Willard Zebedee "Bud" Estey (October 10, 1919 – January 25, 2002) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Estey was born in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

. He was the son of James Wilfred Estey, a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and Muriel Baldwin. He studied at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

earning a BA in 1940 and an

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1942. He joined the armed forces and fought during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, including acting as a Canadian Observer with US forces during the battle for Okinawa. Upon returning to Canada went to study at Harvard Law School and received a

LL.M A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in 1946. From 1946 he taught at the University of Saskatchewan and then moved to Ontario the following year to practice law. In 1973, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario and two years later was named Chief Justice of the

High Court of Justice of Ontario High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...

. He became

Chief Justice of Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law Socie ...

in 1976. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1977 to replace Wilfred Judson. He drafted the first major judgment on the

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (french: Charte canadienne des droits et libertés), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part ...

, the Skapinker judgment, in 1984. Willard Estey retired from the Supreme Court of Canada in 1988. Estey was appointed a trustee of the Stanley Cup in 1984 on the nomination of

Red Dutton Norman Alexander Dutton (July 23, 1897 – March 15, 1987) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach and executive. Commonly known as Red Dutton, and earlier by the nickname "Mervyn", he played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey ...

, succeeding

Clarence Campbell Clarence Sutherland Campbell, (July 9, 1905 – June 24, 1984) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, referee, and soldier. He refereed in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1930s, served in the Canadian Army during World War II, th ...

. In 1985, he was appointed as Commissioner of Inquiry into the collapses of the

Canadian Commercial Bank The Canadian Commercial Bank (CCB) was a bank based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada which failed in 1985. It received its parliamentary charter in 1975 and established its head office in Edmonton. The bank was privately owned and operated as a who ...

and the

Northland Bank The Northland Bank was an Alberta-based Canadian bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed ...

, both of which had been closed by the Canadian government that year. His report, ''Report of the Inquiry into the Collapse of the CCB and Northland Bank'', was issued in 1986.Government of Canada Publications,
''Report of the Inquiry into the Collapse of the CCB and Northland Bank''
Retrieved 2015-12-18.

Honours

* In 1977 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

. * In 1979 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. * In 1984 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the

. * In 1990 he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

Opinions

* '' Labatt Breweries v. Canada (Attorney General)'', 9801 S.C.R. 914 * ''

Law Society of Upper Canada v. Skapinker ''Law Society of Upper Canada v Skapinker'',

984 Year 984 ( CMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – German boy-king Otto III (4-years old) is seized by the deposed Henry II ...

1 S.C.R. 357 is a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision on mobility rights protected under Section Six of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, section 6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights ...

'',

1 S.C.R. 357 * '' R. v. Canadian Dredge & Dock Co.''

985 Year 985 ( CMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Henry II (the Wrangler) is restored as duke of Bavaria by Empress Theoph ...

1 S.C.R. 662 * ''

Multiple Access Ltd v McCutcheon ''Multiple Access Ltd v McCutcheon'' is a leading constitutional decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on the resolution of overlapping federal and provincial laws under the doctrine of double aspect. Background Multiple Access, a company incor ...

982 Year 982 ( CMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Emperor Otto II (the Red) assembles an imperial expeditionary force at Tar ...

2 SCR 161

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estey, Willard 1919 births 2002 deaths Canadian university and college chancellors Companions of the Order of Canada Harvard Law School alumni Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada People from Saskatoon University of Saskatchewan alumni University of Saskatchewan College of Law alumni Canadian military personnel of World War II