ONTARIO JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, October 21, 2011 — The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

The Honourable John P.L. McDermot, a Judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Barrie, is appointed a Judge of the Family Division of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario to replace Mr. Justice P.Z. Magda, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of September 16, 2011 and whose position was transferred to Barrie.

Mr. Justice McDermot was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in October 2010. Prior to his appointment he was a partner with Craig, Boswell, McDermot in Barrie. His main areas of practice were family law, alternative dispute resolution, real estate, civil litigation, and wills and estates.

Mr. Justice McDermot received a Bachelor of Arts, History, in 1977 from Brock University and a Bachelor of Laws cum laude from the University of Ottawa in 1981. He was admitted to the Bars of Ontario and Alberta in 1982.

The Honourable John R. McCarthy, a lawyer with Will Barristers in Midland, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Barrie to replace Mr. Justice J.P.L. McDermot, who has been transferred to the Family Division of the Superior Court of Justice.

Mr. Justice McCarthy received a Bachelor of Arts from St. Michael's College of the University of Toronto in 1988. He received a Bachelor of Laws from Queen's University in 1991, and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1993.

Mr. Justice McCarthy has been counsel with Will Barristers since 2006. He has been Deputy Judge of the Small Claims Court (Central East Region) since 2004. He was a partner at McCarthy, Bergeron, Rastin, Clifford from 2002 to 2006, and partner at Ferguson Barristers, McCarthy & Rastin from 1997 to 2002. He was an associate with Ferguson & Boeckle from 1993 to 1997. His main area of practice was civil litigation, with a focus on general insurance claims, disability claims, no-fault benefit disputes, and contract litigation.

Mr. Justice McCarthy was a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association. He has been a member of the Simcoe County Law Association since 1991 and of l'Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario since 2007. He is past-president of the Midland-Penetanguishene Bar Association and the Midland Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of numerous community organizations.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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Ref.:

• Julie Vaux
  Director of Communications
  Office of the Minister of Justice
  613-992-4621

• Media Relations
  Department of Justice
  613-957-4207