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Federation of Ontario Law Associations
  • Home
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    • Criminal Law
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    • MAG
    • MINISTRY OF FINANCE
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    • Rules of Practice
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    • BENCHER ELECTIONS 2023
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  • RESOURCES
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    • Membership Resources
    • Law Students & Articling
    • Other Useful Links

Statement clarifying FullStop Campaign Statements on Courthouse Libraries

READ IT HERE

BENCHER ELECTIONS 2023

VOTING

LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

GET ENGAGED!

The next Law Society bencher election is in April 2023! 


April 19 to April 28, 2023: Voting occurs

May 1, 2023: Results announced

May 25, 2023: Benchers officially “take office” at meeting of Convocation


Voting procedures for the 2023 Bencher Election 

The procedures provide information on the conduct of the election such as voter eligibility and anonymity, casting votes online or by phone and the announcement of results.

VOTING PROCEEDURES

GET ENGAGED!

LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

GET ENGAGED!

  

What better way to get all your local Bencher candidates together to hear about where they stand on the issues than to host a Bencher Candidate event at your Law Association?  


You could host a debate, a panel forum, or even a meet and greet.  


And don't forget to inform the local press.

LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

LEARN ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

FOLA'S CANDIDATE SURVEY

==========

CANDIDATES AND PARTIAL SURVEY RESPONSES

(ALPHABETICALLY BY REGION) 


In advance of the bencher election set for April 28, 2023, FOLA is working to provide Law Association members with an easy way to identify “FOLA Friendly” candidates who complete our survey

  

Our survey focuses on the following priority topics:

  1. Whether the candidate is a contributing member of their county or district law association;
  2. Whether, if elected, the candidate will support a properly funded courthouse library system; and
  3. Whether, if elected, the candidate will work to support a sustainably-funded Legal Aid system that provides access to justice for low-income Ontarians and ensures that Legal Aid practice continues to be viable service for the private bar to offer.


For transparency, all candidate responses received by our deadline of March 22, 2023 at 5pm (Eastern Time) will be published online, in full, with candidate profiles. Responses will not be edited in any way unless they exceed our word limit. We will also indicate if a candidate did not respond by the deadline. We reserve the right to excerpt portions of any responses provided to us, for our ongoing use during the election. 


Our bencher election committee will also review all responses and may use those responses to identify “FOLA-Friendly” candidates – i.e., those that most closely align with the priorities of county and district law associations and their members. 

 

CANDIDATES AND PARTIAL SURVEY RESPONSES

(ALPHABETICALLY BY REGION) 

TORONTO CANDIDATES HERE

CANDIDATE PROFILES

CENTRAL EAST LAWYER CANDIDATES

Russell Alexander

Unaffiliated

Current Member, Victoria Haliburton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current   funding for LiRN?   

YES   

Q: Do   you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation   of Ontario?   

YES   

Q: Will   you advocate for LAO funding?   

YES    

Q: Should   paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?     

No, it should be reduced      

Q: Should   paralegals pay an annual competency levy?   

YES    

Edward Choi

FullStop

Current Member, York Region Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

NO


 

Arwa DeSantis

Unaffiliated

Info

Horatiu Druma-Strugariu

Unaffiliated

Not a Current Member of his Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

YES

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Kathryn Whitehead

Good Governance

info

Alexander David Wilkes

FullStop

Current Bencher

Arslan Ali Zaidi

Unaffiliated

info

CENTRAL EAST LAWYER CANDIDATE RESPONSES IN FULL

CLICK HERE (Coming soon)


CENTRAL SOUTH LAWYER CANDIDATES

Winfield Corcoran

Unaffiliated

info

Laura L. Emmett

Good Governance

info

Michael LeSage

FullStop

Current Bencher

Current Member, Lincoln County Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Grace Pang

