News Releases

Province Announces Appointment of Two New Provincial Court Judges

The Manitoba government has appointed Rachel Rusen and Michael Clark as provincial court judges to serve in Winnipeg, Attorney General Cameron Friesen announced today.

“I’m pleased to announce the appointment of two new provincial court judges to serve in Winnipeg,” said Friesen. “Both of these individuals have distinguished themselves in their professions and  have demonstrated commitment to the community through their volunteer work. I am confident that both will be fine additions to the Provincial Court of Manitoba..”

Rusen was called to the bar in 1997 and worked at Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson LLP (now MLT Aikins LLP) until 1999. She then served as in-house counsel for Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation and an associate with Ronald S. Ade Law Corporation. In 2011, she rejoined Aikins where she eventually became partner. She has more than 25 years of experience representing clients in all sectors of business including for profit, not-for-profit and registered charities, with expertise in the areas of taxation, succession planning, corporate finance, commercial real estate, mergers and acquisitions, commercial lending and all aspects of corporate law and entertainment and media law.

In 2019, Rusen left private practice to take on a new role as chief executive officer of Manitoba Film and Sound Recording Development Corporation, and the Manitoba Film Commissioner. Rusen’s philanthropic work is focused in the areas of poverty and food insecurity, and she has served as a national board member for Food Banks Canada.

Clark was called to the bar in 2002 when he joined Myers LLP as an associate. Since 2015, he has been a partner at the firm and has experience in criminal law and child protection law. He has served as legal counsel for Indigenous childcare agencies throughout Manitoba including travelling to remote northern Indigenous provincial court circuit courts in Pauingassi, Little Grand Rapids, Poplar River, Berens River, Bloodvein, Lake St. Martin and Pine Falls. As an advocate for access to justice in Manitoba, Clark proposed a plan to establish the provincial court of Manitoba’s first child protection docket in Pukatawagan and Mathias Colomb First Nation, which was launched in Pukatawagan in 2012.

Clark volunteers his time as a student advisor for Pro Bono Students Canada. He is a board member of Status 4, a charitable non-profit organization that provides community accessible music and media programs for young Indigenous children and youth from New Canadian and African communities in Winnipeg. He is also a volunteer on the board of directors of the Winnipeg Police Credit Union.