CANADA, April 22 - The Government of British Columbia has appointed three new judges and a new judicial justice to the Provincial Court to support timely and efficient access to justice.
The new judges are:
- Aamna Afsar (effective May 1, 2025)
- Christopher Balison (effective May 1, 2025); and
- Dennis Isaac Ferbey (effective May 1, 2025)
The new judicial justice appointed to the Provincial Court is Patrick Angly.
Afsar joined the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) in 2006 and worked as Crown counsel in Vancouver for almost 14 years. During that time, Afsar spent several years working in the Downtown Community Court. In 2019, Afsar became a member of the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB) of Canada. In 2020, Afsar received the IRB’s Chairperson’s Award for developing curriculum and training for the gender-related task force to improve the adjudication of gender-related refugee claims. Since 2021, Afsar has been an alternate chair of the BC Review Board. Afsar was appointed a judicial justice in July 2022 and is qualified to conduct hearings in French. From 2007 to 2023, Afsar was a member and treasurer of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, where one of Afsar’s significant contributions was facilitating workshops for community members on Canadian family law and domestic-violence awareness and prevention.
Balison became Crown counsel shortly after being called to the B.C. bar in 2007. In December 2021, after working as the administrative Crown in Kamloops office for two years, Balison was appointed as a deputy regional Crown counsel in the Interior region. Balison served as the director and president of Baseball BC from 2017 to 2022, developing Safe Sport policies to protect youth and create a safe, ethical and equitable sporting environment.
Ferbey obtained a law degree from the University of Victoria in 2007 and practised as a criminal defence counsel in Surrey and Delta for the first 10 years of Ferbey’s career. Taking on many legal aid files and frequently acting as duty counsel, Ferbey also devoted time to pro bono legal work. In March 2018, Ferbey moved to a general practice firm in Trail. Ferbey lives and works in the West Kootenays, primarily conducting federal prosecutions as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
Angly graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Laws in 1982 and was called to the B.C. bar in 1983. Angly’s 39-year legal career has been devoted to defence work, appearing in every level of court, from traffic court to the Supreme Court of Canada. Angly has primarily been a sole practitioner and has represented people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
The appointments are made by considering various factors, such as the court's requirements, the diversity of the judiciary and the candidates’ areas of expertise. These four appointments show the Province’s continued dedication to ensuring fair access to justice for everyone in British Columbia.
Quick Facts:
- The process to appoint judges involves the following steps:
- Interested lawyers apply, and the Judicial Council of B.C. reviews the candidates.
- The council is a statutory body made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and members from outside the legal profession.
- The council recommends potential judges to the attorney general, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council.
- Although judges and judicial justices are located in a judicial region, many use technology such as videoconferencing for court proceedings.
- They also travel regularly throughout the province to meet changing demands.
Learn More:
For information about the judicial appointment process, visit: https://provincialcourt.bc.ca
