Ron MacIsaac

Son of Jack MacIsaac, KC, a distinguished lawyer, and Mary MacIsaac, LLD., a well-known community activist, Ron MacIsaac was born and spent his early years in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

In 1948, Ron MacIsaac graduated from the University of Saskatchewan Law School.  He was called as a British Columbia lawyer in 1949. Ron MacIsaac retired from the practice of law on October 31, 2014, shortly after his 89th birthday.  He passed away in his 97th year.

Mr MacIsaac tried cases at all levels of court in British Columbia as well as in the federal courts. He also tried immigration applications in India, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Colombia and other countries.

He had been a member of the bars of Alberta and the British Crown Colony of Grand Cayman Island.

Mr MacIsaac was instrumental in the revival of civil juries in British Columbia for injury cases.

He had hosted cable television shows in Nanaimo, Victoria and Hawaii and wrote a newspaper column for several papers in those centres.  He was a prolific author of numerous legal articles and four books.

Mr MacIsaac was a founding patron of the Aboriginal Law Students Scholarship Fund, the first honorary member of the Hawthorne Society, honorary member of the Silver Spur Horse and Riding Assoc., honorary member of the Nanaimo Figure Skating club, and board member of the Metis Association.

In 2013, Ron MacIsaac received an honourary doctorate of laws from Vancouver Island University. He had been honoured for his dedicated volunteerism, receiving the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the Rankin Pro Bono Award, and the Canadian Bar Association’s Community Service Award and the International Law Education Society medal.

Mr MacIsaac maintained a keen interest in his community. A globe trotter, he visited over 100 countries.