ONTARIO JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, February 6, 2015 – 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 Francine E. Van Melle, Regional Senior Judge of the Central West Region, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, is transferred back to the regular judicial complement (Brampton) to replace Mr. Justice P.A. Daley, who has been appointed Regional Senior Judge.

Madam Justice Van Melle was appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2000 and Regional Senior Judge of the Central West Region in 2009. At the time of her appointment, she had been a sole practitioner since 1996 specializing in family law.

Madam Justice Van Melle received a Bachelor of Laws in 1980 from McGill University and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1982.

The Honourable Peter A. Daley, a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brampton, is appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Central West Region, to replace Madam Justice F.E. Van Melle.

Mr. Justice Daley was appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2007 and had been administrative judge of the Small Claims Court for the Central West Region (2008-13). Prior to his appointment, he had been a partner with the firm Miller Thomson LLP in Toronto since 1993.

Mr. Justice Daley received a Bachelor of Laws (Common Law Section) from the University of Ottawa in 1974. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1976 and was certified as a specialist in civil litigation by the Law Society of Upper Canada.

The Honourable Michael R. Gibson, a military judge in Ottawa, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to replace Mr. Justice J.C. Murray (Milton), who resigned effective December 31, 2014.

Mr. Justice Gibson received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1994 and a Master of Laws, Public International Law, from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2007. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1996.

Mr. Justice Gibson was appointed a military judge in 2013. Prior to that, he had been legal counsel with the Judge Advocate General (JAG) office in Ottawa since 2003. He was defence counsel, JAG Directorate of Defence Counsel Services in Hull (2000-02) and Deputy Judge Advocate at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton (1996-2000). His main areas of practice were criminal prosecutions, immigration and real property, and international law.

The Honourable Kirk W. Munroe, a sole practitioner in Windsor, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, to replace Madam Justice T.P. Herman (Toronto), who resigned effective December 31, 2013, and whose vacancy was transferred to Windsor.

Mr. Justice Munroe received a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1973 and a Certificate of Qualification in 1995 from the Joint Committee of Accreditation of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1996 and is a past member of the Florida Bar and others in the United States.

Mr. Justice Munroe had practised criminal law in Windsor since 1996. He is past-president of the Essex Law Association, the Windsor Criminal Lawyers' Association, and the Florida Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers. He had been a sessional instructor in criminal law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Windsor since 2003.

The Honourable Richard T. Bennett, a sole practitioner in Mississauga, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Family Court Branch, to replace Madam Justice S.M. Rogers (Newmarket), who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of November 10, 2014.

Mr. Justice Bennett received a Bachelor of Laws in 1978 and a Master of Laws, Alternative Dispute Resolution, in 2011, both from the Osgoode Hall Law School. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1980 and began practising family law. He had been a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Peel Law Association since 1980.

The Honourable Laura E. Fryer, a lawyer with Fryer & Associates in Markham, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Family Court Branch, to replace Mr. Justice D.R. Timms (Oshawa), who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of November 10, 2014. Madam Justice Fryer received a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) from the University of British Columbia in 1989 and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University in 1992. She was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1994 and her main area of practice was family law.

Madam Justice Fryer had been the principal at Fryer & Associates since 2009 and a partner with McGee & Fryer from 2001 to 2009). Previously, she practised with McGee & Associates (1998-2001), Minken & Associates (1995-98), and Douglas G. Flood in Mississauga (1994-95). She had been a dispute resolution officer at the Superior Court of Justice, Family Court, in Newmarket since 2010, a board member of the Ontario Collaborative Law Federation, and a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, both since 2008. She was a founding member and past Chair of the York Collaborative Practice and a member of the Collaborative Practice Toronto, both since 2004.

The Honourable James F. Diamond is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to replace Madam Justice W. Low (Toronto), who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of April 11, 2014.

Mr. Justice Diamond received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manitoba in 1995. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1997 and joined the firm of Levine Sherkin Boussidan, where he became a partner in 2003. His areas of practice were commercial, civil, and administrative litigation.

Mr. Justice Diamond had been a panellist and skills instructor for The Advocates' Society seminars since 2007 and supervisor for the University of Toronto's Annual Upper Year Moot since 2008.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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Ref.:

Clarissa Lamb
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621

Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207