Edwin Charles Kimelman served as a judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba

Provincial Court of Manitoba

The Provincial Court of Manitoba hears cases relating to criminal law and family law and other statutes.- Current Judges:- Former Judges:-External links:*...

 (Canada) and authored a significant public report on child protection for aboriginal peoples.

Career

Judge Kimelman received his call to the Manitoba bar in 1950 and began his career as a lawyer with the firm of Kopstein, Kimelman & Kopstein. In May 1975 he was appointed as a part-time judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba

Provincial Court of Manitoba

The Provincial Court of Manitoba hears cases relating to criminal law and family law and other statutes.- Current Judges:- Former Judges:-External links:*...

. In July 1977 he was appointed a Senior Judge, and in November 1988 he was appointed Associate Chief Judge. He retired from the bench on July 1, 1999.

Accomplishments

Judge Kimelman was well-known for his work regarding the welfare of Aboriginal and Métis

Métis people (Canada)

The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...

 children. In the early 1980s, the Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

 government established a Review Committee on Indian

First Nations

First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 and Métis Adoptions and Placements, which was headed by Judge Kimelman. The committee's 1985 final report, entitled No Quiet Place was "a detailed list of horrors - an exhaustive compilation which concluded that the damage to Indian children had been real, frequent and widespread." Widely known in child welfare

Child welfare

Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...

 circles as the Kimelman Report

Kimelman Report

The Kimelman Report had a substantial and lasting impact on aboriginal child protection in Canada that was part of a fundamental shift in international child protection paradigms for aboriginal peoples....

, it had profound impact on aboriginal child protection

Aboriginal child protection

Aboriginal child protection describes services designed specifically for protection of the children of "aboriginal" or indigenous peoples, particularly where these peoples are a minority within a country. They may differ at international, national, legal, cultural, social, professional and program...

 in Canada and perhaps elsewhere.

Community service

Judge Kimelman served on numerous community boards, including Jewish Child and Family Services, Sharon Home, Camp Massad, B'nai Brith

B'nai Brith Canada

B'nai Brith Canada is the Canadian section of B'nai Brith . It was founded in 1875 and is the country's oldest Jewish service organization.-Members:...

, the United Way of Canada

United Way of Canada

United Way of Canada is the national organization for the 117 autonomous, volunteer-based United Ways across Canada. United Way campaigns raise money for local groups that address community issues and problems, and the national organization provides leadership, services and coordination to the...

and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

Judge Kimelman passed away on September 2, 2007.