The Honourable
Steven Lewis Point
OC OBC
Point in 2009
28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
In office
October 1, 2007 – November 2, 2012
MonarchElizabeth II
Governors General
Premier
Preceded byIona Campagnolo
Succeeded byJudith Guichon
Personal details
Born (1951-07-28) July 28, 1951
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
SpouseGwendolyn Point
OccupationAcademic administrator
ProfessionCriminal lawyer, jurist

Steven Lewis Point, OC OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl) (born July 28, 1951)[1] is a Canadian academic administrator, criminal lawyer, and jurist. He is the current chancellor of the University of British Columbia.[2] He served as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 2007 to 2012.[3] He also served as the chair of the advisory committee on the safety and security of vulnerable women, a committee that provides community-based guidance to the implementation of the recommendations from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.[4]

From 1975 to 1999, Point served as Chief of the Skowkale First Nation. From 1994 to 1999 he served as Tribal Chair of the Stó:lō Nation. In December 2023 it was announced that he will be invested into the Order of Canada as an Officer of the Order, The Governor General of Canada Mary Simon made the announcement.

Education

Point attended the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in May, 1985, and was later a faculty member.[5]

Career

From 1986 to 1989 he practiced criminal law and native law as a partner in the law firm of Point and Shirley. He worked for Citizenship and Immigration Canada as an immigration adjudicator for several years, starting in about 1989, at its refugee backlog office in Vancouver. In 1999, he became a British Columbia Provincial Court judge. On February 28, 2005, he became Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission.

His appointment as Lieutenant Governor was announced on September 4, 2007, by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He assumed his duties in a ceremony at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia on October 1, 2007. As the Queen's viceroy in British Columbia, he was styled His Honour while in office and retains the style of The Honourable for life.

On December 17, 2012, Point was appointed chair of an Advisory Committee under a one-year contract that allowed him to bill up to $220,000 in that year. The position required him to assist the Minister of Justice to implement the recommendations dealing primarily with police reform and public safety made by Wally Oppal in his Inquiry Report released December 12, 2012. On May 17, 2013, Point resigned from his position as chair on the grounds that lawsuits commenced by the children of missing women prevented him from fulfilling his mandate. Members of the Advisory Committee and family members expressed doubt about this reason on the basis that Point had expressed his intention to resign before the children's lawsuits were filed, and on the basis that there is no logical or practical connection between his work as chair of the Advisory Committee and the lawsuits.

On February 20, 2014, Point was re-appointed as a provincial court judge, effective March 3, 2014. He retired from office on October 31, 2018.[6]

On June 18, 2020, Point was introduced as the 19th Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, succeeding Lindsay Gordon from July 1, 2020.[2]

In 2022, a residential street in Richmond, British Columbia, was renamed from Trutch Avenue to Point Avenue due to the racism associated with Joseph Trutch, the first lieutenant governor of British Columbia, and to honour Point.[7]

Awards

Honorary degrees

Point has received many honorary degrees in recognition of his service to British Columbia and to Canada. These include:

Honorary degrees
Location Date School Degree
 British Columbia2000University College of the Fraser ValleyDoctor of Laws (LL.D)[10]
 British Columbia14 November 2012University of VictoriaDoctor of Laws (LL.D)[11]
 British Columbia2013University of British ColumbiaDoctor of Laws (LL.D)[12]
 British Columbia2017Capilano UniversityDoctor of Laws (LL.D)[13]
 British Columbia14 June 2018Justice Institute of British ColumbiaDoctor of Laws (LL.D)[14][15]

Arms

Coat of arms of Steven Point
Adopted
March 20, 2009
Crest
An eagle displayed reguardant Or its head Argent
Escutcheon
Azure a serpent with a head at each end in base respectant Argent its back enarched and set with fusils Sable, in chief five mullets in chevron Or
Supporters
Two timber wolves Sable
Compartment
A grassy mount set with cedar branches and dogwood flowers proper rising above barry wavy Argent and Azure
Motto
LĚTSǍ MÖT Salish: ONE MIND
Symbolism
The double-headed serpent emblem was given to His Honour by his father, who was from the Musqueam Indian Band. The five stars allude to the Five Star canoe club, which was named after a constellation of stars important to his people. In forming a chevron, they come to a point, making an allusion to his name. The eagle represents His Honour's name from the Blackfoot of "Flying eagle". The supporters honour His Honour's mother who was head of the Wolf Clan of the Sumas First Nation. The dogwood represents his leadership of the province of British Columbia. The compartment represents the habitat of the wolf. Meaning "One mind", this phrase in the Salish language expresses the concept of unity.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS AND TERRITORIAL COMMISSIONERS Historical List". parl.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-12-11.
  2. 1 2 "UBC appoints the Honourable Steven Lewis Point as next Chancellor". UBC News. June 18, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Office of the Lieutenant Governor - Biography". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  4. ↑ Government takes immediate action on missing women report
  5. ↑ Bellett, Gerry (September 23, 2011). "UBC unveils new $56-million law school". Vancouver Sun.
  6. ↑ "Judicial Retirement – The Honourable Judge Steven Point" (PDF).
  7. ↑ Zhang, Steve (May 8, 2022). "Richmond renames street after B.C.'s first Indigenous lieutenant-governor". CBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  8. ↑ Canada Gazette
  9. ↑ "Order of Canada appointees – December 2023". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  10. ↑ "Honorary degrees, Secretariat". University of the Fraser Valley.
  11. ↑ "UVic To Award Four Honorary Degrees - University of Victoria". UVic.ca. 12 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "The Honorable Steven Point, O.B.C. | Graduation at UBC". graduation.ubc.ca.
  13. ↑ "Steven Point - Capilano University". www.capilanou.ca.
  14. ↑ "JIBC to present honorary degree to former lieutenant-governor". May 16, 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-02-29.
  15. ↑ "Past Honorary Degree Recipients". Archived from the original on 2020-02-29.
  16. ↑ Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges of Canada > Steven Lewis Point". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved February 10, 2014.


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