Canadian Lawyer

NOWOSAD: last maN staNdiNg years, he has served northern Vancouver Island as legal counsel. He is the longest serving lawyer ever to remain in the north island. He' I firm colleagues Eldon Iverson and Brian Klaver left to become provincial court judges and other lawyers come and go over the years. "I'm the last man standing, found his firm, which now also has an office in nearby Port McNeill. What kept him in Port Hardy have been the rich experiences, the town' colourful character, business opportunities, and "people." Although, he " he quips about the first wave of lawyers that came in to s admits, "I'm 60 and looking at retirement." He also wonders why it is so difficult for northern practitioners like him to find younger individuals to take over their practices. "The money is not what you would make in a larger city, or three-bedroom house can be purchased for $200,000. Nowosad and Iverson arrived in Port Hardy in December 1975, just " he said, "But, you don't have the expenses either." A nice two- as another lawyer was leaving. Until the early 1970s, there had been no permanent lawyers based in the island, as most flew in with the circuit judge for trials. Iverson had been articling in Nanaimo while Nowosad was articling with a Prince George firm. They had met at the University of Manitoba law school. Iverson, a former RCMP officer, had worked in the north island and urged Nowosad to consider it as a practice option. He found the town to his liking. "We were called to the bar the 14th of May 1976 and we opened up the 16th of May, many of whom were caught working long hours, in Vancouver and tell them how many fish we had and what the weather was like, "We had the freedom to do that." Along the way, mayor Klaver decided to become a lawyer. "We said great, come article with us, which he did, recalls Nowosad. By 1980, Klaver had joined he firm. As Klaver and Iverson left to sit on the bench, Nowosad played a The pair did well. It was an idyllic life. "We would phone our friends, " he recalls. " " he recalls. pivotal role that lawyers in small communities often assume, helping to build and shape that community. Today, he' charter service, as well as a tugboat operation, a grizzly bear-watching tour company, and a smoked-fish venture. He's also got 160 corporate clients, is the lawyer on record for Port Hardy, plus he does the gamut of civil and criminal work performed for individuals. Nowosad says he's not isolated when it comes to the law. There are s involved with a pilot boat three other lawyers in the area, although several are moving toward retirement or semi-retirement as well. His firm is part of the MacIsaac law firm consortium, which has 29 branches in B.C. and Alberta. While there has been an effort by bar associations to get more s watched as n northern British Columbia communities like Port Hardy, where professionals usually springboard to larger cities after gaining experience, Dan Nowosad is a standout. For the past 35 Ron Froese's daughter helped with the design for the Nunavut licence plate. of Justice in Iqaluit. Froese was the winner of a government-sponsored contest looking to replace the distinctive polar bear-shaped plate licensed from the Northwest Territories since 1999. The new plate, inspired by Froese's design, features 25 stars for all of the municipalities in Nunavut, and three streams of northern lights representing the three regions in the territory. The polar bear, long associated with the North, represents strength, endurance, beauty, and liveli- hood. A traditional Inukshuk sculpture, the same one that stands outside of Nunavut's Legislative Assembly building, has two windows that show the way forward, a fitting image for a licence plate. Froese, currently acting as a residential tenancies officer with the Justice department, says he isn't usually drawn to the arts but the licence plate contest held spe- cial appeal. "I don't normally design stuff," he notes, "but I thought this could be fun." The Iqaluit resident showed his preliminary design to N young lawyers to move to areas outside the larger cities, Nowosad says there is not much in the system today that recognizes the con- tributions of those lawyers who remain in rural communities. "You would think they would give you something — even if it was just a commemorative pin," he laughs. — JS his 21-year-old daughter, who lent a hand in refining it. "She helped dad out," says Froese, whose design was selected from 200 entries. His goal for the new licence plate was creating some- thing distinctive, he adds. "I wanted it to be different. Most licence plates are mundane." That is not the case with the new design, which will become standard issue in July. Pink, lavender, and pale green serve as a colourful backdrop to a looming polar bear. In addition, a reflective coating has been added to the plate so it will twinkle and sparkle — much like the Northern lights — in the glow of headlights. "It's eye-catching," says Froese. — DM www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com M AY 2012 15 JUSTICE EMPLOYEE INSPIRES NEW NUNAVUT LICENCE PLATE unavut is about to have its first original licence plate — thanks to the artistic eye of Ron Froese, manager of court operations with the Department NORTH

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