Ontario Judicial Appointment Announced

OTTAWA, December 14, 2012 – 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 Peter D. Lauwers, a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket, is appointed a Judge of the Ontario Court of Appeal, to replace Mr. Justice
R.P. Armstrong, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of September 1, 2012.

Mr. Justice Lauwers received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1978, and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1980. He obtained a Master of Laws from York University in 1983. 

Mr. Justice Lauwers was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in 2008. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner with Miller Thomson LLP, where his main areas of practice were civil litigation, administrative law, constitutional law, human rights law, and municipal law. He was a partner at Holden Day Wilson from 1990 to 1995, and practised with Day, Wilson, Campbell from 1980 to 1990.

In addition to his regular duties, Mr. Justice Lauwers has sat on the Divisional Court and has been a frequent speaker for several organizations, including the Advocates Society, the National Judicial Institute, and the Ontario Bar Association.

The Honourable David L. Edwards, a lawyer with Lancaster, Brooks & Welch in St. Catharines, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice (Brampton), to replace Madam Justice B. Wein, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of November 1, 2012.

Mr. Justice Edwards received a Bachelor of Laws (Juris Doctor) from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1976, and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1977. He obtained a Master of Laws in 2012.
 
Mr. Justice Edwards practised with Lancaster, Brooks & Welch from1979. He has been a Certified Specialist in Corporate and Commercial Law since 2005. His main areas of practice were commercial, corporate, estates, real estate and administrative law.

Mr. Justice Edwards had been a member of the Ontario Civilian Police Commission since 2004 and Vice-Chair since 2011. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Brock University from 1994 to 2005 and Chair from 2000 to 2003; in 2008, he was named Trustee Emeritus. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Lincoln County Law Association. He is a member of the Rotary Club of St. Catharines, and a past member of the board.

The Honourable Michael N. Varpio, a lawyer with the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario in Sault Ste. Marie, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice (Sault Ste. Marie), to replace Mr. Justice G. Ellies, who was transferred to North Bay.

Mr. Justice Varpio received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario in 1994 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1997, and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1999. He obtained a Masters in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business in 2004. 

Mr. Justice Varpio was an assistant Crown attorney in Brampton and Sault Ste. Marie from 2000. He also practised with O’Neill DeLorenzi Cresswell Ostroski in Sault Ste. Marie (2008 to 2009), Lerners LLP (2006 to 2008), and Hodgson Tough Shields DesBrisay O’Donnell in Toronto. His main areas of practice were criminal law, general commercial litigation, securities and insurance defence litigation, and family law.

Mr. Justice Varpio has been an adjunct professor of law at Algoma University College since 2010 and a representative of North-eastern Ontario for the Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association since 2009. He has been a member of the Alumni Association of Huron University College since 1998 and was president from 2005 to 2008. He has given lectures to a variety of police forces.

This appointment is effective immediately.

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Ref.:

• Julie Di Mambro
  Press Secretary
  Office of the Minister of Justice
  613-992-4621

• Media Relations
  Department of Justice
  613-957-4207