Brian Cowie practices law part-time and is currently retired from Fleming College where he was a Professor in the Police Foundations program.
He holds an Honours B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Guelph and a Juris Doctor law degree from the University of Toronto.
Prior to teaching, Mr. Cowie worked in law enforcement for more than 18 years, spanning the RCMP (stationed in Saskatchewan), York Regional Police (where he served in different investigative units and as legal advisor) and Georgina Island First Nation Police (Lake Simcoe, Ontario). He has also worked for The National Park Warden Service in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba. Mr. Cowie was seconded from the York Regional Police in 2000 to complete his law articles with the Newmarket Crown Attorney’s Office. He was called to the Bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2001
Mr. Cowie is Anishinaabe and a member of the Hiawatha Ojibwe Mississauga’s of Rice Lake First Nation where he has acted as an elected councillor and Trust Board Member. He has also served as the First Nation Trustee on the Kawartha Pine Ridge and District School Board. He is very active and highly respected within the Peterborough community, and sits on the Peterborough Lakers Lacrosse Board of Directors.
Mr. Cowie has been reappointed for an additional three-year term on the Trent Board of Governors, which began July 1, 2020