McGuinty Government Strengthens Access To Justice For Children At Risk And Their Families

20 October 2005

The McGuinty government is improving court
access for at-risk children and their families by appointing Lynda Rogers as a
provincial judge to the Ontario Court of Justice, Attorney General Michael
Bryant announced today. She is one of a number of expected appointments that
will increase the complement of judges that hear family and child protection
cases.

"Children are a priority for this government, and we are committed to
working with the judiciary and our justice partners to move child protection
cases through the system as quickly and effectively as possible," said Bryant.
"Madam Justice Rogers has a great deal of expertise in family law. I am
confident this experience will serve her well in her new position on the
bench."

Called to the Bar in 1983, Madam Justice Rogers practised in the areas of
family and criminal law, wills and estates, and real estate. In 1988, she
became a sole practitioner primarily focusing on family law litigation. She
has been a duty counsel for Legal Aid Ontario and is a member of the Area
Legal Aid Committee in Hamilton. Madam Justice Rogers has a strong background
in custody and child protection matters, and has been a panel member and legal
counsel for the Office of the Children's Lawyer, the Family Responsibility
Office, and the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.

Madam Justice Rogers has been a board member of the Social Planning and
Research Council of Hamilton, and a Community Advisory committee member of the
Community Action Program for Children. She has held various executive
positions at the Hamilton Law Association, including president, and has given
numerous seminars to the association.

Chief Justice Brian W. Lennox has assigned Madam Justice Rogers to
preside in Kitchener/Guelph effective October 19, 2005.
A steady increase in child protection cases has led to the need for more
family judges. Recent initiatives, undertaken to address potential delays in
child protection cases, include:

- Education sessions for parents' counsel through the Law Society of
Upper Canada
- A brochure for families involved in child protection cases
- Work on child protection mediation
- Greater use of videoconferencing in the North.

"We have also been working with the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of
Justice on a joint initiative to establish pilot court and community liaison
committees in the court locations which will benefit from the increase in the
complement of family judges," said Bryant. "This is already helping to foster
cooperation and solutions at the local level."
Bryant has appointed 34 judges since the McGuinty government was sworn in
on October 23, 2003.