CLASS OF 1842
Class of 1842 welcomes Ron Veale ’63 The Athenian pledge immediately comes to mind when you learn about Ron Veale. A graduate of the class of 1963, Veale went on to have a distinguished career as a lawyer and judge, having great influence on environmental law and Indigenous issues in Canada’s North. The Veale family connection to PC began when Eric Veale ’31 joined PC as a student. Many years later he would become a faculty member, then Assistant Headmaster. It wasn’t long before his children followed, brothers Roger Veale ’61 and David Veale ’68 attended PC along with Ron.
because we had small classrooms and kids from all over the world. It really gives you a different perspective.” From PC he went to University of Toronto to study political science and considered a life in politics. He decided law would give him the option to go into politics as well as the opportunity to make a difference. Veale tells the story of first visiting the Yukon as a summer student and falling in love with the land and the people. Veale and Kit, his wife, quickly determined that this was the place they would settle after he finished law school.
“We were constantly challenged to think bigger. It was always there, as I understand it is still today.” “I have to first give real credit to my parents, for my Mom and Dad the sky was the limit. They encouraged us to go to university,” said Veale when talking about his upbringing and time at PC. “What Pickering does—you are learning how to live with your fellow citizens. Pickering exhorts you to do better things. We used to have Chapel every Sunday night, and you would sing Jerusalem, and those kind of events stimulate you. Harry Beer was a Quaker so it was not religious, it was not a sermon, it was not a lecture—but that type of speech. And then you look at athletics. You couldn’t go to Pickering and not play athletics. I played soccer, football, hockey, I was in track. At Pickering if you wanted to be a runner, you were a runner. You wanted to play soccer, you played soccer. Athletics are so important. What you learn from sports is teamwork.” Veale talks about the international focus of PC, despite being a small school. “We were constantly challenged to think bigger. It was always there, as I understand it is still today. The classrooms were fabulous
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“When I arrived in the Yukon, it was at a time that Canadian Arctic Gas Project was proposing a pipeline from north Alaska across the North Slope of the Yukon and across the Mackenzie Valley. The Berger Inquiry at the time may have been the greatest socio-economic impact inquiry in the history of the world at that point. I was with a private firm doing work for the First Nations and was lucky enough to work on the Berger Inquiry which had a huge impact on me professionally.” The Berger Inquiry addressed the pipeline, land claims being determined before decision making in order for Indigenous communities to have a stronger role in decision making and environmental issues. Tom Berger came up with the idea of having community visits and holding hearings in communities. That inquiry looked at the many environmental impacts of a pipeline, including the ramifications on the Porcupine Cariboo, to this day one of the largest migratory herds in North America. Veale recounts how his professional life came full circle when as a judge he heard the Peel
Watershed case where Berger, then in his eighties, was counsel for the First Nations. Veale heard many cases interpreting the Umbrella Final Agreement and talking about the duty to consult First Nations. “One of the fundamental principles we were working on was reconciliation. When we look back on the terrible treatment historically of First Nations, this is the time to start directing ourselves towards reconciliation.” His work also included a residential school case. At the same time, Veale and his wife became very involved in the community. He was a founder of the Yukon Arts Centre, involved in the organizing and fundraising to establish the Centre and was the first president of the YAC board. The YAC Centre continues to serve the North and is a champion and promoter of northern artists and their stories. “The one thing that I really learned from Pickering is you want to leave the world you live in—that world could be a block in a city—better than what you came— and that would be my motto. I think for students today, there are two big issues: global warming and inclusivity. Showing respect for your fellow human being, respect for the democratic institutions and making sure no one is permitted to undermine them. As a kid you have such faith in democracy and you don’t realize just how fragile that democracy is, and we are witnessing that today.” Veale’s message to the PC community is to “Keep it up, keep turning out students, keep up the Global Leadership Program, Pickering is moving forward with many of the same principles from my day.” Veale retired in 2020 after 20 years as a judge. He was appointed to the Order of Yukon in December 2020. It is the highest honour in the territory, awarded for high achievement and outstanding contribution to society in Yukon. We are very proud to have Ron Veale as a member of the PC community.
