John Burchill

John is currently the Executive Director of the MLRC. John is a staff member at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Law. He has a BA in criminal justice and graduated with an LLB (JD) from Robson Hall law school in 2010. He was called to the bar in 2011. He received his LLM from Osgoode Hall in 2015. He has been a peer reviewer for the Manitoba Law Journal since 2016.

A published author, John was previously the Chief of Staff for the Winnipeg Police Service, a Crown Attorney, and an Associate Risk Manager. He was also a police officer for 25 years, working commercial crimes, hate crimes, and major crimes. Besides the MLRC, John also sits on a number of Boards including the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, Rossbrook House, and the  Winnipeg Police Museum.

Books

• Ancillary Police Powers in Canada: A Critical Reassessment
  By John W. Burchill, Richard Jochelson, Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, and Terry Skolnik
  UBC Press, 2024
• Pioneer Policemen: History of the Manitoba Provincial Police, Vol 1 (1870-1920)
  By John W. Burchill
  Winnipeg, 2019
• Pioneer Policemen: History Manitoba Provincial Police, Vol 2 (1920-1932)
  By John W. Burchill
  Winnipeg, 2020

Journal Articles

• The Right to Counsel and the Rights to have Counsel Present, Man. L.J. 45.6, 2022.
• From Crime Scenes to Beauty Queens: The Photographic Legacy of Frank Royal, Prairie History Journal, 2021.
• Louis Frasse de Plainval: Manitoba's Dramatic Police Chief, Prairie History Journal, 2020.
• Persistence and Variability of DNA: Penile Washings and Intimate Bodily Examinations in Sex-Related Offenses, Man. L.J. 42.4, 2019.
• Ailibi Evidence: Responsibility for Disclosure and Investigation, Man. L.J. 41.3, 2018.
• A Horse Gallops Down a Street... Policing and the Resillience of the Common Law, Man. L.J. 41.1, 2018.
• Tale of the Tape: Policing Surreptitious Recordings in the Workplace, Man. L.J. 40.3, 2017.
• The Right to Counsel and the Right to Have Counsel Present, Man. L.J. (Robson Crim), 2017.
• Dick Tracy Gets Smacked Down - Crime Comics in Manitoba, Man. L.J. (History), 2015.
• Shark Fin Soup - I Can't Stomach It, Digest of Municipal and Planning Law, 7 D.M.P.L. (2d), Issue 9, 2015.
• Sowing the Seeds of Tragedy - Loud Parties, Mischief and Warrantless Entries for Breach of the Peace, Man L.J. (Robson Crim), 2014.
• Anatomy of a Public Inquiry, Man. L.J. 37.1, 2014.
• That's the Man – Admission of Positive Assertions in Police Identification Procedures, Man. L.J. 37.1, 2014.
• Tattoos and Police Dress Regulations, Man. L.J. 36.2, 2013.
• Keeping Secrets – Surveillance Post Privilege, Canadian Bar Review 90.3, 2013.
• Do Polygraphists Have Fangs? (Or Taking a Bite Out of the Polygraph), Crown Defence Conference, 2012.
• Truth in Sentencing – Fraud and the Corporate Offender, Journal of Criminal Justice Research 1.2, 2010.
• Invasive Searches – Penile Washings, Bodily Examinations, and other Investigative Considerations for Sexual Offence, International Journal of Police Practice and Research 12.1, 2010.
• Out of the Heart of Darkness – Illicit Trade in Conflict Minerals in the D.R. Congo, Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law 10, 2010

• Officer Order of Merit
  Issued by the Governor General of Canada
  Sept. 2024
• Award for Historical Preservation and Promotion
  Issued by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
  Sept. 2020
• Member Order of Merit
  Issued by the Governor General of Canada
  Jan. 2010
• Law Enforcement Award of Excellence
  Issued by the Attorney General of Manitoba
  Jan. 2008
• Police Exemplary Service Medal
  Issued by the Governor General of Canada
  Jan. 2006