Robert Wells (Canadian politician)

Robert Wells, QC (born 1933), is a Canadian lawyer, former politician and retired judge in Newfoundland. He represented St. John's South from 1972 to 1975 and Kilbride from 1975 to 1979 in the Newfoundland House of Assembly. He sat on the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador from 1986 to 2008.[1]

The Hon.

Robert Wells, Q.C., LL.D.
Member of Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly (St. John's South)
In office
1972–1975
Preceded byHugh Shea
Succeeded byJohn Collins
ConstituencySt. John's South
Member of Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly (Kilbride)
In office
1975–1979
Preceded byNew district
Succeeded byBob Aylward
ConstituencyKilbride
Minister of Health and Government House Leader
In office
1975–1976
Justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador
In office
1986–2008
Nominated byBrian Mulroney
President of the Law Society of Newfoundland
In office
1977–1981
57th President of the Canadian Bar Association
In office
1985–1986
Preceded byClaude R. Thomson, Q.C., LL.D.
Succeeded byThe Hon. Bryan Williams, Q.C., LL.D.
President of the International Commission of Jurists (Canadian Section)
Chancellor of the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador
In office
1979–1984
Appointed byBishop Robert Seaborn
Personal details
Born1933
Badger's Quay, Newfoundland and Labrador
NationalityCanadian
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Alma materMemorial University
Oxford University
ProfessionLawyer

Early life and education

The son of Reverend Warwick Wells and Dorcas Parsons, he was born in Badger's Quay. He was educated at Memorial University in St. John's and then selected as a Rhodes Scholar in 1953. He attended Oxford University and was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 1958.[1]

On his return to Newfoundland, he was employed in the civil service as an economist, later working in the Justice department as a Crown attorney and departmental advisor from 1959 to 1962.[2] In 1962, he started practising law in St. John's. Wells was named Queen's Counsel in 1972. He had a general litigation practice, including using alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation and arbitration.[3] In 1986, Wells was named to the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland, retiring in 2008.[2] Since then, he has continued to work in alternative dispute resolution.

Provincial politics

In 1964, Wells became president of the Progressive Conservative Association of Newfoundland. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Newfoundland assembly in 1971 but was elected the following year. From 1975 to 1976, he served in the Newfoundland cabinet of Premier Frank Moores as Minister of Health and then as minister without portfolio and later served as government house leader.[3] He returned to the practice of law in 1979.[1]

Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry

On March 12, 2009, Cougar Helicopters Flight 91, flying from St. John's to an off-shore oil platform in the Hibernia oilfield, ditched in the ocean. Of the eighteen crew and passengers aboard, only one survived. The Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board, a joint federal-provincial regulator, established the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry Commission to investigate the accident and to make safety recommendations. Wells was named as the commissioner of the inquiry.[2] After extensive hearings, he produced a two volume report and recommendations.[4][5][6] One of his key recommendations was that an independent safety regulator be created for the offshore, and given a clear and unambiguous safety mandate.[7]

After the inquiry concluded, Wells continued to be an advocate for greater legal regulation for the safety of off-shore activities. In 2013, he appeared before a parliamentary committee in Ottawa, testifying in support of a bill to strengthen off-shore safety.[8]

From 1977 to 1981, he was president of the Law Society of Newfoundland.[1] In 1985, he became the first (and so far the only) Newfoundlander to be elected national president of the Canadian Bar Association.[9]

Wells has been active in legal organizations that work to improve human rights internationally and in developing countries.[3]

Community service

Wells served as chair of the board for the Janeway Child Health Centre.[2] From 1979 to 1984, he acted as the Chancellor (legal advisor) of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador.[3]

Honours
  • 1970 Honorary Membership in the Canadian Police Association[3]
  • 1972 Queen's Counsel[1]
  • 2002 Doctor of Laws "honoris causa", Benchers of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador[3]
  • 2015 Doctor of Laws honoris causa, Memorial University[10]

References
  1. "Wells, Robert". Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. p. 529.
  2. "Honourable Robert Wells, Q. C." Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry.
  3. Centre for Innovative Dispute Resolution: Honourable Robert Wells, Q.C.
  4. C-NLOPB Releases Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry Report, Phase I: News Release, November 17, 2010
  5. C-NLOPB Releases Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry Report, Phase II: News Release, August 15, 2011.
  6. CBC: Links to articles on the Wells Inquiry.
  7. "Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry, Phase II: Report and Recommendations arising from the Transportation Safety Board Report", July 2011, p. 113.
  8. Hon. Robert Wells (Former Inquiry Commissioner, Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry, As an Individual) at the Natural Resources Committee, December 4, 2013.
  9. Canadian Bar Association: Past CBA Presidents.
  10. Memorial University: "Fall honorary degree recipients announced," September 10, 2015.
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