Ontario Bar Association President, Katy Commisso, is recognizing Ontario’s Justice Centres with the association’s annual OBA President’s Award.
Widely regarded as one of the most promising initiatives transforming the criminal justice system in Ontario, Justice Centres are being recognized for their innovative, collaborative approach in revolutionizing the way justice is delivered – bringing together courts, community and critical social supports from across sectors to address the root causes of crime and reduce repeat involvement in the justice system while strengthen public safety and community wellbeing.
“The work happening at all four Ontario Justice Centres reflects that safety, stability, and fairness are all interconnected,” says OBA President Katy Commisso.
“Legal issues are increasingly tied to complex social challenges, such as mental health, addiction, or housing instability, that the traditional court system was never designed to solve on its own,” she explains. “Ontario’s Justice Centres are taking the kind of creative, integrated, and equitable approach to modernizing our justice system that align with and meet the realities of the people living in our communities.”
Ontario’s Justice Centres are an innovative community court model developed by the Ministry of the Attorney General in partnership with community and the Ontario Court of Justice, with financial support from the Department of Justice. There are currently four justice centres across the province.
The OBA President was in Kenora and Treaty #3 Territory on April 28 and took the opportunity to make a special presentation of the award to the Indigenous leadership, Elders and Traditional Knowledge Advisors, the Ontario Court of Justice, and team behind the Ga naan a ga da waa ba dang Justice Centre.
She will visit the Toronto Downtown East Justice Centre and the OCJ-T Youth Justice Centre on May 13 and the London Justice Centre on in June 8 to celebrate with each of those communities as well.
Additionally, partners across the courts and government involved with the administration of all four Ontario Justice Centres will be recognized at the OBA’s annual Awards Gala taking place during the evening of May 13.
“Justice Centres are transforming how justice is delivered across Ontario,” said Attorney General Doug Downey. “We are honoured to stand with our community partners to receive the prestigious Ontario Bar Association's President’s Award in recognition of this innovative community court model. Justice Centres play a key role in breaking the cycle of offending by connecting more at-risk individuals with critical supports, including addiction services, mental health counselling, education, and life skills training."
“The Ontario Court of Justice is grateful to the Ontario Bar Association for the presentation of its President’s Award and for the OBA’s valuable recognition of the transformational change that Justice Centres are having in communities across the province,” said Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas. “Justice Centres are more than just places. They are groundbreaking approaches to how justice is achieved, particularly for overrepresented groups, Indigenous and racialized individuals, and those facing mental health or addiction challenges. We are thankful for this award and for the commitment from the Ministry of the Attorney General and all our justice partners as we continue to build an innovative, principled justice system.”
Each year, the OBA President's Award recognizes the significant contribution of an individual or organization, which, in the view of the current OBA president, has made a significant impact on the advancement of justice. Previous winners include the Hon. Roy McMurtry (2010), the Canadian Cross-Border Legal Coalition (2018) and Kristin Taylor, Carla Potter, Ardy Mohajer and Noble Chummar (2022).
Other awards to be handed out at next month’s gala include:
Award for Distinguished Service
The Honourable Stephen E. Firestone, Superior Court of Justice
Mary Jackson, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
S. George Joseph, Petrone & Partners
Joel Kuchar Award for Professionalism and Civility
Marco Falco, Torkin Manes LLP
Linda Adlam Manning Award for Volunteerism
Carlo Di Carlo, Stockwoods LLP
Abdalla Barqawi Bridge Builder Award (NEW)
Student Group: Hanaa Ameer-Uddin, Shayna Horvath, Ferdous Hasan, and Arjun Gupta
The Abdalla Barqawi Bridge Builder Award is a new award that recognizes significant contributions made in the profession or in broader society to reduce polarization. The inaugural winners are a group of University of Ottawa Law students and alumni who are being celebrated for their exceptional contributions to fostering respectful discourse following the world events that took place on October 7, 2023 – events that marked a particularly challenging time for Jewish and Muslim students.
In the supporting nominations for the award, both members of the bar and academia acknowledged the wisdom, professionalism and thoughtful judgement that these up-and-coming lawyers demonstrated at a time marked by polarization and heightened emotion. Their actions reflect the highest ideals of the legal profession and the spirit of bridge-building at the heart of the OBA’s new and meaningful award.
The OBA Awards Gala is an annual celebration of the achievements of some of Ontario’s brightest legal stars. It takes place on Wednesday, May 13 downtown Toronto at the Twenty Toronto Street Conference Centre.