The Honourable Eleanor Dawson, a judge of the Federal Court, has been appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Appeal. She will replace Justice J.M. Ryer who has retired, effective December 28, 2009. Justice Dawson was called to the Manitoba bar in 1977 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 1988. She practiced with Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson and was sessional lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba from 1987 to 1992. She was Commissioner of the Uniform Law Commission of Canada from 1987 to 1989 and Commissioner of the Law Reform Commission of Manitoba from 1987 to 1999. Justice Dawson was appointed judge of the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division and ex officio member of the Federal Court of Appeal in 1999 and judge of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada in 2000. She was appointed a judicial member of the Competition Tribunal in 2002.
The Honourable Lynne Leitch, Regional Senior Judge, South West Region, Superior Court of Justice, has been appointed a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario. Justice Leitch was first appointed to the Superior Court of Justice in 1992 and appointed Regional Senior Judge in 2003.
The Honourable Edward Ducharme, a judge of the Superior Court of Justice, has been appointed Regional Senior Judge, South West Region, Superior Court of Justice. Justice Ducharme was first appointed to the Superior Court of Justice in 2002.
Leslie Chapin has been appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, assigned to Toronto. The Honourable Justice Chapin was called to the bar in 1989. She practised civil litigation and family law at Enfield, Hemmerick, Adair and Wood in Toronto, before joining the Ministry of the Attorney General as an assistant Crown attorney in 1990. Most recently, she was deputy director of Crown operations in the Toronto region, providing legal and strategic advice to Crown attorneys in four offices. She was counsel to the regional director of Crown operations and acting director of the Special Investigations Unit. Justice Chapin was a member of the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association and a board member of the East End Children’s Centre. She has lectured at Osgoode Hall to the community and police about criminal law matters.
Steve Coroza has been appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, assigned to St. Catharines. The Honourable Justice Coroza was called to the bar in 1997. He worked with the Ontario Legal Aid Plan as a staff duty counsel in criminal matters and as a federal Crown counsel since July 1998. As senior counsel to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, he prosecuted offences and appeared at all levels of court in Ontario. He also supervised over 100 federal Crown agents throughout southern Ontario. He taught at Seneca College, Osgoode Hall Law School and The Advocates’ Society and has been a panellist and presenter at various law association sessions. Justice Coroza served on the board of directors of the Alzheimer Society of Peel and as treasurer of the Mississauga Community Legal Services clinic.
Paul Crampton has been appointed a judge of the Federal Court. Justice Crampton was called to the Ontario bar in 1988. He was Executive Assistant to the Senior Deputy Commissioner of Competition from 1988 to 1989. He was an associate with Stikeman Elliott from 1991 to 1992 and partner at Davies, Ward, Phillips and Vineberg from 1992 to 2002. Justice Crampton was the Head of Outreach in the Competition Division of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, from 2002 to 2004. He was then partner at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP from 2004 to 2009. His main practice areas are competition law and foreign investment law, including international and domestic mergers and acquisitions, advising clients on trade practices involving civil or criminal provisions under the Competition Act and providing advice under the Investment Canada Act.
Joyce Elder has been appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, assigned to Thunder Bay. The Honourable Justice Elder was called to the bar in 1985 and became an associate at Vaughan, Willms in Toronto. In 1986, she became an associate at Cheadle, Bryan, Johnson, Shanks in Thunder Bay. In 1990, she co-founded the law firm Bode and Tom, and since 1996, has been a sole practitioner. In 1988 she became a panel member for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer representing children in dependents’ relief proceedings, custody and access disputes and child protection matters. She was also a settlement conference facilitator for Legal Aid Ontario and a panel member of Pro Bono Ontario’s Child Advocacy Project. Justice Elder was a member of the Ontario Review Board and a member of the board of directors of the Children’s Centre in Thunder Bay and The Advocates’ Society.
John Fregeau has been appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Thunder Bay. He replaces Justice T.A. Platana, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of April 30, 2009. The Honourable Justice Fregeau was called to the Ontario bar in 1988. He articled at Compton, Shewchuk from 1986 to 1987, became an associate with Compton, Shewchuk, MacDonnell & Ormiston from 1988 to 1992 and then partner with Shewchuk, MacDonell, Ormiston, Richardt & Fregeau LLP from 1992 to 2009. His areas of practice include residential and commercial real estate, wills and estates, with an emphasis on criminal law and family law. Justice Fregeau's other professional responsibilities include being a member of the District of Kenora Law Association.
Neil Kozloff has been appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, assigned to Toronto. The Honourable Justice Kozloff was called to the bar in 1979. He was an assistant Crown attorney and has prosecuted criminal charges in North York, Toronto, York Region, Durham and Peel. Since 1988, he was a sole practitioner appearing in all levels of court and tribunals, representing clients in a variety of criminal and quasi-criminal cases. Since 2005, he has led a team of lawyers representing the Ontario Provincial Police at the Cornwall Public Inquiry. He was a member of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association and the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association. Justice Kozloff has served on the North York Mayor’s Committee on Youth Violence and participated in several fund-raising activities for Gilda’s Club of Greater Toronto.
Diane Oleskiw has been appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, assigned to Toronto.
The Honourable Justice Oleskiw was called to the bar in 1989 in Ontario and in 2004 in the Yukon. From 1989 to 1991 she practised with Borden & Elliot in the areas of constitutional, administrative and criminal litigation. In April 1991, she joined the Ministry of the Attorney General as a Crown counsel in the Crown Law Office-Criminal and regularly appeared before the Court of Appeal. Since December 1993, she was a sole practitioner in criminal law. She has given many presentations and participated in workshops on various legal topics at children’s centres, women’s centres, rape crisis centres and new immigration programs. Justice Oleskiw has been a member of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association and The Advocates’ Society.
Michael Penny has been appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, replacing the Honourable Justice Tamarin Dunnet, who has elected to become a supernumerary judge. The Honourable Justice Penny was called to the Ontario Bar in 1984. He articled at Torys LLP from 1982 to 1983 and then served as a law clerk to the Ontario Court of Appeal from 1983 to 1984. He was then an associate with Torys LLP from 1985 to 1991 and became partner in the Torys' Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice from 1991 to 2009. His main area of practice is business litigation, including regulated industries such as energy, securities and pensions. Justice Penny served as a member of the executive of the Civil Litigation Section of the Ontario Bar Association as well as member of the Board of Directors of The Advocate's Society from 2005 to 2008. He received several recognitions and has been consistently recommended as a leading practitioner in energy law.
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