FullStop

Current Member, Lincoln County Law Association 

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

YES

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Trevor Parry

FullStop

Current Bencher

Current Member, Hamilton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

YES

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Andrew Spurgeon

Good Governance

Current Bencher

Current Member, Hamilton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES


David Steele

Unaffiliated

info

Stephanie L. Sutherland

Good Governance

Current Member, Waterloo Region Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

YES

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Michael Winward

Good Governance

Current Member, Hamilton Law Association

Past Chair, FOLA

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

CENTRAL EAST LAWYER CANDIDATE RESPONSES IN FULL

 CLICK HERE (Coming soon) 


CENTRAL WEST LAWYER CANDIDATES

Hogarth Clauzel

FullStop

info

Jennifer Gold

Good Governance

info

Gary D. Graham

FullStop

Current Bencher

Mian Hakeem

Unaffiliated

Current Member, Peel Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Cathi Mietkiewicz

Good Governance

info

Brian L. Prill

FullStop

Current Bencher

Sunish Rai Uppal

FullStop

info

CENTRAL WEST LAWYER CANDIDATE RESPONSES IN FULL

 CLICK HERE (Coming soon) 


EAST LAWYER CANDIDATES

Jacqueline Y. Beckles

Unaffiliated

info

Neha Chugh

Good Governance

Current Member, Prescott & Russell Law Association and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Law Association  

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Jean-Jacques Desgranges

FullStop

Current Bencher

Antoine Collins

Unaffiliated

Current Member, County of Carleton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Mitchell Kitagawa

Good Governance

Current Member, County of Carleton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Cheryl Lean

FullStop

Current Bencher

Current Member, Hastings & Prince Edward County Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

NO

Andrej Litvinjenko

FullStop

info

Cecil Lyon

FullStop

Current Bencher

Current Member, County of Carleton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES


Sonia Ouellet

Good Governance

info

Natalia U. Rodriguez

Good Governance

Current Member, County of Carleton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Stéphane Sérafin

FullStop

info

Douglas Treilhard

FullStop

info

M. Anne Vespry

Unaffiliated

Former Bencher

Current Member, Carleton County Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

YES

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

EAST LAWYER CANDIDATE RESPONSES IN FULL

info


NORTHEAST LAWYER CANDIDATES

Daly Canie

FullStop

info

Joelle Malette

Good Gevernance

info

Serge F. Treherne

Unaffiliated

info

NORTHEAST LAWYER CANDIDATE RESPONSES IN FULL

 CLICK HERE (Coming soon) 


NORTHWEST LAWYER CANDIDATES

Ryan Alford

FullStop

Current Bencher

Current Member, Thunder Bay Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No - it should be reduced

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Etienne Esquega

Unaffiliated

Current Bencher

Current Member, Thunder Bay Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Cheryl C. M. Siran

Good Governance

Current Bencher

Current Member & Past President, Kenora District Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

NORTHWEST LAWYER CANDIDATE RESPONSES IN FULL

 CLICK HERE (Coming soon) 


SOUTHWEST LAWYER CANDIDATES

Lisa D. S. Bildy

FullStop

info

Rod Catford

Unaffiliated

Current Member, Lambton Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No, it should be reduced

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Gerard Charette

FullStop

Current Bencher

Current Member, Essex Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No, it should be reduced

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Jacqueline Horvat

Good Governance

Current Bencher, Treasurer 

Current Member, Essex Law Association and the Toronto Lawyers' Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES


Karen Hulan

Good Governance

Past President, Middlesex Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current   funding for LiRN?   

YES   

Q: Do   you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation   of Ontario?   

YES   

Q: Will   you advocate for LAO funding?   

YES    

Q: Should   paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?     

Yes, the Law Society should   look for additional areas to expand paralegal scope of practice   

Q: Should   paralegals pay an annual competency levy?   

