Judge helped youth turn lives around
Whenever Peter Leveque donned his robes to preside over family and youth court, it was always about justice.
In that forum, however, he believed his task was infinitely more complex than making young people do the time to pay for their crime.
“Peter’s slogan: Rescuing is important, but changing lives is a real challenge,” said Herb Allard, a retired former top judge in Calgary youth court and Leveque’s friend for 40 years.
Leveque, who served as a judge for more than 30 years, primarily in the family and youth division, and was still active as a supernumerary judge, died on April 14 after a brief illness. He was 73.
“Peter was a believer in justice and he believed justice meant changing the lives of children who needed rescuing and care and needed their lives changing. He knew he could be part of it. He was a good man for the job and caring, but when he needed to, he could be tough,” Allard said.
Judge Steve Lipton, a colleague on the bench for 14 years, said Leveque, like Allard, was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge that he could regularly tap.
“You could ask Peter any question about law and he knew it off the top of his head or he could tell you where to go to look it up,” said Lipton. “He was an incredibly valuable resource person and also had a good sense of humour.
“You can’t work in these courts unless you care about children and families, and that was what he did. How do you deal with this work day in and day out and not go crazy if you don’t care? You must care about family and kids and do everything you can to help them turn their lives around.”
Lipton said Leveque started on the bench at a time when youth court judges were paid less than adult criminal judges, because it was perceived as being less important.
He said Leveque always “got irked when people called it kiddy court. He said this was the place to help kids turn their lives around.”
Neale pierre (peter) leveque was born in Medicine Hat, but lived in Calgary since he was two years old.
He obtained his bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Alberta and graduated from the University of British Columbia law school in 1962, then practised in Calgary for 15 years before being appointed a judge of the provincial court of Alberta.
Leveque presided over many important cases, but perhaps the highest-profile one was in 2004, when he convicted three 15-year-old boys who lured 39-year-old DJ Eric Wong to a remote area southeast of the city and fatally stabbed him.
It was a case he followed up as late as last May when he spoke to the ringleader as he was about to be released and was headed to university.
Leveque also loved baseball and was an accomplished amateur photographer who would go to Florida every winter to watch spring training and take pictures of wildlife.
He was also a voracious reader, enjoyed gardening and cooking, and was a skilled piano and guitar player.
Leveque is survived by his children, Peter and Chris Leveque and Anne Marie (Brian) Simpson, and their mother Marianne Leveque, as well as five grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Mcinnis & Holloway’s Park Memorial Chapel, 5008 Elbow Dr. S.W.