It is with great sorrow that the University of Alberta Faculty of Law announces the passing on May 13, 2014, in Calgary, of our distinguished alumnus Justice Ron Stevens, Q.C. (LL.B. 1975). Stevens, a former long-time Alberta Tory cabinet minister, MLA, and Justice of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, known for his tireless work ethic, intellectual prowess, and commanding presence, passed away unexpectedly at the age of sixty-four. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis, a son and a daughter, and two grandchildren.
Stevens was born in Empress, Alberta, in 1949, and was raised on a farm just north of Medicine Hat. In 1971, he graduated with a B.A. degree in political science from the University of Calgary and went on to earn an LL.B. degree from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law, in 1975. He worked as a highly regarded civil litigation lawyer and mediator for a number of years before winning his first election in 1997, and represented the southwest constituents of Calgary-Glenmore for 12-years.
Shortly after winning his second election in 2001, Stevens was appointed by Premier Ralph Klein as Minister of Gaming and was responsible for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission and the Alberta Lottery Fund. Following the 2004 provincial election, he was sworn in as Minister of Justice and Attorney General. On June 27, 2007, he was named Alberta's Deputy Premier by Premier Ed Stelmach, who credited Stevens as being instrumental in negotiating the New West Partnership with British Columbia.
As an MLA, Stevens served in a variety of capacities on numerous boards and committees. He held the title of Deputy Government House Leader, the position of chair for the Legislative Review Committee, the Oil Sands Ministerial Strategy Committee (Radke Report), Health Information Legislation Committee, the Standing Policy Committee on Learning, the Private Schools Funding Task Force, the Non-Profit Tax Exemption Review Committee, the position of vice chair of the Agenda and Priorities Committee and the Standing Policy Committee on Justice and Government Services, and the position of deputy chair of the Select Special Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Review Committee. He also served as a member of more than ten other committees.
As an MLA, Stevens successfully sponsored two governmental bills: the Holocaust Memorial Day and Genocide Remembrance Act and the Irrigation Districts Act. He also sponsored one private member's bill during his first term in office: the Emblems of Alberta (Alberta Dress Tartan) Amendment Act, 2000.
After winning his fourth election in 2008, Stevens became Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations. He retired from politics in 2009, and was appointed as a Justice of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench that same year.
An active community member, Stevens served in the role of president of the Palliser Bayview Pumphill Community Association, director of the Community Mediation Calgary Society, director of the Federation of Calgary Communities, and director and vice chair of the Calgary Housing Authority.
Further tributes to Ron Stevens can be read in the following media articles and obituaries: