SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Krista J. MacKay, QC, is Prince Edward Island’s newest provincial court judge.
The Summerside native fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John Douglas, who has served as provincial court judge for the past 23 years. As the second female appointment to the provincial court in Prince Edward Island, MacKay will be presiding over provincial court matters in Summerside effective immediately.
“The appointment of judge MacKay is another positive step for the status of women in our province. Her appointment is an indication of the strong leadership role she has taken in her career,” said Natalie Jameson, minister responsible for the status of women. “She will undoubtedly become a role model for women of all ages and encourage other underrepresented groups to strive towards leadership roles in P.E.I. and beyond.”
MacKay has experience across the court system in Prince Edward Island as a practitioner working with legal aid in both family and criminal matters and, more recently, as the prothonotary of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
MacKay, the daughter of Nancy MacKay and the late Dr. W. Allan MacKay, earned a bachelor of law degree at UNB in 1995 and was called to the bar in 1996. She lives in Summerside with her husband, Scott Bridges, and stepson Koby.
She articled as a clerk and served as an associate at Taylor McLellan in Summerside from 1995 to 1999. She was also an associate at Cox & Palmer from 2001 to 2008 before becoming and serving as partner from 2008 to 2015, with a focus on civil and criminal litigation.
In March 2015, MacKay joined the public sector at Legal Aid, practising family and criminal law. She received the Queen’s Counsel designation later that year. MacKay has been an active member of her community. She has been chairwoman of discipline committee A for the Law Society of P.E.I. since 2012, president of the P.E.I. branch of the Canadian Bar Association, president of the Greater Summerside Chamber of Commerce, chairwoman of the Mental Health Review Board and board member of Community Connections Inc. She has also been a professional figure skating coach since 1989 and has coached extensively at the amateur level, including at three Canada Games.
