Judge Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay elevated to Court of Queen’s Bench

The Honourable Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay, ’92 LLB, a judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta in St. Paul, was elevated to the Court of Queen's Bench today.

Arcand-Kootenay is a nehiyaw iskwew (Cree woman) from Kipohtakaw (Alexander) First Nation in Treaty 6 Territory. She was born in Edmonton and earned a BA in political science and an LLB from the University of Alberta. Currently, she is completing her Masters of Law in Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School.

At the time of her appointment, Arcand-Kootenay had served on the Provincial Court of Alberta in the Edmonton Region as a tri-hat Judge (Criminal, Civil, and Family Law) since 2018.

Prior to that, she practised primarily in the areas of child welfare and Aboriginal law. She was Director's counsel for Akamkisipatinaw Ohpikihawasowin Child and Family Services, a delegated First Nation Agency in Maskwacis, and for the Alexis First Nation. She was also counsel for children as a roster lawyer through the Legal Representation for Children and Youth, Office of the Child and Youth Advocate.

Arcand-Kootenay replaces Justice R. Graesser (Edmonton), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective August 3, 2020.