Thursday, October 30 12:00 pm CT – 1:30 pm CT
This Zoom webinar session highlights the growing use of Gladue Reports, Impact of Race and Culture Assessments and sentencing circles in Canadian courts. Judges and legal experts will discuss how these reports provide critical context in sentencing, helping to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous and racialized communities and advance meaningful access to justice.
Moderator:
Wendy Martin White, K.C., Lawyer, Phillips Aiello
Wendy Martin White, K.C. has been practicing criminal law for the last 30 years. She was the first practitioner to introduce IRCAs to the provincial court in Manitoba and to have IRCAs adopted by the provincial court. She routinely appears in all levels of court in Manitoba.
Panelists:
The Honourable Associate Chief Judge Lee Ann Martin
Associate Chief Judge Martin obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg before studying in France at the University of Paris II – Assas. After earning her degree in civil law, she remained in France until 1996, practicing in the areas of labor law and corporate commercial law. Upon her return to Winnipeg, she earned her common law degree from the University of Manitoba, then practiced at the firm Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson.She also served on numerous administrative tribunals and taught a comparative law course at the University of Manitoba.
Judge Martin was appointed to the Provincial Court in 2007 and named Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court in 2022. She primarily presides over criminal and youth law matters. She regularly sits in First Nations communities, including spending six years in St. Theresa Point.Associate Chief Judge Martin has remained active in numerous committees and organizations, including the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and the National Judicial Institute. She is a former president of the Manitoba Provincial Judges Association and the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges. She remains committed to continuing education and is regularly invited to give lectures and presentations in various forums.
The Honourable Judge Jerilee Ryle
Judge Jerilee Ryle is Anishinaabe from Lake St Martin First Nation. She graduated from the University of Manitoba in 2005 and received her call to the bar in 2006. She practiced primarily as a Crown Attorney with Manitoba Prosecution Service until her appointment to the Provincial Court of Manitoba in May 2025.
Melissa Brown, Justice Programs Manager, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc.
Siigasiige, Pizhiw O’dotem, is Aniishinabekwe from the community of Manitoo Baawidigoong located in Treaty 3 territory. Siigasiige is a Pipe Keeper, Sundancer, and member of the Midewiwin Lodge.
Melissa pursued her formal education at the Red River Community College and the University of Winnipeg. Majoring in Community Development/Community Economic Development and Urban and Inner-City Studies. This led Melissa to careers in Child and Family Services and Justice.
Melissa has extensive knowledge regarding social issues that impact First Nation Peoples and communities. Her passion for equality is grounded in her own and her family’s personal experiences and she strives for meaningful action in the name of reconciliation.
Melissa is firm in her ways of knowing and being Anishinaabe. Melissa has had the opportunity to learn alongside Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Grandmothers. She credits Great Spirit and the natural beings as her teachers and classrooms. She is committed to ensuring Anishinaabe teachings continue through engagement, sharing, and ceremony. “These teachings belong to all of us. No one person owns these teachings, Creator loves us all.”
Dr. Patrina Duhaney, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary & founder of Nasura Consulting Inc
Dr. Patrina Duhaney is the Founder and CEO of Nusura Consulting Inc. and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. With over 20 years of frontline, research, and leadership experience, she is a nationally recognized expert on race, gender, and justice whose work bridges academia, community practice, and the legal system.
Through Nusura Consulting Inc., Dr. Duhaney serves as the lead assessor conducting Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCAs) for individuals involved in the criminal the criminal justice system. Her work applies Critical Race Theory, anti-Black racism, and trauma- and violence-informed frameworks to examine how systemic racism, trauma, and social inequities shape people’s experiences within across systems. In addition to her assessment work, she provides counselling and mediation services to individuals, couples, and families, and offers consultation and professional training to lawyers, mental health practitioners, and justice personnel on equity-informed and trauma- and violence-aware practice and decision-making.
Dr. Duhaney’s scholarly and professional contributions have informed policy, education, and legal practice across Canada. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the UCalgary Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, the Faculty of Social Work Educational Leadership Teaching Award, and the Calgary Black Achievement Award in Education.
Zilla Jones, Lawyer, Jones Law Office
Zilla Jones is an African-Caribbean-Canadian woman living and working on Treaty 1 territory, the home of the Metis Nation, in Winnipeg. Zilla has an Honours degree in Music – Vocal Performance and graduated from Robson Hall Faculty of Law in 2011 where she won numerous academic awards. She articled at the Public Interest Law Centre of Legal Aid and is now a sole practitioner with Jones Law Office where she practices criminal, refugee and child protection law and has appeared at every level of court in Manitoba and the Supreme Court of Canada. She is also currently a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Law.
As an anti-racist educator, Zilla has given presentations to the University of Manitoba, Red River College, Islamic Social Service Agency of Manitoba, Manitoba Teachers’ Society, Commonwealth Bar Association, and others.
Zilla is also a published writer. She has won first place in four national and international competitions, is published in five national magazines, and has secured a literary agent for her first novel.
Zilla is a board member of the John Howard Society of Manitoba and the John Howard Society of Canada.
Law Society of Manitoba members: This program is eligible for 1.5 hours of CPD, all of which are considered EPPM. You must manually record these hours in your CPD Tracker.