for the Calgary Criminal and Regional Division of the Court in 2020.
He obtained his LLB from the University of Alberta in 1990 and was called to the Alberta bar the following year. His extensive career in criminal appellate law includes positions as the Executive Director of the Appeals, Education and Prosecution Policy Branch of the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service and appearances before the Alberta Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada.
He has served as the Chair of the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges’ Committee on the Law and was an elected Bencher with the Law Society of Alberta among other roles. Justice Hawkes, who was one of the first members of the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service with a significant physical disability, is committed to improving access to justice and accessibility within the justice system. He is proud of his contribution in making the system more representative of the community it serves.
About the Court of Appeal of Alberta
Alberta Court of Appeal is the province's highest court. The Court hears criminal and civil appeals from trial courts, boards and tribunals across Alberta.
Ritu Khullar
Chief Justice of Alberta