NORTH SHORE NEWS COLUMNIST REMEMBERED

Former judge and North Shore News columnist Jerry Paradis has
died.

Paradis was forced to stop writing his column on legal issues for the
paper when he was diagnosed with cancer in his bone marrow last summer.

He took aggressive chemotherapy and fully intended to return to our
pages early this year, but shortly after Christmas he was found to
have tumours in his brain.

He passed peacefully at home in Lynn Valley on Feb. 16 surrounded by
his family.

Paradis had the law in his genes. He was born in Montreal, the son of
Jerome E. Paradis, a lawyer with the CPR, and Marthe Cordeau. His
grandfather was the chief law translator for the House of Commons and
his great-grandfather a Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec.

Judge William Rodgers, a fellow judge at North Vancouver provincial
court remembers Paradis as a judge with great patience and compassion.

"He knew there was more to an individual than the brief outline in a
court report. His court decisions were thoughtful and carefully
researched," said Rodgers.

"Jerry was a good friend and colleague who was always ready to debate
fly-fishing techniques or the latest Supreme Court of Canada legal
decision."

Paradis attended Loyola College and the University of British
Columbia, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws in 1969. An excellent
athlete, his early success was cut short because of injury. He found a
new passion in mountain climbing while employed for seven summers at
the Chateau Lake Louise in the Rocky Mountains -- where he also
acquired his life-long love of fly-fishing. It was partly the
attraction of being able to pursue both pastimes which brought him to
British Columbia.

Paradis articled at Rankin, Dean and Robertson then began his legal
career in private practice with Paradis, Lawrence and Saunderson in
1970. In February of 1973 he became first administrative chairman of
the newly created Workers' Compensation Boards of Review, established
to hear appeals from the WCB adjudications.

Paradis was appointed to the provincial court of British Columbia in
February 1975 at the age of 33 -- one of the youngest judges ever to
be appointed. He took a leave of absence from the bench to become
vice-chairman of the Workers' Compensation Board in February 1977.

Returning to the bench in 1980, he served as administrative judge for
the Coast District from 1981 to 1989 and from 1992 to 1994. Being
fluently bilingual, Paradis was one of several judges who travelled
throughout the province hearing French trials when required. He
retired in August 2003.

He served on many boards during his career, most recently with LEAP
(Law Enforcement Against Prohibition).

He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and his chilldren, Lia and
Luc.

As Jerry's editor for much of the time that he wrote for us, I sadly
and deeply regret his untimely death. His columns, whether one agreed
with his opinions or not, were always well-structured, logically
argued and with nary a word that needed changing. Amid the information
deluge I wade through, I always looked forward to opening Jerry's e-mails.

He tilted at many windmills: political posturing; the bunker-like
mentality of RCMP management; tribunal time- and money-wasting; and,
regularly, drug policy.

Editorially, we agreed that drug prohibition is a colossal waste of
money with no historical basis for success, and that the side-effects
and costs of the U.S.-led "war on drugs" here and abroad are
devastating.

His death leaves us with one less rational voice in a field where we
desperately need more.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 6 at 11 a.m. at Boal
Chapel, 1505 Lillooet Road North Vancouver. In true Paradis style, his
family encourages well-wishers "to buy a nice bottle of wine, drink a
toast in his honour, and make a donation to a charity of your choice."