 For many years, he was also counsel for the owners of the Irving Whale, an oil carrying barge that sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1970 and posed a potential environmental hazard.In the early 1960s, McKelvey faced a decision about his career path, when his name was mentioned for a possible appointment to the New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench.McKelvey turned down the appointment, preferring to remain a litigator.