The Honourable Dennis O’Connor, O.C., OOnt, Q.C., sat on the Court of Appeal for Ontario from 1998 to 2012 and served as the Associate Chief Justice of Ontario from 2001 until he retired in late-2012.
He also served as a deputy judge of the Yukon Supreme Court. He wrote numerous reported judgments on a wide variety of issues, including commercial, securities and insurance law. He also conducted two successful public inquiries: the Walkerton Inquiry (2000-2002) and the Maher Arar Inquiry (2004-2006).
Prior to his appointment to the Court of Appeal, Dennis was a senior counsel with Borden & Elliot (a predecessor firm of Borden Ladner Gervais) for 18 years. His practice focused on commercial and public law litigation, where he appeared as lead counsel on many major cases in Ontario and throughout Canada.
Experience
- Appointed Magistrate in the Yukon Territory in 1973, where he served until 1976.
- Sat as a Deputy Magistrate of the Northwest Territories.
- Sat as a Provincial Court judge in the northern regions of British Columbia.
- Acted as chief negotiator for the Government of Canada for the Yukon Indian Land Claim, 1980-84.
- Served as chair of the Judicial Independence Committee and the Priorities and Planning Committee of the Canadian Judicial Council, 2007-2010.
- Appointed Magistrate in the Yukon Territory in 1973, where he served until 1976.
- Sat as a Deputy Magistrate of the Northwest Territories.
- Sat as a Provincial Court judge in the northern regions of British Columbia.
- Acted as chief negotiator for the Government of Canada for the Yukon Indian Land Claim, 1980-84.
- Served as chair of the Judicial Independence Committee and the Priorities and Planning Committee of the Canadian Judicial Council, 2007-2010.