Retired Family Court judge Corrine Sparks and legal anthropologist L. Jane McMillan will receive the Order of Nova Scotia this year, the province’s highest civilian honor.
First Black woman on Nova Scotia’s bench
Sparks made history in 1987 as the first African Nova Scotian—and the first African Canadian woman—to serve as a judge in the province. She presided over the Family Court for 34 years before retiring at the end of 2021.
She helped launch a judicial mentorship initiative at the Schulich School of Law for African Nova Scotian and Indigenous lawyers interested in the bench. Sparks also organized community engagement sessions in Cherry Brook and Whitney Pier to connect the legal system with African Nova Scotian communities.
Those efforts led to the creation of the African Nova Scotian Access to Justice Judicial Committee. After retiring, she was appointed to adjudicate land ownership disputes in historic African Nova Scotian communities.
Pamela S. Williams, then chief judge of the Provincial and Family Courts, described her as a trailblazer. “From being the first in her immediate family to attend university, to working in the province’s first all-female law firm, to her notable career on the bench, Judge Sparks has helped build the foundation for a more equal and inclusive legal profession,” Williams said in a 2021 statement.
Sparks has also taught at the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute.
Anthropologist focused on Indigenous rights and treaties
McMillan, who chairs the anthropology department at St. Francis Xavier University, has spent her career advocating for Indigenous rights and reconciliation. Her research examines how Indigenous knowledge intersects with treaty and Aboriginal rights, and how communities apply legal identities in modern practice.
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She held a Canada Research Chair from 2006 to 2016. Her work prioritizes collaboration between academia and Indigenous communities, particularly in justice and land claims.
The Order of Nova Scotia recognizes individual achievement, but the impact of both women reaches further. Sparks’ mentorship programs and community sessions changed how judges understood marginalized communities. They also altered how those communities viewed the legal system. For many African Nova Scotians, seeing a judge who shared their background and experiences made the courtroom feel less intimidating.
McMillan’s research has not remained in academic journals. It has been used in treaty negotiations and land-use disputes, providing Indigenous communities with tools to assert their rights in ways that align with tradition and modern law.
Eight others honored for public service and arts
The remaining 2026 appointees include former premier and physician John Hamm, who will receive the honor posthumously, along with musician Matt Minglewood.
Other recipients are:
- Robert Bennett, a social services leader who advanced inclusion for people with diverse abilities.
- Wadih Fares, a businessman and philanthropist who contributed to economic development and health care.
- Barb Hamilton-Hinch, an academic who worked on health equity for Black and African Nova Scotian communities.
- Lynn Murphy, an activist and community leader.
The Order of Nova Scotia was established in 2001. Nominations are reviewed by an independent advisory council, which makes recommendations to the lieutenant-governor.
