This release was issued under a previous government.
Purvis received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta in 1989. He was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1990 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2014.
Purvis has served in a wide variety of roles throughout his career. His last position was as the Executive Director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. Prior to this, he served as an organized crime prosecutor and was the lead prosecutor assigned to the RCMP KARE program. He is recognized as an expert on the topic of the oversight and investigation of police and has lectured across Canada and in the United States.
“I’m pleased to welcome Mr. Purvis as a member of the Provincial Court judiciary. His legal career and commitment to public safety through his work with the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team indicate his long-standing service to Albertans.”
The Alberta Judicial Council screens all candidates for Provincial Court appointments and forwards a list of recommended applicants to the Provincial Court Nominating Committee. The committee then interviews candidates from the list and recommends the names of those appointees felt to be of the highest calibre to the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.
The Provincial Court Nominating Committee was established in 1999. The 11 members are appointed by the Minister of Justice and represent the Alberta Provincial Court, the Law Society of Alberta, the Canadian Bar Association (Alberta Branch), and other members from the legal profession and the public. The Judicial Council has representatives from the Alberta Provincial Court, Court of Queen’s Bench, Court of Appeal and the Law Society of Alberta. It also includes two people appointed by the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.
Under the Building Alberta Plan, our government is investing in families and communities, living within our means, and opening new markets for Alberta's resources to ensure we're able to fund the services Albertans told us matter most to them. We will continue to deliver the responsible change Albertans voted for.