Shehni was sworn in as a Judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia on March 31st 2000. She presides over cases in the criminal, family and civil divisions. Prior to her appointment to the Bench, Shehni was the Assistant Deputy Chair of the Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. This was a Governor-in-Council appointment as a decision-maker on Canada’s largest independent, quasi-judicial, administrative tribunal.
Shehni was born in Kenya and educated in Kenya, England and Canada. She has a Bachelor’s degree in business, a Masters degree in liberal studies from Simon Fraser University, and a law degree from the University of British Columbia. She practised civil and criminal litigation for ten years before her appointment to the Refugee Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board in 1993.
Active in the Ismaili Community, Shehni was a member of the Leaders International Forum. She served as the Chairperson of the National Conciliation and Arbitration Board and is the former Vancouver Convenor for the Aga Khan Foundation–Partnership Walk for international development. Shehni is a Director on the Canadian chapter of the International Association of Women Judges and on the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges – Equality and Diversity committee. She served as a member of the Canadian Bar Association – Equality Committee and Alternate Dispute Resolution Advisory Panel and as a director on the B.C. Council for Administrative Tribunals and the Burnaby Chamber of Commerce. She is a member on the Centre for Excellence in Immigration and Integration – Federal Partnership Council and an advisor to the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society.
Shehni has been active in professional development and training of decision-makers and has facilitated workshops on gender and cross-cultural issues. She has been a speaker and presenter at many conferences on issues involving equality and justice, immigration and human rights. Shehni completed the National Judicial Institute’s Social Context Faculty and Course Development Program for Judges in 2001. She was nominated as BC’s 100 influential Indo-Canadians in 2008. She is the recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Award (2002) and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) for exceptional Community service to Canada.
