Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani revealed appointments
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani has announced five new judicial appointments in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Patrick J. Boucher, currently serving as a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Sudbury, is appointed the Regional Senior Judge for the Northeast Region, succeeding Justice Gregory Ellies.
Boucher was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2009 as a local administrative judge, a director of the Association of Ontario Judges, an education chair for the Northeast, and a member of the Chief Justice's Judicial Pre-trial Best Practices Working Group. He entered private practice 1998 and spent most of his time in family and criminal litigation in Cochrane North.
Michael B. J. Carnegie, a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in London, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in London. Carnegie served as local administrative justice in 2022 and was responsible for implementing local practices to mitigate case backlogs. He also worked as regional crown counsel, where he prosecuted major cases, conducted conflict prosecutions, provided legal advice to prosecutors and police, and advised the director of Crown Operations on various matters.
Stephen J. Wojciechowski, partner at ERYOU Barristers in Thunder Bay, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Thunder Bay. Wojciechowski started as an associate with Buset & Eryou, now known as Buset LLP, in a practice which included real estate, wills, labour law, and family law. In 1996, he formed ERYOU Barristers, focusing on insurance defence litigation. He has defended claims involving hospital negligence, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful dismissals, human rights applications, and municipal liability claims.
Evelyn M. ten Cate, partner at Fosters Law LLP in London, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in London. She worked as a family lawyer at Bastedo Stewart Smith in Toronto and then for Landry Law Firm in London. In 1996, she joined Cockburn Foster Townsend and Graham in London (now Fosters Law LLP) and became a partner in 2004. She worked as a personal injury and insurance defence litigator for 28 years, appearing at all levels of the Ontario courts.
The final appointment features Joanna M. Shaw, founder of JMS Law in Barrie, taking on the role of a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, Family Court, in Newmarket. Shaw was a summer student and articled at Parkdale Community Legal Clinic. She became a sole practitioner until starting her firm, JMS Law, in 2015. Shaw specializes in family, real estate, and criminal law. She served as duty counsel in family and criminal court and as an agent for the Office of the Children's Lawyer for much of her career. She was also a mediator on the panel of the Mediation Centre in Barrie.
Minister Virani said, "I wish Justices Boucher, Carnegie, Wojciechowski, ten Cate, and Shaw every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve Ontarians well as members of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario."
