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News Release
Communiqué
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Ministry of the Attorney General
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Ministère du Procureur général
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For Immediate Release
August 25, 2006
ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCES JUSTICE OF THE PEACE APPOINTMENTS
TORONTO — Attorney General Michael Bryant is announcing seven justice of the peace appointments effective September 7, 2006.
"Justices of the peace are an integral part of our justice system," said Bryant. "I am confident these qualified individuals will make a valuable contribution to the Ontario Court of Justice bench."
For the past 14 years, justice of the peace Esme Lall has been practicing law, primarily in family, child protection, young offenders and criminal matters. She has worked as a panel lawyer for the Office of the Children's Lawyer and has been advice counsel for Family Law Information Centres and a duty counsel for legal aid clinics. She has been a guest speaker at the South Asian Legal Clinic and a member of the Legal Aid Metropolitan Toronto Area Committee's Appeals Board Committee. Associate Chief Justice/Coordinator of Justices of the Peace Donald A. Ebbs has assigned justice of the peace Lall to Toronto.
Justice of the peace Patrick Marum was a member of the Toronto Police Service for over 26 years. He has also been a trustee for the Metropolitan Separate School Board and a founding member of the Scarborough Homeowners Association for Fair Taxes. Associate Chief Justice/Coordinator of Justices of the Peace Donald A. Ebbs has assigned justice of the peace Marum to Toronto.
Justice of the peace Gerald Ryan is a retired elementary school principal, having been an educator with the Toronto Catholic District School Board for 35 years. He has served as a member of the Toronto Catholic Principals and Vice-Principals Association and is a founding member of the Canadian International Symphony Orchestra. He is currently enrolled in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Program at the University of Toronto. Associate Chief Justice/Coordinator of Justices of the Peace Donald A. Ebbs has assigned justice of the peace Ryan to the Central East region.
Justice of the peace Mary Shelley has a broad range of experience in victim services, corrections and investigative work. She worked at the Niagara Victim Crisis Support Service in St. Catharines for eight years, most recently as program manager. She has been director of residential services for the Elizabeth Fry Society in Hamilton and an instructor at Ryerson Polytechnic University, Welland campus. She led a victim services team that was awarded both the OPP Superintendent's Community Policing Award and the OPP Commissioner's Citation. Associate Chief Justice/Coordinator of Justices of the Peace Donald A. Ebbs has assigned justice of the peace Shelley to the Central West region.
For 10 years, justice of the peace Najib Tahiri was an adjudicator for the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal and a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board, Convention Refugee Determination Division. He has also been executive director and president of the Afghan Association of Ontario and he is a former member of the Canadian Council for Refugees. Associate Chief Justice/Coordinator of Justices of the Peace Donald A. Ebbs has assigned justice of the peace Tahiri to Toronto.
Justice of the peace Eileen Walker has been a social worker with the Halton Regional Police Service since 2001. Previously, she was a program manager with the John Howard Society of Hamilton, Burlington and Area. She has served as a member of the Ontario College of Teachers and as chair of the Youth Resources Centres Network in Halton Region. Associate Chief Justice/Coordinator of Justices of the Peace Donald A. Ebbs has assigned justice of the peace Walker to the Central West region.
Justice of the peace Roberto Zito has worked in radio and television for over 24 years in positions that include producer, vice-president of programming, marketing and sales and program director. He is a founding member of the Vitanova Foundation in Vaughan — a non-profit organization that helps addicts overcome their addiction. Associate Chief Justice/Coordinator of Justices of the Peace Donald A. Ebbs has assigned justice of the peace Zito to the Central East region.
The government is committed to transforming the justice of the peace appointment process in order to make the system more open and transparent, and to permanently establish appointment standards to ensure that the most qualified candidates are appointed. In September, the Standing Committee on Justice Policy will continue hearings on the Access to Justice Act. The Act would, if passed, ensure a more open and transparent appointment process for justices of the peace and establish minimum qualifications.
These appointments were made through an interim process, the first step in the government's plan to transform the justice of the peace system to ensure that the most qualified candidates are selected. Further justice of the peace appointments are expected in the coming months.
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Contacts:
Valerie Hopper
Communications Branch
(416) 326-2202
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Disponible en français
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