Ontario Judicial Appointments Announced

OTTAWA, November 8, 2013 – The Honourable Peter MacKay, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Central Nova, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

The Honourable Gladys I. Pardu, a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Toronto), is appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario to replace Mr. Justice R.J. Sharpe, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of June 30, 2013.

Madam Justice Pardu was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) in 1991 and presided in Sault Ste. Marie, where she was administrative judge for 10 years until her transfer to the Toronto Region in 2008.  Since then, she has presided in the Divisional Court and worked primarily on long criminal trials.  She is the co-author of a 2011 report that made recommendations for the administration of criminal trials.

Madam Justice Pardu has presided in every judicial region in Ontario.  She is a member of the Rules Committee (Rules of Civil Procedure) and a past director of the Canadian Superior Court Judges Association.

Madam Justice Pardu received a Bachelor of Science from Brock University in 1974 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1975.  She was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1976 and practised with Pardu Macdonald in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Honourable Mary Lou Benotto, a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Toronto), is appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario to replace Mr. Justice R.A. Blair, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of July 1, 2013.

Madam Justice Benotto was appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) in 1996 and presided in Toronto.  She was Senior Justice of the Family Court for Ontario from 2001 until 2005, and has been assigned to long criminal trials since 2005.

She was certified by the Harvard Mediation Program in 1994.  She is the author of various textbooks, including Income Tax and Family Law (Butterworths); O’Brien’s Court Forms (Canada Law Book); Preparation of Domestic Contracts (Canada Law Book), and Matrimonial Contracts (Carswell).

Madam Justice Benotto received a Bachelor of Arts in 1973 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1976, both from McGill University.  She was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1978 and practised civil litigation and family law with the firm Chapell Bushell Stewart.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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