Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie has announced the appointment of one new judge and one new judicial justice. 

It is my great pleasure and privilege to announce that the Lieutenant Governor in Council has signed Orders in Council appointing a new judge and judicial justice to the Provincial Court.

Judge Jennings 

Judge Jennings will be sworn in on July 17, 2026. She will be assigned to the Vancouver Island region with chambers in Nanaimo. 

Judge Jennings was called to the BC Bar in 2008, and has worked as Crown counsel in the Victoria Crown office since then, most recently as the Administrative Crown counsel. She is a long-standing member of the local Victoria Bar and is a devoted community volunteer, including as the president of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch, from September 2021 through to August 2022. She was also an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, Faculty of Law. In 2023, she was appointed King’s Counsel. Judge Jennings’ legal reputation is outstanding, and her counsel skills are well honed, having conducted hundreds of trials and resolutions. She has also had conduct of appeal matters in both the BC Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.

Judicial Justice Mattoo 

Judicial Justice Mattoo will be sworn in on July 17, 2026. He will be assigned to the Justice Centre and traffic. 

Called to the BC bar in 2008, Judicial Justice Mattoo has practiced in criminal law, family law, and immigration law. He is fluent in Punjabi and is committed to increasing access to justice for the people of BC. He is an accredited family law mediator and has conducted many private mediations. He is a mentor to law students and junior associates and is also a strong community supporter, volunteering his time in coaching and mentoring young soccer players.