The Honourable Steven Point, Chancellor of UBC & former Lieutenant Governor of BC.
Oct 08, 2020 12:00 PM
12:00noon: Online ZOOM meeting. email us to join.
The Honourable Steven Point, Chancellor of UBC & former Lieutenant Governor of BC.

Steven Lewis Point OBC, is a Canadian jurist and served as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from October 1, 2007 to November 1, 2012.

Steven Point attended the University of BC, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1985 and was later a faculty member. From 1986 to 1989 he practiced criminal law and native law as a partner in the law firm of Point and Shirley. He worked for Citizenship and Immigration Canada as an immigration adjudicator for several years, starting in about 1989, at its refugee backlog office in Vancouver. In 1999, he became a British Columbia Provincial Court judge. On February 28, 2005, he became Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission. He also served as the chair of the advisory committee on the safety and security of vulnerable women, a committee that provides community-based guidance to the implementation of the recommendations from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.

Justice Point served as British Columbia’s 28th Lieutenant-Governor from 2007 to 2012 and was the first Indigenous person appointed to represent the Queen in the province.

In 2014, Point was re-appointed as a provincial court judge, retiring from office on October 31, 2018.

The University of British Columbia Board of Governors appointed the Honourable Steven Lewis Point to become the university’s 19th Chancellor effective July 1, 2020. He is the first Indigenous person to hold the position. Point is a double alumnus of UBC and has retained close ties with the university after receiving his Bachelor of Laws in 1985. He served as director of the First Nations Legal Studies program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law from 1991–1994 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2013 for his exceptional commitment in the field of law, legal and Aboriginal education and his leadership in the Indigenous community. As the Chancellor, Point will act as the ceremonial head of the university and preside over all major ceremonies and convocations. He will also represent the university in a wide range of events and activities.

Point is a member of the Skowkale First Nation and has advocated for Indigenous people throughout his career, pressing for greater recognition of their contributions and their fuller involvement in all aspects of life in British Columbia. From 1975 to 1999, he served as Chief of the Skowkale First Nation. From 1994 to 1999 he served as Tribal Chair of the Stó:lō Nation.

“Steven Point is truly an inspiration, not only for the UBC community, but all of BC,” said UBC Board of Governors Chair Michael Korenberg. “Steven has demonstrated exemplary leadership through his decades of outstanding service to the people of British Columbia and we are thrilled that he is returning to UBC to bring his vast knowledge and experience to the University.”

The "Write to Read Project BC"  is an original initiative of former Lieutenant Governor Steven Point and his aide de camp Bob Blacker, a past District Governor of Rotary District 5040. The W2R Project is an equal partnership between participating indigenous communities, Rotarians, Government House, and the volunteers of the Write to Read Team. It delivers books, libraries, computers, tablets & high speed Internet connections to remote First Nation communities in BC.

Recognition & Awards:

  • Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, 2002
  • Order of British Columbia, 2007
  • Knight of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, 2008
  • Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012

He has received Honorary Doctorates of Law from the University of the Fraser Valley (2000), University of Victoria (2012), University of British Columbia (2013) and Capilano University (2017).