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Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie was born and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. She obtained a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in 1985, an LLB from the University of Toronto in 1989, and was called to the BC bar in 1991. For more than 20 years Chief Judge Gillespie served as Crown counsel in the Fraser region of British Columbia, working primarily in Surrey and New Westminster. In 2005 she became Regional Crown Counsel, and in 2009 she was appointed King’s Counsel. 

Chief Judge Gillespie was appointed to the Provincial Court in 2012, sat in Surrey and the Fraser Valley, and was appointed an Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court in 2016, Acting Chief Judge on May 7, 2018, and Chief Judge on October 19, 2018. 

For many years she represented the Court on the board of directors of the BC Justice Education Society (JES). From 2015 through 2021 she worked with JES to provide ongoing education and training to police, prosecutors, and magistrates to strengthen the justice system of Guyana. In 2021 she joined the board of Access Pro Bono, a charitable organization using volunteers to provide access to justice around BC. 

Chief Judge Gillespie also served on the BC Provincial Court Judges’ Association executive and participated in a number of Court committees including the Criminal Law Committee. She is a member of and Chair of the Canadian Council of Chief Judges and a member of the National Judicial Institute's Board of Governors. 

In addition, she has been involved in providing education for members of the judicial and legal communities including programs hosted by the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, Trial Lawyers Association, the Advocates Society, Canadian Bar Association, National Judicial Institute, New Judges training, and the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. 

Former Chief Judges