Department of Justice

ONTARIO JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, June 22, 2000 -- The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

Nancy L. Backhouse, of Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Toronto. Madam Justice Backhouse received her LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1977 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979. Since 1979, Madam Justice Backhouse has specialized in family law and labour arbitration. She has mediation experience as a Grievance Settlement Officer and Vice-Chair of the Grievance Settlement Board and as a Dispute Resolution Officer of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario. She is a former Vice-Chair of the Police Services Board of Inquiry, former Director of the Advocates' Society and, since 1994, has been elected Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada where she has chaired various committees including the Admissions & Equity Committee.

Bonnie L. Croll, of Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Toronto. Madam Justice Croll received her LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1977 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979. Since 1996, Madam Justice Croll has been Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. She has been a member of various academic committees including the University Affairs Board and, just prior to her appointment, was serving as Acting Chair for the Academic Appeals Committee. Madam Justice Croll began practice with the Toronto firm of Fraser & Beatty, and before joining the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto, was with Fasken Campbell Godfrey, also of Toronto.

Susanne R. Goodman, of Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario in Newmarket. Madam Justice Goodman received her LL.B. from the University of Windsor in 1980 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1982. Since her call to the Bar, Madam Justice Goodman has practised family law with the Toronto firm of Epstein, Cole, and became a partner in 1987. She has been very active in professional activities pertaining to family law, including having served as a member of the Toronto Family Law Committee and as Head of the Family Law Section of the Law Society of Upper Canada Bar Admission Course. During the course of her career, Madam Justice Goodman has been a frequent lecturer and presenter at conferences and continuing legal education programs pertaining to family law.

Joseph R. Henderson, of St. Catharines, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Welland. Mr. Justice Henderson received his LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario in 1979 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1981. Since 1992, and until his appointment, Mr. Justice Henderson was a partner with the St. Catharines firm of Chown and Cairns, practising primarily in civil litigation and has been certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Specialist in Civil Litigation. Mr. Justice Henderson has been a frequent speaker on personal injury claims for continuing legal education programs, as well as medical-legal associations, and is a founding member of the Ontario Trial Lawyers' Association.

Heidi S. Levenson Polowin, of Ottawa, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Ottawa. Madam Justice Levenson Polowin received her LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in 1977 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979. Prior to her appointment, Madam Justice Levenson Polowin was Director of Legal Services at the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa-Carleton. Before taking this position in 1995, she was a partner at the law firm of Ogilvy, Renault in Ottawa, where her practice focussed on employment and labour law. Madam Justice Levenson Polowin has extensive practice experience in collective agreement negotiations and has appeared before various administrative tribunals on numerous occasions.

Faye E. McWatt, of Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Toronto. Madam Justice McWatt received her LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in 1984 and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1986. Since her call to the Bar, Madam Justice McWatt has practised primarily in the field of criminal law. From 1986-89, she was Assistant Crown Attorney, Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario in Metropolitan Toronto; in 1995, she was appointed Standing Agent for the Department of Justice for the Toronto and Brampton Regions. She has also acted as Counsel before various commissions of inquiry, including the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Niagara Regional Police Force. Madam Justice McWatt is a member of the Criminal Lawyers' Association and the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers.

Steven Rogin, of Windsor, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Windsor. Mr. Justice Rogin received his LL.B. from the University of Windsor in 1971 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1973. At the time of his appointment, he was a partner with the Windsor firm of Rogin, Fortune, Touma, and Severs, practising primarily in the fields of civil and criminal litigation. Mr. Justice Rogin has been a member of the Regional Courts Management Committee, Southwest Region, since 1989. He has also served as an instructor for the Bar Admission Course of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and has been a frequent presenter on trial advocacy. For several years, Mr. Justice Rogin was the Essex County representative on the Board of Directors of the Criminal Lawyers' Association.

Robert F. Scott, of Belleville, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Lindsay. Mr. Justice Scott received his LL.B. from the University of Windsor in 1977 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979. At the time of his appointment, he was a sole practitioner in Belleville practising civil, criminal and administrative law. Mr. Justice Scott articled with the late Malcolm Robb, Q.C., of Toronto. Since 1986, he has been a part-time Assistant Crown Attorney for the Province of Ontario, and a standing agent for the Federal Department of Justice for Hastings County. He is a member of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, The Advocates' Society of Ontario and the Canadian Bar Association.

Francine E. Van Melle, of Oakville, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice - Ontario, in Brampton. Madam Justice Van Melle received her LL.B. from McGill University in 1980 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1982. Prior to her appointment, Madam Justice Van Melle practised law as a sole practioner, specialising in family law with experience at both the trial and the appellate level. She was appointed a Deputy Small Claims Court Judge in 1995. Madam Justice Van Melle has been a family law instructor for the Bar Admission Course of the Law Society of Upper Canada and is the author of various papers on this subject. She is a former President of the Halton County Law Association and a former Director of the Advocates' Society of Ontario.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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Ref.:

Farah Mohamed
Minister's Office
(613) 992-4621