ONTARIO JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, January 31, 2014 – 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 Kelly P. Wright, a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Newmarket) to replace Mr. Justice M. F. Brown, who has been transferred to Toronto to replace Madam Justice K. Swinton, who elected supernumerary status as of  November 30, 2013.

Madam Justice Wright was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2008. Prior to her appointment, she served as an assistant Crown attorney in Scarborough and in Newmarket from 1996 to 2008.  Before completing her law degree, she served as a part-time provincial court prosecutor for the City of Toronto.  She also served as a Constable for the Calgary City Police Service from 1982 to 1988.

Madam Justice Wright received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1995 and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1996. Prior to that, she had completed a degree in Law Enforcement at Seneca College in 1982.
 
The Honourable Frederick L. Myers, a lawyer with Goodmans LLP in Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Toronto) to replace Madam Justice M. L. Benotto, who was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario on November 7, 2013.

Mr. Justice Myers received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1983 and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1985. He was a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada for  the Rt. Hon. Bora Laskin as well as Chief Justice Brian Dickson and the Hon. Justice G.E. Le Dain.  He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1986.

Mr. Justice Myers has been  a partner with Goodmans LLP since  2003.  Prior to that, he practised with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP from 1986 to 2002.  His main areas of practice were insolvency law and general commercial litigation.

Mr. Justice Myers has been active in numerous professional organizations, including the Insolvency Institute of Canada since 2005, the Canadian Insolvency Foundation since 2003, the Advocates’ Society since 1998, and the Commercial Litigation and Insolvency Sections of the Canadian Bar Association since 1986. He has authored numerous articles and been a frequent speaker and conference organizer.

The Honourable Alissa K. Mitchell, a lawyer with Miller Thomson LLP in London, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (London) to replace Mr. Justice A.W. Bryant, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of November 5, 2013.

Madam Justice Mitchell received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario in 1992 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994. She has been  a partner with Miller Thomson LLP since  2006. Prior to that, she had practised with McCarthy Tétrault LLP.

Madam Justice Mitchell has been a member of the Insolvency and Litigation Sections of the Canadian Bar Association since 1994.  She has also been a member of the Turnaround Management Association since 2008, the Advocates’ Society since 1999 and the Middlesex Law Association since 1994.  She is the author or co-author of numerous articles and case law commentaries on insolvency law topics.

The Honourable Marc R. Labrosse, a lawyer with Vice Hunter Labrosse LLP in Ottawa, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Ottawa) to replace Mr. Justice P.B. Annis, who was appointed to the Federal Court on February 7, 2013.

Mr. Justice Labrosse received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa in 1994 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996.  He has practised with the Ottawa law firm of Vice & Hunter since 1996. His main practise areas were municipal law, civil litigation, corporate law, and family law. 

Mr. Justice Labrosse has been a member of l’Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario since 1995 and a member of the Carleton County Law Association since 1996.  He has served as an instructor for the Bar Admissions Course and been a part-time professor with the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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