Attorney General announces justice of the peace appointments

11 June 2006

Attorney General Michael Bryant is announcing seven justice of the peace appointments effective June 21, 2006.

"Justices of the peace are playing an increasingly important role in our justice system, and are being called upon to consider complex issues," said Bryant. "I am confident these qualified individuals will make a significant contribution to the bench."

Justice of the peace Gerry Altobello has been a councillor for the city of Toronto since 1997. He has served in several different roles including past commissioner of the Toronto Transit Commission, chair of the Toronto Planning and Transportation Committee, and member of the Waterfront Reference Group. He was a councillor and past deputy mayor for Scarborough before amalgamation.

Most recently, justice of the peace Lena Crawford served as a member of the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board. She has law degrees from Ontario and Australia, and a Master of Laws, specializing in intellectual property, from Osgoode Hall Law School. She has practised law at several firms in Toronto, and has been a consultant for an engineering firm in Hong Kong.

For the past 13 years, justice of the peace Gerry Manno has been an independent business consultant and president of a management company, providing services including mediation, legal contract review, business plans, marketing and sales consultations. Previously, he held senior executive positions at a Canadian bank. His Worship Manno has been a regional councillor and vice-chair of TV Ontario, and a member of the Oakville Arts Council.

Since 2000, justice of the peace Mary Trillis Miller has been a law clerk with a Burlington law firm. She has also worked as a legal assistant and legal secretary. She was co-chair of the Steering Committee for the First Nations Police Governing Authority in Ottawa, and chairperson and community member of the Six Nations Police Commission in Ohsweken.

Justice of the peace Francois Pilon has been a provincial prosecutor since 2000 in several communities in Eastern Ontario. For 20 years he was a clerk for the Small Claims Court in Rockland and since 1996 he has provided paralegal services. He has also been chairperson and a mediator for a bank's independent business advisory panel.

Justice of the peace Duncan Read opened his own law practice in 2001 representing small businesses, and was a deputy judge for Small Claims Court in Toronto for 10 years. In 2002, he was appointed chair of the Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security Review Tribunal for the Oshawa Region. His Worship Read has been a board member of the Community Justice Alternatives of Durham Region and vice-chair of the Durham Region Economic Development Advisory Committee.

Justice of the peace Gerry Solursh has been a chartered accountant for the past 10 years and was previously a partner in a chartered accounting firm. He has mediated in commercial disputes and in disputes under the Liquor Licence Act. He was also a board member of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and vice-chair of the Commercial Registration Appeal Tribunal. His Worship Solursh was also a member of the Competition Tribunal.

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 October 2005, Attorney General Michael Bryant introduced the Access to Justice Act, which if passed, would ensure a more open and transparent appointment process for justices of the peace and establish minimum qualifications. The bill is currently before the Standing Committee on Justice Policy.

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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www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca

For further information: Greg Crone, Minister's Office, (416) 326-1785; Brendan Crawley, Communications Branch, (416) 326-2210

Source: newswire

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