According to a news release, the three new judges are:
Aamna Afsar (effective May 1, 2025): Afsar joined the BC Prosecution Service in 2006, serving as Crown counsel in Vancouver for nearly 14 years, including time at the Downtown Community Court. In 2019, she became a member of the Immigration Refugee Board of Canada and received the IRB’s Chairperson’s Award in 2020 for contributions to gender-related refugee claim adjudication. Since 2021, Afsar has served as an alternate chair of the B.C. Review Board and was appointed a judicial justice in July 2022, qualified to conduct hearings in French. Additionally, from 2007 to 2023, Afsar was a member and treasurer of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, facilitating workshops on Canadian family law and domestic violence awareness.
Christopher Balison (effective May 1, 2025): Balison became Crown counsel shortly after being called to the B.C. bar in 2007. In December 2021, after serving as the administrative Crown in the Kamloops office for two years, he was appointed deputy regional Crown counsel in the Interior region. From 2017 to 2022, Balison served as the director and president of Baseball BC, developing policies to ensure a safe, ethical and equitable environment for youth in sports.
Dennis Isaac Ferbey (effective May 1, 2025): Ferbey obtained a law degree from the University of Victoria in 2007 and spent the first 10 years of his career practising as a criminal defence counsel in Surrey and Delta, handling many legal aid files and acting as duty counsel while also engaging in pro bono work. In March 2018, Ferbey joined a general practice firm in Trail and currently resides and works in the West Kootenays, primarily conducting federal prosecutions as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
The new judicial justice appointed to the provincial court is Patrick Angly. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor of laws in 1982 and was called to the B.C. bar in 1983. Over a 39-year legal career focused on defence work, Angly has appeared in every level of court, from traffic court to the Supreme Court of Canada, representing clients from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.