Dev Dley

S. Dev Dley (born 1950/1951^{[notes 1]}) is a Canadian lawyer and judge. From 1996 to 2000, he served as commissioner of the Western Hockey League (WHL).^[2] He was later elected Chair of the Law Foundation of B.C., which he held until 2010, when he was promoted to the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Dev Dley
Born	1950 or 1951 (age 72–73)
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, judge
Known for	commissioner of the Western Hockey League

Career

After earning his law degree from the University of Victoria in 1978, Dley began a private law practice which lasted until 1996.^[3] He also served as legal counsel of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for five years^[4] before he was promoted to commissioner in 1995.^[1] During his time as commissioner, he dealt with a sexual abuse case regarding Sheldon Kennedy and coach Graham James. In response to criticisms for lack of action, Dley stated that the league had not conducted an investigation because there had been no formal complaint about the assault.^[5] However, he later promised to hire a counseling agency for players in the league, as a result of the case.^[6]

While discussions on extension of his contract with the league were ongoing,^[4] he also sat on the National Junior Team Policy Committee which appointed head coaches for 1999 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships.^[7] Dley was an advocate for the league to expand into Winnipeg and planned on hosting discussions with interested parties in January 2000.^[8]

Despite rumors to the contrary, Dley's contract was not renewed;^[9] he was replaced by Ron Robison in 2000.^[2] After his time as commissioner, Dley was appointed to the Queen's Counsel and sat as director on the B.C. Traffic Safety Foundation.^[10] In 2008, he was named Chair of the Law Foundation of B.C.,^[11] a position he held until his appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2010.^[3]

Memberships and affiliations

Dley served two terms as vice president of the Social Credit Party of Canada.^[12]

Personal life

Dley is a Sikh.^[12]

Notes

1. In 1995, Dley was reported to be 44^[1]

References

1. Cameron, Allen (28 November 1995). "WHL chooses Chynoweth's replacement". Medicine Hat News. Alberta.
2. "Robison named WHL commissioner". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 September 2000. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
3. "Kamloops judge moves to higher court". Kamloops Daily News. 20 March 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
4. "Dley ready to ink". Brandon Sun. Manitoba. 10 April 1999.
5. Deacon, James (20 January 1997). "Darkening the hockey dream". Maclean's. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
6. Howard Schneider; Rachel Alexander (8 January 1997). "A Tear in Canada's Fabric; Nation Rocked by News of Sex Abuse by Junior Hockey Coach". anaphe.org. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
7. "George Burnett Named Head Coach Of 1999 National Junior Team". hockeycanada.ca. 2 June 1998. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
8. "WHL looks at dropping puck in 'Peg". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. 9 December 1999.
9. "WHL dumps Dley". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 5 June 2000. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
10. "Queen's Counsel Appointments". BC Government News. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
11. "Annual Report 2008" (PDF). lawfoundationbc.ca. 2008. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
12. Mickleburgh, Rob (12 June 2008). "The 'accidental mayor'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 February 2020.