Nathaniel Theodore (Nathan) Nemetz, (September 8, 1913 – October 21, 1997) was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

. Born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, he moved with his family to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

when he was 10. He received a BA from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

in 1934 and was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1937. In 1951, along with Senator John W. de B. Farris, KC, Nemetz was the successful counsel in an appeal to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

: '' White v Kuzych'', a significant labour law case. Farris and Nemetz acted for White, the leader of the Boilermakers and Iron Shipbuilders Union, in a dispute with a union member, Myron Kuzych.''White et al. v. Kuzych'',

951 Year 951 (Roman numerals, CMLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Berengar II of Italy seizes Liguria, with help from the feudal lord Oberto I. He reorganizes the territorie ...

AC 585
[1951
/nowiki> UKPC 18">951">[1951
/nowiki> UKPC 18

3 DLR 641
1951 CanLII 373
He was made a Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1963 and a Justice of the Court of Appeal in 1968. In 1973, he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia and was appointed Chief Justice of British Columbia in 1979. He retired in 1988. He was Chancellor of the University of British Columbia from 1972 to 1975. In 1989 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1990 he was awarded the Order of British Columbia. He was awarded honorary doctorates from Tel Aviv University (1991) and the

(1975).

References

External links

Order of British Columbia citation
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nemetz, Nathaniel 1913 births 1997 deaths Judges in British Columbia Chancellors of the University of British Columbia Companions of the Order of Canada Canadian Jews Members of the Order of British Columbia Lawyers from Winnipeg University of British Columbia alumni 20th-century Canadian judges