Ted Hughes (judge)

Edward N. "Ted" Hughes is a retired Canadian judge. He is best known for overseeing prominent investigations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, one of which led to the resignation of Premier Bill Vander Zalm.

Hughes's wife, Helen Hughes, has been a city councillor in Saskatoon and Victoria.

Hughes was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan near the end of World War II, and began practising law in Saskatoon in 1952. He became a judge in 1962, and was promoted to the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench in 1974. He was an executor of John Diefenbaker's estate, after the former prime minister's death in 1979.

Hughes stepped down from the bench in 1980, when he moved to British Columbia to become a legal advisor to the provincial Attorney-General. He was appointed as Deputy Attorney-General of British Columbia in 1983, and chaired a series of public hearings into the government's cuts to legal aid in 1984.

Hughes was appointed as British Columbia's first Conflict-of-interest Commissioner in 1990. In 1991, British Columbia Premier Bill Vander Zalm was accused of inappropriate behaviour in the sale of his family's Fantasy Gardens theme park, which was purchased by Taiwanese billionaire Tan Yu in 1990. The sale was announced one day after Tan had met with provincial Finance Minister Mel Couvelier in Vander Zalm's office. The premier initially said that he was not involved in either the operation or sale of his family business, but when documents released in a separate court case indicated otherwise, he asked Hughes to investigate the matter. Opposition leader Mike Harcourt was consulted prior to Hughes's appointment, and gave his approval.

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