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

OTTAWA, ON, May 19, 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.

Peter. J. Osborne, Partner at Lenczner Slaght LLP in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto. Justice Osborne replaces Justice A.J.C. O'Marra (Toronto) who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective May 22, 2021.

Suzan Fraser, Principal Lawyer at Fraser Advocacy in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Newmarket. Justice Fraser replaces Justice M.K. McKelvey (Newmarket), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 1, 2022.

Robert Centa, Managing Partner at Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto. Justice Centa replaces Justice G.A. Hainey (Toronto), who passed away October 6, 2021.

Amelia M. Daurio, a sole practitioner at AMD Law in Etobicoke, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, Family Court branch, in Newmarket. Justice Daurio replaces Justice R.P. Kaufman (Newmarket), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective June 30, 2021.

Quote

 "I wish Justices Osborne, Fraser, Centa and Daurio 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 Peter. J. Osborne was born and raised in Toronto. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University in 1987 and a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1990. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1992.

Justice Osborne began his career with Goodmans LLP and practised for 28 years at Lenczner Slaght LLP , where he had been a partner since 2000. His broad advocacy practice had an emphasis on commercial and insolvency matters, shareholder rights and governance, and professional discipline prosecution and defence matters.

Justice Osborne was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Director of the Advocates' Society. Recognizing the importance of contributing to the profession, he has mentored young lawyers, taught trial advocacy for many years at Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto, taught the Bar Admission Course in both Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, and participated in many legal education programs. He has been recognized repeatedly by Chambers and Lexpert (including the Lexpert Guide to The Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers, Top 40 under 40, and Guide to Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada), among others.

Justice Osborne and his wife, Christine, live in Toronto and are the very proud parents of three children, James, Laura and Michael, with whom they have been fortunate to travel much of the world and to whom they have passed on their love of the Canadian North, best explored in a cedar canoe.

Justice Suzan Fraser was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. She and her two sisters were raised in Thornhill, Ontario by their principled, fun-loving, and hard-working parents. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Science from McMaster University in 1990 and her law degree from Western University in 1993 and was called to the Ontario bar in 1995.

In 2000, after practising in a small firm, Justice Fraser founded Fraser Advocacy, a public law practice with an emphasis on mental health law and enhancing the rights of vulnerable persons. She has appeared at all levels of court in Canada and before the Ontario Review Board and other tribunals. She was privileged to represent families, Ontario's Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, and organizations at many coroner's inquests. She acted for families and organizations at several public inquiries, including the Gillese Inquiry into the Safety and Security of Residents in the Long-Term Care Homes System in Ontario and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Justice Fraser enjoyed teaching and regularly contributed to legal education. She has taught Mental Health Law and Policy at the Faculty of Health as part of the Critical Disabilities Studies Program at York University, and Psychiatry and the Law at Osgoode Hall Law School. She volunteered as a Director of Sound Times Support Services, a member-driven consumer/survivor initiative providing mental health and addiction services in downtown Toronto.

With her partner Mike and her friend Ted, Justice Fraser co-parents their three marvelous teenage children.

Justice Robert Centa graduated as the gold medalist from the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, in 1999. He had previously graduated with a B.A. from York University in 1996. After clerking for the Justices of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, he was called to the Ontario bar in 2001.

Justice Centa was the managing partner of Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP, where he specialized in public law and business litigation. In 2014, he received the Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal for Excellence in Advocacy. While in practice, he frequently represented universities and public bodies. He also served as lead counsel to the Red Hill Valley Parkway Inquiry (Justice Herman Wilton-Siegel, Commissioner) and as counsel to the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario (Justice Stephen Goudge, Commissioner) and the Motherisk Hair Analysis Review (Hon. Susan Lang, Commissioner).

Justice Centa has acted pro bono for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Human Rights Watch, the Advocates' Society, and many individuals. He has written and lectured on the law of evidence, civil procedure, and the intersection of business and family litigation. Throughout his career, he taught courses in trial advocacy and legal ethics at the University of Toronto. In 2008, he received the University of Toronto's Arbor Award for his volunteer service.

Justice Centa is a passionate supporter of women's basketball and his beloved Toronto Raptors. He lives in Toronto and is very proud of his two sons.

Justice Amelia M. Daurio received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2001 and her Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2004. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2005.

As a law student, Justice Daurio gained experience working in a poverty law clinic and at the Family Responsibility Office. She went on to complete her articles with the Office of the Children's Lawyer (OCL) and spent eleven years as counsel for a Children's Aid Society before entering private practice where she was given opportunities to expand her knowledge and advocacy skills.

Justice Daurio was a panel member with the OCL, an agent for the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, and the Legal Services Director at Luke's Place. Her experience and training has involved a number of complex and emerging issues, including domestic violence, mental health issues, addictions, physical and sexual abuse, neglect and intersecting systemic issues, including poverty, anti-Black racism, and the impact of child welfare on the Indigenous community. She sat as a Director on the Boards of the York Region Law Association, the Family Lawyers Association, and the Durham Region Law Association. Justice Daurio also dedicated many volunteer hours to Pro Bono activities, presented at conferences, and supported students and younger lawyers through coaching and mentorship.

Quick facts

• At the Superior Court level, more than 530 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

For more information, 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]