Government of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Ontario

December 9, 2016 – Ottawa, ON – Department of Justice Canada

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, is pleased to announce the following judicial appointments for Ontario:

The Honourable Bonnie R. Warkentin, a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the province of Ontario, is appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Northwest Region, to replace the Honourable Justice Douglas C. Shaw, who resigned as Regional Senior Judge effective December 31, 2016.

The Honourable Justice Shaw was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in 2005. He received a Bachelor of Laws in 1973 and a Master of Arts in 1970, both from the University of Toronto, and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1975. He practised with Atwood Shaw Labine until the time of his appointment. He was appointed Regional Senior Justice of the Northwest Region on July 31, 2014.

The Honourable Bonnie R. Warkentin was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2008 and was appointed a Deputy Judge of the Territory of Nunavut in 2010. She has presided in both the Northwest and East regions of Ontario. From 2012 to 2015, she chaired the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee for Ontario – East and North. Justice Warkentin has experience in all the service areas of the Superior Court (criminal, civil, and family), including conducting complex civil and criminal cases. Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court, Justice Warkentin was a Bencher at the Law Society of Upper Canada and chaired or led a number of committees and task forces. Most notably, she was the first woman Chair of Finance in the Law Society's history.

Quick Facts

• The Superior Court of Justice of Ontario is broken down into eight judicial regions across the province.
• Regional Senior Judges exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Chief Justice in his or her region.
• The Superior Court of Justice of Ontario has jurisdiction over criminal, civil, and family cases, and is the largest superior trial court in Canada.
• The Divisional Court, Small Claims Court, and Family Court are all branches of the Superior Court of Justice.
• The Ontario Court of Appeal is composed of the Chief Justice of Ontario, the Associate Chief Justice of Ontario, and 20 other judges, supplemented from time to time by additional supernumerary judges, and hears more than 1000 appeals and more than 1000 motions each year. Appeals are heard by panels of three or sometimes five judges.

Associated Links

• Ontario Courts
• Government of Canada announces judicial appointments and reforms the appointments process to increase openness and transparency
• Application process for Minister's Judicial Advisory Committee
• Application process for Federal Judicial Appointments
• Canada's Court System
• Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs
• Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982
• Judges Act

Contacts

Valérie Gervais
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621

Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207

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