Alan B. Gold

In 1951, Alan B. Gold was appointed president of the Young Bar Association of Montreal and was a member of the Council of the Bar of Montreal in 1952. From 1952 to 1961, he was a member of the Barreau de la province du Québec’s Board of Examiners. From 1956 to 1960, he was one of the directors and founding officers of the Legal Aid Bureau of Montréal.

Alan B. Gold was an eminent jurist who specialized in labour relations. While teaching part-time at McGill University from 1957 to 1971, he became a district judge and vice-chairman of Quebec’s labour relations commission, the Commission des relations de travail, from 1961 to 1965, then associate chief judge of the Provincial Court of Quebec from 1965 to 1970, and finally chief judge of the same court from 1970 to 1983. He was the chief arbitrator for collective agreements between the Quebec government and its employees from 1966 to 1983. From 1967 to 1975, he also used his talents for negotiation as a mediator and arbitrator for collective agreements between the Shipping Federation of Canada Inc. and the International Longshoremen’s Association regarding the ports of the St. Lawrence; he was special mediator in a number of major conflicts in the public, parapublic and private sectors.

Alan B. Gold was chief judge of the Superior Court of Quebec beginning in 1983. He was also a member of the board of directors and vice chairman of the Société de la Place des Arts de Montréal and governor emeritus of McGill University.

He was a founding member of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (U.S.) and received its Special Award for Excellence in 1981; he was also an honorary member of the Corporation des conseillers en relations industrielles du Québec and of Phi Delta Phi, the International Legal Fraternity. Alan B. Gold held honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the Université de Montréal, Queen’s University and McGill University.

During his career, Alan B. Gold received numerous honorary degrees and accolades. In 1991, he received the Barreau du Québec Medal and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1994. In 1996, the National Academy of Arbitrators in the U.S. awarded him the title of honorary lifetime member.

In 1992, he withdrew from the Superior Court to join the private sector, settling disputes as a full-time arbitrator and mediator.

Alan B. Gold was a member of the Order national du Québec’s board from 1985 to 1992 and was elected its chair from 1986 to 1987 and 1989 to 1991.

Alan B. Gold died in 2005. He was inducted into the Academy of Great Montrealers in the Social category in 1997 and was named a Commander of the Ordre de Montréal in 2016.