Meet KPU: Colleen Spier

Colleen Spier is a Kwantlen Polytechnic University alumnus who graduated with an associate of arts degree in psychology in 2002. She was honoured with a Distinguished Alumni Award at the June 11 convocation ceremonies at the Surrey campus.

Spier, who is Métis-Cree, has built a distinguished career over the past two decades as a lawyer, mediator, and justice advocate. She serves as the assistant deputy minister of the Indigenous Justice Secretariat within the Ministry of the Attorney General and was recently appointed to the Provincial Court bench.

The following responses were sent in an email statement to The Runner.

When did you join the KPU community and why?

I joined the KPU community in 1998 as a single mother with a three-year-old child and a Grade 9 education. I wanted to complete upgrading to obtain my Dogwood Diploma and pursue post-secondary education so that I could best provide for myself and my daughter.

What is your favourite story or memory from your time at KPU?

I actually have two favourite memories to share, due to the fact that they contributed to the successes I have achieved to date and demonstrate the power of the KPU community. The first was a conversation I had with a clerk in the KPU Admissions department when I was registering for courses in the adult basic education (ABE) program.

She asked what my goal was after obtaining my Dogwood Diploma and I shared that I wasn’t entirely certain as I was unable to afford post-secondary education. The clerk instantly provided me with contact information for the student loans and awards office, and, within a week, I understood the financial barrier I believed precluded me from pursuing a degree was surmountable with student loans.

The second was a conversation I had with a fellow student who was aware of my community volunteer advocacy, as well as my advocacy role as an Indigenous student representative while at KPU. This student asked if I was pursuing a degree in law, to which I replied, “No. I think I will pursue either a nursing degree or potentially a bachelor of education, so I can have summers off with my daughter.”

This student pressed me to reconsider, saying that it was apparent I was passionate about fairness, justice, and helping people. As I was a child of divorce and had always wondered if the system couldn’t be improved for children and youth of family separation, I went home that evening and reviewed what was required to apply to law school and registered that same week for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

What is something you’d like to say to people new to the KPU community? 

Many institutions describe themselves as a “community” and want their members to feel like they belong to and are supported by their community. However, often the “community” description falls short in practice. At KPU, there is a true community that exists from the admin staff, through the various departments, across the various faculties, and with the instructors who demonstrate a true desire to develop their students and see them succeed. In addition, the students themselves embrace this community and support each other, often leading to life-long friendships.

What have you been up to since graduating? 

I am a forever learner and am continually endeavouring to learn new things and take on new challenges. Since graduating from KPU, I completed my law degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2007, opened my own law firm in 2009, and became a mediator in 2011. Throughout my legal career, I have volunteered on many boards and committees whose mandates were to transform the justice system to improve the experiences and/or outcomes of the users of the system.

In 2015, I was appointed one of the inaugural directors of the BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) and focused my volunteer efforts on transforming the justice system to not only improve the outcomes for Indigenous people in the system, but to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people incarcerated and Indigenous children and youth in care. In 2012, while maintaining my mediation practice, I became the executive director of Island Métis Family and Community Services Society. This position, which I held for seven years, allowed me to support the development of culturally relevant programs and policies for Métis children, youth, and families who were involved with, or at risk of becoming involved with, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).

In 2018, due to my volunteer work with the BCFNJC, I was hired into the B.C. provincial government as an executive director to work in partnership with First Nations and Métis communities to develop both a First Nations and a Métis Justice Strategy for the province. This work, to date, has been the highlight of my career as the resulting strategies were developed after years of consultation, were Indigenous-led, and were developed in true partnership with the province through a relationship founded on reconciliation.

In 2023, pursuant to Strategy 9 of the First Nations Justice Strategy, the province implemented the Indigenous Justice Secretariat within the Ministry of the Attorney General, and I was appointed the inaugural assistant deputy minister of this new branch in government. With my recent appointment to the Provincial Court bench, I am now embarking on my next learning adventure, but my focus remains the same — to serve others in the best way possible, and hopefully, to improve their experience with the justice system.

What is something you would like people to know about you? 

I learned very early in life that my role in, and my responsibility to, society, was to serve. Even as a young child I volunteered in community. The first volunteer position I had was supporting an MLA’s election campaign prior to age 11. As an adult, all professions I contemplated entering were to serve others: nurse, teacher, lawyer, and judge.

How does being honoured with the Distinguished Alumni Award make you feel? 

I am beyond honoured to have been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. It demonstrates how once you are part of the KPU community, you are always part of the KPU community, which lends me to think of KPU as more of a family. The way in which I was honoured during this year’s convocation ceremony illustrates the pride KPU has in its students and their successes, and how being a “KPU alumni” is an extremely meaningful title.