Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Ontario

OTTAWA, ON, June 6, 2022 /CNW/ -The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Lia M. Bramwell, Assistant Crown Attorney at the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario in Ottawa, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Cornwall. Justice Bramwell replaces Justice R.T. Leroy (Cornwall), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective July 9, 2021.

Julie Bergeron, a sole practitioner in Hawkesbury, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Cornwall. Justice Bergeron replaces Justice G.W.Tranmer (Kingston), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective March 28, 2022. The Chief Justice has transferred Justice L. Lacelle (Cornwall) into this vacancy. The vacancy is therefore located in Cornwall.

Jaye Hooper, Partner at Hooper Litigation in Ottawa, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Pembroke. Justice Hooper replaces Justice M. James (Pembroke), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective February 13, 2022.

Ian M. Carter, Partner at Bayne Sellar Ertel Carter in Ottawa, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Ottawa. Justice Carter replaces Justice S.J. Kershman (Ottawa), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 31, 2022.

Sharon E. Hassan, Managing Partner at Hassan Law in London, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, Family Court branch, in London. Justice Hassan replaces Justice V. Mitrow (London), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective February 1, 2022.

Quote

"I wish Justices Bramwell, Bergeron, Hooper, Carter and Hassan every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of Ontario well as members of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario."

–The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biographies

Justice Lia M. Bramwell grew up in the St. Thomas area and attended Central Elgin Collegiate Institute. She graduated with a B.A. (Hons.) from McMaster University in 1993 and an LL.B. from the University of Windsor in 1997. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1999.

Justice Bramwell worked throughout high school, university and law school in various settings with people with physical and developmental disabilities. She practised civil litigation in Toronto before becoming an assistant Crown attorney, first in Toronto and then in Ottawa. For over 20 years, she prosecuted criminal cases in the Ontario Court of Justice and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. She frequently contributed to legal education for Crown attorneys, police, defence counsel, law students and high school students. She was a member of the Ottawa committee of the Ontario Justice Education Network.

Justice Bramwell was a mentor in the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General's Crown Mentorship Program and the University of Ottawa's Courthouse Mentorship Program. She was a member of the Ontario Crown Attorneys' Association Committee for Diversity and Inclusion and a board member of Immigrant Women Services of Ottawa. She also volunteered with the Community Harvest Program for the Ottawa Food Bank.

In her free time, Justice Bramwell enjoys spending time with her two children and her partner, travelling and spending time in the beautiful outdoors of Ottawa and the surrounding area.

Justice Julie Bergeron was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2000. She started her own law firm under the name of L'Étude légale Julie Bergeron in her home town of Hawkesbury. Her law practice focused primarily on the areas of family law and real estate law. During her career, she also acted as an agent for the Family Responsibility Office, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Transportation, the Office of the Children's Lawyer, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. She also acted in municipal and criminal law matters and represented the interests of municipalities in Ontario. Since 2019, she has served as a deputy judge in Small Claims Court.

In her practice, Justice Bergeron argued cases in English and in French in trial courts, the Divisional Court and the Ontario Court of Appeal. She received the Heidi Levenson Polowin Award in 2018 and was named a special patron of the Children's Treatment Centre in Cornwall.

Justice Bergeron has also been involved in her community. She was a member of the Prescott and Russell Superior Court of Justice Liaison Committee, a member of the board of directors of the Centre York Centre, a supervised access centre, and a member of the ad hoc committee on family law of the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario.

Justice Jaye Hooper was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario. After completing her undergraduate degree in International Relations, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. Throughout her time at Windsor Law, she was involved with Community Legal Aid, becoming its Director of Finance in her final year. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2001.

Justice Hooper spent most of her career at a boutique Ottawa litigation firm before starting her own firm, Hooper Litigation, in 2015. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants across a broad spectrum of litigation matters, including personal injury, employment, professional negligence, commercial, and construction law. She has acted as trial and appellate counsel at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

In addition to her practice, Justice Hooper has played an active role in Ontario's legal community. She is a past president of the County of Carleton Law Association and past chair of the Federation of Ontario Law Associations. She has been a frequent speaker at various legal conferences. In 2021, she was a contributor to the book, Autonomous Vehicles: Self-Driving Cars and the Law of Canada.

Justice Hooper enjoys writing, spending time at the family cottage, and traveling. She and her husband, Paul, are very proud of their four exceptional children.

Justice Ian M. Carter was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario. He received his B.A. from McGill University in 1995 and subsequently worked as a television reporter for several years before completing his LL.B. at Queen's University in 2002.

Justice Carter served as a law clerk at the British Columbia Court of Appeal following his graduation. He then practised criminal and civil law in Vancouver before joining the firm of Bayne Sellar Boxall in Ottawa in 2008. His practice has focused primarily on criminal law. He has conducted trials in multiple provinces and has argued numerous appeals at the Ontario Court of Appeal and at the Supreme Court of Canada. In addition to criminal defence, he has developed a practice representing complainants in sexual assault cases.

Justice Carter has published articles relating to issues in criminal law and has been a frequent lecturer for legal and judicial education programs. As a member of the executive of the Canadian Bar Association National Criminal Justice Section for many years, including as Chair from 2018 to 2019, he has made representations at Senate and parliamentary committee hearings on proposed legislation. He was the 2014 recipient of the Regional Senior Justice Award, given to a member of the County of Carleton Law Association who has made an outstanding contribution as a litigator or solicitor.

Justice Carter, an avid skier and mountain biker, enjoys travel and spending time with his family.

Justice Sharon E. Hassan is a first-generation Dutch farm girl, born in Meaford, Ontario, on the shores of beautiful Georgian Bay. From there, she pursued her first love – horses – at Humber College, Equine Studies. A summer job at a local law firm sparked her interest in law, and she went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Guelph and her Bachelor of Laws at the University of Western Ontario.

Justice Hassan began her career at Aston Berg Kennedy & Morrissey in London, where her mentor, David Aston (now Justice Aston), inspired a passion and respect for Family Law, which she followed for the next 29 years. In 1998, she joined her spouse, Hamoody Hassan, at his firm, Hassan Law, where she primarily practised Family Law and was passionate about mentoring students and young lawyers.

Justice Hassan's commitment to community service began in Law School, where she received the Greta Grant Award for Community Legal Services. She has continued to serve her community through her support and involvement in numerous organizations, including the Canadian Hearing Society, the London Abused Women's Centre, Indwell London and Forest City Community Church.

Justice Hassan and her spouse are the proud parents of a 19-year-old daughter and Hamoody's two children, who work alongside her at Hassan Law. In her spare time she can be found skating the ponds or hiking the trails in the lovely coves bordering her home in south London.

Quick facts

• At the Superior Court level, more than 540 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, LGBTQ2+, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
• The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 provides funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
• The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.
• Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016.
• The Government of Canada is committed to promoting a justice system in which sexual assault matters are decided fairly, without the influence of myths and stereotypes, and in which survivors are treated with dignity and compassion. Changes to the Judges Act and Criminal Code that came into force on May 6, 2021, mean that in order to be eligible for appointment to a provincial superior court, candidates must agree to participate in continuing education on matters related to sexual assault law and social context, which includes systemic racism and systemic discrimination. The new legislation enhances the transparency of decisions by amending the Criminal Code to require that judges provide written reasons, or enter them into the record, when deciding sexual assault matters.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

Media may contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations: Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]