The Provincial Court of Nova Scotia will host a swearing-in ceremony in Halifax on Friday, October 11, in honour of the Court’s newest Chief Judge.

The Hon. Perry F. Borden was appointed the Chief Judge of the Nova Scotia Provincial and Family Courts on August 27, 2023.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Halifax Provincial Court, 5250 Spring Garden Road, starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 11, 2024.

The event will also be livestreamed on the Courts of Nova Scotia website. The public and media can watch online here. Archived video of the ceremony will be posted online following the event.

As per the Nova Scotia Courts’ copyright policy, webcasts of court proceedings and special events may not be broadcast or re-broadcast by embedding them in another website or by any other means. However, portions of the webcasts (audio and video) may be re-broadcast as part of conventional news coverage. Hyperlinks to the live webcast page and the page of archived videos on the Courts website are permitted.

The Hon. Chief Judge Perry F. Borden

Chief Judge Borden is originally from north-end Halifax. He graduated from the Schulich School of Law in 2002 and was called to the Nova Scotia Bar on November 7, 2003. He received a Queen’s Counsel designation in 2020.

He began his legal career as an associate lawyer with McGinty McCleave in Halifax. In 2007, he joined the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service and by 2015, he had risen to the level of Senior Crown Attorney, a position he held until his appointment to the Bench.

As a lawyer, Chief Judge Borden spent countless hours giving back to his community and helping improve access to justice and legal services for historically marginalized groups. He served as a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Racial Equity Committee, President of the Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys’ Association, and he volunteered regularly with the Nova Scotia Courts’ Justice Day Camp events for young African Nova Scotians.

On July 9, 2020, he was appointed a Judge of the Provincial and Family Courts of Nova Scotia and has presided primarily in Halifax ever since.

He was appointed the Chief Judge of the Nova Scotia Provincial and Family Courts on August 27, 2023. Among other tasks, the Chief Judge is responsible for scheduling court sittings, assigning judicial duties, hearing cases, and administering the judicial functions of the Provincial Court.

Chief Judge Borden is also the current Chair of the Council of Nova Scotia Chiefs, which includes the Chiefs and Associate Chiefs of all levels of courts.

With his appointment as Chief Judge, he became the first African Nova Scotian to achieve this distinction.