Province Appoints Roberta Clarke to Utility and Review Board

The province has appointed Roberta Clarke as a full-time member of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

"Ms. Clarke's significant experience in the practice of law and commitment to public service made her an ideal choice for this position," said Graham Steele, Minister of Finance. "Ms. Clarke is widely respected, and we are confident in her ability to serve the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board."

The appointment results from a rigorous selection process similar to that used for provincial judicial appointments.

Ms. Clarke is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Dalhousie University Law School. She was admitted to the bar in Newfoundland in 1976 and to the bar in Nova Scotia in 1977 and received her Queen's Counsel appointment in 1997.

As a partner with Blois Nickerson & Bryson, Ms. Clarke's current practice includes estate planning, wills and trusts, residential and commercial real estate, and litigation in various levels of courts in Nova Scotia.

Ms. Clarke was awarded the 2003 Distinguished Service Award by the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board is an independent quasi-judicial body created under the Utility and Review Board Act. It reports to the legislature through the Minister of Finance.

The board consists of up to 10 full-time members and up to eight part-time members appointed by the Governor in Council. Each full-time member holds office on good behaviour until the age of 70.