Pronouns: he/him/his  

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Stephen is Michif (Métis) and a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation. His mother’s family hails from the Eagle Hills, Duck Lake, and northeastern British Columbia (Pouce Coupe/Progress). His father’s family hails from the historic Métis community located in the Red River Valley, Manitoba. 

Following a brief junior hockey career Stephen attended the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law, as a grateful guest on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Territory, where he was among the first UBC Law graduates to be granted a specialization in Aboriginal law.

While pursuing his Juris Doctor, Stephen was actively involved in the Indigenous Law Students Association, and served as president of the association in his second year. During that time Stephen worked under Judge Alexander Wolf as a clinician with the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic where he assisted low-income Indigenous clients in East Vancouver with criminal and family law matters in the British Columbia Provincial Court. Stephen continues to volunteer as a coach of UBC Law’s Kawaskimhon Moot team.

After law school, Stephen articled with and practiced for five years at Mandell Pinder LLP, a boutique Aboriginal law firm in Vancouver’s historic Yaletown. His desire to be close to family and on his Homelands led him to relocate to oskana kâ-asastêki (Regina), in early 2021 where he became an associate at one of the largest law firms in Saskatchewan. Stephen re-joined Mandell Pinder LLP as an associate lawyer late in May 2022 and now lives in and works remotely from oskana kâ-asastêki.

Stephen’s practice includes advocacy, governance, negotiation, research, economic development, consultation, and strategic advice relating to Aboriginal rights. Stephen has a particular practice interest in Indigenous laws and having them taken seriously as law, equal in weight and force to those of the Crown and its successors.

Stephen enjoys most hunting and fishing and being on the land. He also enjoys hockey, cycling, golfing, hiking, and traveling. He hopes to use his education to create positive change both within his Métis community and within the lives of Indigenous people generally. Stephen is driven by a desire to continue the good work of those who came before him, and to leave a better world for our children and the future generations.