About Ken

F. Kenneth Walton, Q.C. graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in law in 1972.

Ken articled for renown Saskatchewan lawyer, Morris C. Shumiatcher Q.C. Ken was admitted to the Saskatchewan bar in 1973. In 1975 Ken was admitted to the bar in British Columbia.

Ken has been in private practice in Victoria B.C. since then.

In the intervening years, Ken was involved with many community service and volunteer organizations. In 1979, he was awarded “Kinsmen of the Year” by the Victoria Kinsmen Club. He was its president in1982-83. Ken was secretary of the 1984 Kinsmen National Convention Committee.

Over the 45 plus years of Ken’s legal practice he did criminal law, foreclosures both for lenders and for borrowers, plaintiff and defence automobile accident cases, family law, Canada Pension Plan appeals, Worker’s Compensation Appeals, wills, estates and estate litigation and various types of civil litigation at all levels of court in BC.

In the 80s and 90s as an ardent soccer/baseball/basketball fan for his two sons and a daughter, Ken was manager to his oldest teenage son’s soccer team. Ken’s wife coached his second son in baseball. Both parents served their time in various food concessions. At one point the Waltons had 3 children each in a separate baseball endeavor all at different fields in the Victoria area. Ken served for 5 years as a Beaver Leader.

In his volunteer work in 1986 Ken was chair of the Cedar Hill Park Preservation Committee, a citizens’ group which successfully halted the proposed housing development for the eastern side of the Cedar Hill Golf course.

Ken was a member of the YM/YWCA, board for 6 years attaining the office of Secretary. Ken sat on the Board of Oak Bay Lodge for 8 years and became a life member of that organization.

In 2001-02 Ken became President of the then 170 member Rotary Club of Victoria, the founding club of Rotary in Victoria. A year later Ken became a founding member of the Westshore Rotary Club. Following that Ken became one of the assistant governors of the 85 club Rotary district 5020.

Ken was the chair and a legal member from May 2005 to May 2008 of a Canada Pension Plan Review Tribunal writing in excess of 140 decisions respecting appeals to that body.

For many years, Ken served as a judge for the Professional Legal Training Course moot trials.

For some years Ken also served as an assessor on the annual Negotiation competition.

Ken has presented papers for the BC Continuing Legal Education Society on ICBC Part 7 No-Fault benefits and Canada Pension Plan appeals. He has written articles for the Trial lawyers Association of British Columbia.

Ken served as chair of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Victoria Section of Wills and Trusts.

As Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch President in 2007-08 Ken sat (2008) on Judicial Council the body that vetted applications, interviews candidates and recommends to the Attorney General those thought to have the qualifications for appointment as Provincial Court Judges.

Ken was awarded his Queen’s Counsel (Q.C.) designation in 2009 a distinction awarded to the top 7% of lawyers in British Columbia.

Ken has been a principal to six articling law students for each of the past six years.

Ken is a former seven year reservist with the Canadian Armed Forces serving in his teens and early adulthood. Knowing the reservist system, Ken has been principal to three reservists (one navy and two army) who while completing their law articles (apprenticeship) have with Ken’s permission (required by the Law Society) been allowed to continue their reservist activities.

As a result in February 2019 Ken was awarded a Provincial Employer Support Award by the Canadian Armed forces for “Best practices in Employer Support”.

At present and since 2015 Ken has chaired the Inns of Court – Victoria a continuing legal education program for local lawyers which offers a minimum of eight two hour sessions each year.

Representative Cases

Clayton v Barefoot, 2018 BCSC 239 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/hqjnm (Forth J.)

Le Gallais Estate (Re), 2018 BCSC 388 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/hr06w (Master Bouck)

Re Estate of Le Gallais, 2017 BCSC 1699 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/h6b21 (Adair J.)

Carby v. Benoit, 2016 BCSC 1675 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/gtnzw (Master Bouck)

Kristiansen v. Grewal, 2014 BCSC 623 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/g6hjn(Romilly J.)

Thibeault v. MacGregor, 2013 BCSC 808 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/fxct7 (Weatherill J.)

Machander v. Drader, 2012 BCSC 1496 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/ft5m6 (Savage J).

Chumber v. Ford Credit Canada et al, 2006 BCSC 1935 (CanLII), http://canlii.ca/t/1q6d4

Bronke v. Lyseng [2000] B.C.J. No. 2774 (Taylor J.)

Bareham v. Petersen et al., 2000 BCSC 1063 (CanLII), http://canlii/t/1fmxn.

United Engineering Ltd. v. Smith 1998 CanLII 4735 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1f7r1 (Dorgan J.) costs and 1998 CanLII 6702 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1f6l4ca/t/1fmxn (Rowan J.)

Lewis v. Vollhoffer 1996 CanLII 2860 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1f30q (Sigurdson J.) widow’s estate claim.

Silva v. Olszowy 1995 CanLII 1417 (BC SC ), http://canlii.ca/t/1dq7

Syvertsen v. Toope, 1995 CanLII 1456 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1dqkw (Murphy J.)

Rich v. Piercy 1995 CanLII 2486 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1ds4w (no right to a jury).

Diotte v. Miller, 1994 CanLII 2586 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1dp9z (Drake J.);

Silva v. Miller [1993] B.C.J. No. 45 http://canlii.ca/t/1dhgm (Kirkpatrick J.);

Jennings v. McCully [1992] B.C.J. No. 2961 (Hutchison J.)

Goebel v. Jardine Rolfe Ltd. 1992 CanLII 1618 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1dg2g (Dorgan J.) wrongful dismissal.

Pedersen v. Pedersen, 1991 CanLII 1906 (BC SC), http://canlii.ca/t/1crs7 (Owen-Flood J.) Wills Variation.

Goltzman v. McKenzie [1990] B.C.J. No. 2922 (Melvin Co. Ct. J.);

DeVuyst v. Neveu 1990 CanLII 2165 (BC CA), http://canlii.ca/t/1d7bl (Drake J.) MVA claims.

Crown Trust Co. v. Nielsen(1984), 53 B.C.L.R. 110 (Millward J.) foreclosure.