Helen Gregory MacGill
(1864 - 1947)
A self-taught legal expert and tireless reformer, Helen Gregory MacGill became internationally recognized juvenile court judge. From 1917 to 1928, she served as British Columbia’s first woman judge and presided here, at the site of the former Juvenile Detention Home, from 1934 to 1945. Determined to improve the legal status of women, she campaigned for improvements in laws governing inheritance, property and guardianship of children. MacGill was active in the British Columbia women’s suffrage campaign. Pioneering a humane approach to family law, she helped establish the family court system.