| Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
| Steven Lewis Point | |
| Order: | 28th |
| Office: | Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia |
| Term Start: | October 1, 2007 |
| Term End: | November 2, 2012 |
| Predecessor: | Iona Campagnolo |
| Successor: | Judith Guichon |
| Birth Date: | 28 July 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada |
| Spouse: | Gwendolyn Point |
| Children: | Á’a:líya Warbus |
| Profession: | Criminal lawyer, jurist |
| Occupation: | Academic administrator |
Steven Lewis Point, (Xwelíqwetel) (born July 28, 1951)[1] is a Canadian academic administrator, criminal lawyer, and jurist. He is the current chancellor of the University of British Columbia. He served as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 2007 to 2012.[2] He also served as the chair of the advisory committee on the safety and security of vulnerable women, a committee that provides community-based guidance to the implementation of the recommendations from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry.[3]
From 1975 to 1999, Point served as Chief of the Skowkale First Nation. From 1994 to 1999 he served as Tribal Chair of the .In December 2023 it was announced that he will be invested into the Order of Canada as an Officer of the Order, the Governor General of Canada Mary Simon making the announcement.
Point attended the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in May, 1985, and was later a faculty member.[4]
From 1986 to 1989 he practiced criminal law and native law as a partner in the law firm of Point and Shirley. He worked for Citizenship and Immigration Canada as an immigration adjudicator for several years, starting in about 1989, at its refugee backlog office in Vancouver. In 1999, he became a British Columbia Provincial Court judge. On February 28, 2005, he became Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission.
His appointment as Lieutenant Governor was announced on September 4, 2007, by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He assumed his duties in a ceremony at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia on October 1, 2007. As the Queen's viceroy in British Columbia, he was styled His Honour while in office and retains the style of The Honourable for life.
On December 17, 2012, Point was appointed chair of an Advisory Committee under a one-year contract that allowed him to bill up to $220,000 in that year. The position required him to assist the Minister of Justice to implement the recommendations dealing primarily with police reform and public safety made by Wally Oppal in his Inquiry Report released December 12, 2012. On May 17, 2013, Point resigned from his position as chair on the grounds that lawsuits commenced by the children of missing women prevented him from fulfilling his mandate. Members of the Advisory Committee and family members expressed doubt about this reason on the basis that Point had expressed his intention to resign before the children's lawsuits were filed, and on the basis that there is no logical or practical connection between his work as chair of the Advisory Committee and the lawsuits.
On February 20, 2014, Point was re-appointed as a provincial court judge, effective March 3, 2014. He retired from office on October 31, 2018.[5]
On June 18, 2020, Point was introduced as the 19th Chancellor of the University of British Columbia, succeeding Lindsay Gordon from July 1, 2020.[6]
In 2022, a residential street in Richmond, British Columbia, was renamed from Trutch Avenue to Point Avenue due to the racism associated with Joseph Trutch, the first lieutenant governor of British Columbia, and to honour Point.[7]
Point's daughter, Á'a:líya Warbus, is the nominee for the Conservative Party of British Columbia in the newly created riding of Chilliwack―Cultus Lake. [8]
Point has received many honorary degrees in recognition of his service to British Columbia and to Canada. These include:
| Location | Date | School | Degree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[11] | |||
| 14 November 2012 | Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[12] | |||
| 2013 | Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[13] | |||
| 2017 | Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[14] | |||
| 14 June 2018 | Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[15] [16] |
| Year Adopted: | March 20, 2009 |
| Crest: | An eagle displayed reguardant Or its head Argent |
| Escutcheon: | Azure a serpent with a head at each end in base respectant Argent its back enarched and set with fusils Sable, in chief five mullets in chevron Or |
| Supporters: | Two timber wolves Sable |
| Compartment: | A grassy mount set with cedar branches and dogwood flowers proper rising above barry wavy Argent and Azure |
| Motto: | LĚTSǍ MÖT Salish: ONE MIND |
| Symbolism: | The double-headed serpent emblem was given to His Honour by his father, who was from the Musqueam Indian Band. The five stars allude to the Five Star canoe club, which was named after a constellation of stars important to his people. In forming a chevron, they come to a point, making an allusion to his name. The eagle represents His Honour's name from the Blackfoot of "Flying eagle". The supporters honour His Honour's mother who was head of the Wolf Clan of the Sumas First Nation. The dogwood represents his leadership of the province of British Columbia. The compartment represents the habitat of the wolf. Meaning "One mind", this phrase in the Salish language expresses the concept of unity.[17] |