Former mayor Bowman sworn in as judge
A former Winnipeg mayor officially has a new title – Justice Brian Bowman.
On Friday, Bowman was sworn in as a judge on the Court of King’s Bench.
“To be honest, I never considered the Bench,” Bowman said at his swearing-in ceremony. “But the more we talked and the more that I spoke with other judges about the role of a judge, I became more intrigued and motivated by the possibility.”
According to the former mayor, the seed was planted by former Manitoba chief justice Richard Chartier after Bowman announced he wouldn’t run for a third term in office back in late 2020.
“He stressed to me that this might afford me the opportunity to leverage some skills and knowledge of our community that I gained in public office in a different way and one that tapped into my legal training,” Bowman explained.
Prior to his time as mayor, Bowman worked as a lawyer in Winnipeg for more than a decade starting in 2000. He specialized in privacy, access to information and social media law.
Bowman, a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation, became Winnipeg's first Indigenous mayor when he was elected in 2014.
"I was proud to break ground at city hall, being the first Indigenous mayor,” Bowman said during his address. “But here at the courts, I'm not the first Indigenous judge — I'm not even the first Métis judge, and I think that's awesome.”
Bowman was re-elected in 2018. Following his departure from politics in 2022, he took a job at Canada Life as vice-president of sustainability and social impact.
Bowman said he’ll continue to “appropriately advance reconciliation and human rights.”
“I’ll vow to devote myself to the advance of the law and rededicate myself to serving our community in this new capacity.”
- With files from CTV’s Danton Unger
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard found not guilty of sexual assault
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
Missing B.C. climber died from fall on Mount Baker, medical examiner says
The body of a British Columbia mountain climber has been located and recovered after the 39-year-old man was reported missing during a solo climb on Washington state's Mount Baker earlier this week.
Following child's death in Ontario, here's what you need to know about rabies and bats
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a rabid bat in their bedroom, which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Anne Hathaway confirms 'Princess Diaries 3': 'Miracles happen'
You might be thinking, 'Shut up!' but it’s officially true: the 'Princess Diaries' franchise is finally growing.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Sask. man pleads guilty in U.S. after unknowingly providing videos of men raping toddlers to FBI agent
A Saskatchewan man living in the United States has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography after he unknowingly provided disturbing videos to an FBI agent he thought was a pedophile.