Andrea Hemmerling, Mark Mastel, Jeffrey Morrison and Suzanne Polkosnik appointed
The Provincial Court of Alberta has filled four vacancies in the Edmonton Region, the Edmonton Criminal Division, and the Southern Region with the appointment of Andrea Hemmerling, Mark Mastel, Jeffrey Morrison and Suzanne Polkosnik, respectively.
Every year, the Provincial Court of Alberta handles more than 100,000 criminal cases, 17,000 family and child protection cases, and about 10,000 civil cases. Chief Judge Derek Redman said he was pleased with the “timely appointments” since judicial resources are scarce around those regions.
Hemmerling has been appointed to fill an existing vacancy in the Edmonton Region of the Provincial Court of Alberta, which took effect on November 1. Before taking on her new role, she operated her own practice in the Cold Lake area, having been admitted to the Alberta bar in 2003.
Mastel was admitted to the Northwest Territories bar in 2008 and the Alberta bar in 2009. He was most recently the deputy chief prosecutor of Regional Prosecutions, Justice and Solicitor General. He has been appointed to fill an existing vacancy in the Southern Region of the Provincial Court of Alberta, which took effect on November 7.
Morrison had served as the chief Crown prosecutor in Fort Saskatchewan and Wetaskiwin before taking on a special assignment for Regional Prosecutions, Justice and Solicitor General. Like Hemmerling, he has been appointed to fill an existing vacancy in the Edmonton Region of the Provincial Court of Alberta, which took effect on October 17.
Polkosnik has been appointed to fill an existing vacancy in the Edmonton Criminal Division of the Provincial Court of Alberta, effective November 14. She was most recently a partner at Swainson Miki Peskett LLP in Edmonton, having been admitted to the Alberta bar in 1993.
“The Provincial Court of Alberta plays an essential role in our society, the justice system and in protecting public safety,” Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro said. “I congratulate these four judges on their new roles, with each of them bringing a great deal of expertise and experience to the bench. They will serve the justice system and Albertans well by upholding the rule of law through the administration of Alberta’s justice system.”
