Memorable Manitobans: Robert Lionel “Bob” Kopstein (1932-2014)

Lawyer, judge.

Born at Winnipeg on 5 August 1932, son of lawyer Maxwell E. Kopstein and Sylvia Danzker (1905-1985), he attended Queenston School, Robert H. Smith School, Kelvin High School, and University of Manitoba (BA 1955). He was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1958 and practiced law until 1971.

In 1971, he was hired by the provincial government to draft the regulations for the establishment of public automobile insurance. Appointed as a judge to the Provincial Court later that year, he was known for his courteous conduct. He stepped down from the bench in April 2006. During this period, he was also Commissioner for Autopac, Chairman of the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba, President of the Manitoba Judges Association, President of the Lions Club of West Kildonan, and served on the Boards for Sharon House, Winnipeg Hebrew School, I. L. Peretz Folk School, the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba. In recognition of his community service, he received a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002).

He died at Winnipeg on 28 February 2014.

Sources:

“Compassion, courtesy Kopstein’s trademarks,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 March 2014.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 8 March 2014.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 October 2023

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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