YES    

Jasminka Kalajdzic

Good Governance

Past Member, Essex Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Greg Monforton

Good Governance

Current Member, Essex Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

YES

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

No further than the FLSP

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Kevin L. Ross

Good Governance

info

Quinn Ross

Good Governance

Current Bencher

Michael Wills

FullStop

Current Member, Essex Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

NO

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

YES

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

Matthew Wilson

Good Governance

Current Member, Middlesex Law Association

Q: Will you support maintaining current funding for LiRN?

NO

Q: Do you support offloading funding for LiRN/law libraries to the Law Foundation of Ontario?

NO

Q: Will you advocate for LAO funding?

YES 

Q: Should paralegals’ scope of practice be expanded?  

YES

Q: Should paralegals pay an annual competency levy?

YES

SOUTHWEST LAWYER CANDIDATE RESPONSES IN FULL

 CLICK HERE (Coming soon) 


outside toronto lawyer candidates

Russell Alexander

Central East

info

Ryan Alford

Northwest

info

Jacqueline Y. Beckles

East

Info

Lisa D. S. Bildy

Southwest

info

Daly Canie

Northeast

info

Rod Catford

Southwest

info

Gerard Charette

Southwest

info

Edward Choi

Central East

info

Neha Chugh

East

info

Hogarth Clauzel

Central West

info

Winfield Corcoran

Central South

info

Arwa DeSantis

Central East

info

Jean-Jacques Desgranges

East

info

Horatiu Druma-Strugariu

Central East

info

Laura L. Emmett

Central South

info

Etienne Esquega

Northwest

info

Jennifer Gold

Central West

info

Gary D. Graham

Central West

info

Mian Hakeem

Central West

info

Jacqueline Horvat

Southwest

info

Karen Hulan

Southwest

info

Jasminka Kalajdzic

Southwest

info

Mitchell Kitagawa

East

info

Cheryl Lean

East

info

Michael LeSage

Central South

info

Andrej Litvinjenko

East

info

Cecil Lyon

East

info

Joelle Malette

Northeast

info

Cathi Mietkiewicz

Central West

info

Greg Monforton

Southwest

info

Sonia Ouellet

East

info

Grace Pang

Central South

info

Trevor Parry

Central South

info

Brian L. Prill

Central West

info

Natalia U. Rodriguez

East

info

Kevin L. Ross

Southwest

info

Quinn Ross

Southwest

info

Stéphane Sérafin

East

info

Cheryl C. M. Siran

Northwest

info

Andrew Spurgeon

Central South

info

Suresh Sriskandarajah

Central East

info

David Steele

Central South

info

Stephanie L. Sutherland

Central South

info

Serge F. Treherne

Northeast

info

Douglas Treilhard

East

info

Sunish Rai Uppal

Central West

info

M. Anne Vespry

East

info

Kathryn Whitehead

Central East

info

Alexander David Wilkes

Central East

info

Michael Wills

Southwest

info

Matthew Wilson

Southwest

info

Michael Winward

Central South

info

Arslan Ali Zaidi

Central East

info

ARTICLES BY BENCHERS AND BENCHER CANDIDATES

ARTICLES BY BENCHERS & FORMER BENCHER CANDIDATES

“YOU’RE A WHAT?” A NEW BENCHER’S VIEW OF CONVOCATION AND WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE 2023 BENCHER ELECTION

Article written by Cheryl Siran, Bencher from Kenora, ON on what being a Bencher is really all about. Jan 2023


WELLNESS: SOMETIMES LOSING IS WINNING

An article written by Darryl Singer, who ran - and lost - for Bencher in 2019


THE LAW SOCIETY SHOULD NOT ADOPT A PARTY SYSTEM 

An article by Bencher Joseph Groia in Canadian Lawyer


Wellness_ Sometimes losing is winning _ Darryl Singer - The Lawyer's Daily (pdf)Download
If you are thinking about running for the 2023 Bencher elections (pdf)Download
Article on being a bencher - Cheryl Siran - 2023 (pdf)Download
STG Notice Bencher Election - Feb 13 2023 (pdf)Download

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