Chief Judge Derek Redman of the Provincial Court of Alberta is pleased to announce the appointment of Judge Joanne Durant to the role of Deputy Chief Judge.
Judge Durant was appointed to the Provincial Court in 2011 as a member of the Calgary Criminal and Regional Division. She was appointed as the Assistant Chief Judge of that division in 2017.
In her years with the Court Judge Durant has championed numerous projects including the creation of the Calgary Indigenous Court which promotes reconciliation through alternative judicial processes and restorative justice. She is also a passionate supporter of the Calgary Drug Treatment Court and will continue to both sit in that Court and assist with the establishment of therapeutic courts across the province.
Having grown up in Ottawa, Judge Durant obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from York University and her Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She commenced her law career working full time for Legal Aid in Ontario as a defence counsel before moving to the Crown Prosecution Service in west Toronto and then Guelph, Ontario. In 2001 she joined the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service and served as an Assistant Chief Crown Prosecutor from 2007 until her appointment to the Bench.
Judge Durant has demonstrated longstanding commitment to legal education having taught at Mount Royal University as well as the Universities of Lethbridge and Calgary. She has a love of animals, particularly dogs, and continues to devote every Sunday morning as she has for the last four years to volunteering at a local animal shelter.
The Court is proud to congratulate Deputy Chief Judge Durant as she assumes her new role.