The Andrew Slough Memorial Fund

The Fund has been created to honour Andrew Slough (1985-2023), because debating changed Andrew’s life.

Andrew attended SJR for his entire school career, and it was there that he began public speaking. In junior high school, he started debating, and in grade 7, won the Kiddell Debating Shield as top individual speaker in his year.

Andrew continued to participate in debating throughout junior high and high school, and by his senior year at SJR, Andrew:

§ Served as Debating Prefect

§ Placed 6th in the National Debating Championship

§ Was a finalist in the World Debating and Public Speaking Championships held in London, England

§ Won the Class of 2000/ Alumni Association Scholarship, a prize recognizing leadership and collegiality awarded based on voting by teachers and classmates

Through debating, Andrew forged strong friendships, grew in confidence (not that he was ever particularly lacking in this area…), and improved his writing, presentation, and organizational skills. He had the opportunity to travel to tournaments, which deepened his experiences. He became increasingly eloquent and persuasive.

After completing a BA at the University of Winnipeg, Andrew took his first run at law school, which proved to be premature. So, he took a pause, and worked for several years selling insurance. He would later reflect on how the argumentation skills he developed through debating made him a better salesperson, and how the people skills he developed by working in sales made him a better debater and negotiator. 

When he returned to law school, he excelled in criminal law and competed in the Gale Cup, one of Canada’s premier moot court competitions.  He drew on his debating experience and exceled in negotiations class and competitions.  In his final year of law school, Andrew and his teammate:

§ Placed first in the regional Negotiation Competition in Saskatoon

§ Placed first in the American Bar Association Negotiation Competition in Houston

§ Placed first among 191 teams representing 110 law schools at the International Negotiation Competition in Dublin

Following graduation, Andrew articled and then practiced with Manitoba Justice - Prosecutions.  Andrew loved his job, and quickly developed into a talented, principled, and compassionate prosecutor. At the time of his passing, Andrew was working in high-risk prosecutions, taking on complex cases, including homicides. From his days in traffic court as an articling student to his final day of work preparing for an appeal in the province’s highest court, he never failed to see the humanity in the individuals he prosecuted. 

Andrew’s Crown colleagues have honoured him through the creation of the Andrew Slough Award, to be presented annually to a colleague demonstrating qualities Andrew possessed: collegiality, mentorship, diplomacy, teamwork, altruism, and modesty.

Andrew was fun-loving and joyful. He loved sitting in the sun, swimming, canoeing, skating on the river trail, watching and playing hockey, playing poker and bridge, and mixing an outstanding cocktail. Above all he loved his partner Elizabeth, his family, friends, and colleagues. When he died suddenly at the age of 37 due to a pulmonary embolism, he left a huge hole in our hearts and our lives.  We will carry him with us forever.

In January 2024, Andrew’s friend and cousins organized an event in this honour: The Andrew Slough Memorial Poker Tournament. The event was a great success and provided a time for people to come together to remember Andrew with love. Tears were shed, but there was a lot of laughter and fun! Thanks to the generosity of our community, a total of $15,000 was raised.  Of this, $6500 endowed a bench near The Leaf in Assiniboine Park in Andrew’s memory.

The remaining $8500 will be distributed through the MSDA’s Andrew Slough Memorial Fund.  The poker tournament is to be held annually and will provide continuing support through the Fund for Manitoba students in financial need who might otherwise be unable to attend national events. This is a fitting tribute to Andrew, as it pays homage to the coaching, mentorship, and commitment of those who guided Andrew as a student. When we reflect on Andrew’s life, there can be no doubt that his participation in debating was formative and instrumental in his success in other pursuits.  Our hope is that the Andrew Slough Memorial Fund will provide similar opportunities to other students. 

If you would like more information about the Andrew Slough Memorial Fund, please contact us at theandrewsloughmemorialfund@gmail.com .

If you would like to know more about the Andrew Slough Memorial Poker Tournament you can find us on Instagram @andrewsloughpokertournament.

To learn more about the impact of the Andrew Slough Memorial Poker Tournament, please watch the following video.