Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS OBA honours its best McMurtry urges continued fight for equality as he picks up President's Award BY MICHAEL McKIERNAN Law Times equality in Ontario when a let- ter arrived on his desk from a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1975, as the province's at- R torney general, he chaired the fi rst cabinet committee on race relations when David Duke, a Louisiana Klan member, made his outrage known to him. "I still have this letter framed in my offi ce," McMurtry said at the Ontario Bar Association's annual awards gala. "Th is letter is a protest against oy McMurtry knew he was on the right track with the fi ght for your anti-white policies which have been in direct opposition to the interests of the white Canadian population," Duke wrote before going on to issue an ominous warning. "Take heed that your nefari- ous anti-white activities are be- ing monitored and recorded by our international Klan move- ment. If you persist in your treacherous activities against the white race, I can assure you that there can only be grave consequences." McMurtry, still standing more than 30 years later, picked up the President's Award dur- ing the ceremony at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Toronto. OBA President Carole Brown has made the advancement of equity-seeking groups a prior- ity during her tenure, an ideal she sees encapsulated in Mc- Murtry's 52-year legal career. She cited his central role in the creation of the Char- ter of Rights and Freedoms, especially s. 15, which guar- antees equality before the law. Decades later, as chief justice of Ontario, he would rule the provision compelled the prov- ince to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples. As at- torney general, he also led the creation of a bilingual court system in Ontario. "While unpopular with Untitled-1 1 6/22/10 12:45:59 PM some of my more re- actionary caucus col- leagues, it was clearly the right decision and I'm sure is now sup- ported by the vast ma- jority of Ontarians," McMurtry said. He urged his OBA colleagues to continue to lead the fi ght for equality in the future. "While members of the legal profession have a vast range of interests to serve, I be- lieve we are truly at our best when we battle on behalf of equality, eq- uity, and human dig- nity," McMurtry said. Dianne Saxe, a June 28, 2010 • Law Times Former attorney general Roy McMurtry receives the President's Award from OBA President Carole Brown. member of the OBA's environ- mental law section for almost 20 years, accepted one of three Distinguished Service awards. With oil spills and climate change topping the news agen- da, she says times have changed since her early days in practice, when colleagues dubbed envi- ronmental lawyers the "frogs- and-logs brigade." "We're a very small minority in the bar association but, on the other hand, I think that we have been successful in work- ing with many of the other sections and have persuaded at least some of them that en- vironmental law issues are im- portant to them both person- ally and professionally." Still, Saxe notes that despite Experienced Commercial Litigation Lawyers Required Toronto law fi rm requires two commercial litigation lawyers: First position: • 4-6 years of direct commercial litigation experience in Toronto courts • Well organized with above average client skills • Ability to work independently and also as part of a team Second Position: • 10+ years of direct commercial litigation experience in Ontario • Minimum of 10 trials and 30 contested motions • Leadership and administrative abilities (this is a partnership track position) • Results oriented – must have excellent track record The fi rm offers challenging and interesting work, collegial fi rm culture & competitive compensation package. All applications held in strict confi dence: torontolitigationposition@gmail.com Heydary_LT_June21_01.indd 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 6/16/10 3:26:02 PM an increased profi le for envi- ronmental law, most lawyers continue to avoid it. "We're stealing what we owe our chil- dren; we're ruining it. In my little corner of the world, we need lawyers urgently who can make a diff erence." Jacqueline Armstrong Gates, chairwoman of the awards committee, says Saxe was cho- sen for putting the OBA at the heart of the development of environmental law reform in Ontario along with her ex- tensive writing and numerous submissions on the issue. For Armstrong Gates, the awards provide a rare opportuni- ty to put the spotlight on the vol- unteers who keep the OBA run- ning. "Th ese people are kind of unsung heroes," she says. "Th ey quietly do their thing behind the scenes, and this way they are rec- ognized in the public domain for all they have done." When she makes the phone calls to the winners, it can be a humbling experience. "Th ese people have accomplished so much in their lifetimes, and it makes you feel sometimes a lit- tle insignifi cant but it also mo- tivates you because you think if they can do that and give back, then we can also give back." Former OBA presidents Steven Rosenhek and Jona- than Speigel won the other two awards for distinguished service. Rosenhek played a key role in the regulation of parale- gals as chairman of the OBA's paralegal task force. "We should be justifi ably proud of what we have done," he said. "We are now the fi rst jurisdiction in North America that has a comprehensive para- legal regulation system in place, and no doubt it will be a model blueprint for many other juris- dictions in the future." Speigel got his call from Armstrong Gates within min- utes of resigning from the bylaw committee, which he chaired. "I should have re- signed earlier," he quipped. Audrey Ramsay, the chair- woman of the OBA's civil liti- gation section who won the Linda Adlam Manning Award for Volunteerism, said that becoming involved with the organization had increased her appreciation for its work. "You realize just how hard and dedicated the volunteers are. Th ey give generously of their time and eff ort to give you good programs to advocate." Attorney General Chris Bentley also presented the Da- vid W. Mundell Medal for legal writing to William Kaplan, a lawyer and arbitrator, and Bren- da Cossman, a professor at the University of Toronto. LT See you July 12 Due to the upcoming holiday, Law Times will not publish in print next week. We will return on July 12, 2010. Meanwhile, enjoy fresh content on our web site at: www.lawtimesnews.com

• Cover
• 100 Years
• Doing The Math
• Focus On Municipal & Planning Law