Photo: File

Rossland's Provincial Courthouse is where newly appointed judge Dennis Ferbey will be holding court.

A former public prosecutor in Trail has been appointed as a Provincial Court judge.

Dennis Isaac Ferbey has been chosen by the Ministry of Attorney General — effective May 1 — as one of a trio of new judges to “support timely and efficient access to justice.”

The appointment was made by considering various factors, such as the court's requirements, the diversity of the judiciary and the candidates' areas of expertise.

Also appointed were Aamna Afsar (effective May 1) and Christopher Balison (effective May 1). A new judicial justice appointed to the Provincial Court was Patrick Angly.

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 his 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 Kootenay, primarily conducting federal prosecutions as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

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.

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.