Two Provincial Court Judges, Interim SiRT Director Appointed

Two new judges – Alonzo Wright, KC (King’s counsel) and Mark Heerema, both of Halifax – have been appointed to the provincial court effective today, September 28.

“Nova Scotians are fortunate to have two high-quality individuals presiding over provincial court matters,” said Attorney General and Justice Minister Brad Johns. “These appointees are experienced and respected lawyers with deep roots in their communities. They have each demonstrated professional integrity and good character, and made outstanding contributions to the practice of law.”

Mr. Wright has practised criminal law since 1996. A senior Crown attorney with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service, he was responsible for handling some of the most complex, high-profile criminal cases in the province, including sexual assaults, homicides and cyber crime. In December 2022, he was appointed Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT).

Mr. Heerema graduated with a master of law from the University of Cambridge and was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2007. He soon joined the Public Prosecution Service’s special prosecution team as a Crown attorney. He handled complex, high-profile cases including sexual assaults, fraud, aggravated assaults, homicides and dangerous offender applications. Mr. Heerema is also published in the areas of mental health law, criminal law and constitutional law.

With these appointments, the provincial court will have a full complement of judges.

With Mr. Wright’s appointment to the bench, Erin Nauss has been appointed interim Director of SiRT. Ms. Nauss has 17 years of legal experience and joined the Department of Justice in 2007 as a solicitor. She has been a legal advisor to SiRT for many years and has advised senior Department of Justice officials on various matters, including the Police Act.

A permanent director for SiRT will be appointed and announced at a later date.

“The Serious Incident Response Team has an important mandate on behalf of Nova Scotians,” said Minister Johns. “I thank Erin for serving as interim Director, bringing her strong legal expertise to the role. She is well-qualified for this position.”

SiRT provides civilian-led oversight of policing by investigating serious incidents involving police, independent of both government and police. The agency investigates all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and domestic violence, or other matters of significant public interest that may have arisen from the actions of any municipal police or RCMP officer across the province.

The SiRT director oversees a team of four investigators and an administrative support person.

Quick Facts:

• judges are selected by the government from a list of candidates recommended by the seven-member independent Advisory Committee on Provincial Judicial Appointments, which includes two members of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, a sitting judge of the provincial court, three public representatives and a retired member of the judiciary as Chair, all appointed by the Minister of Justice
• the advisory committee’s recommendations are based on criteria in the Provincial Judicial Appointments Guidelines
• appointments to the bench continue to be based on merit and professional excellence; gender, language/bilingualism, racial and cultural diversity, geographical representation and commitment to public service are among the criteria

Additional Resources:

The Provincial Judicial Appointments Guidelines and the application form to apply to become a provincial court judge are available at: https://novascotia.ca/just/Court_Services/

Information on Nova Scotia courts: https://www.courts.ns.ca/

More information on SiRT is available at: https://sirt.novascotia.ca/