Patrick J. LeSage is the former Chief Justice of the

Ontario Superior Court of Justice The Superior Court of Justice (French: ''Cour supérieure de justice'') is a superior court in Ontario. The Court sits in 52 locations across the province, including 17 Family Court locations, and consists of over 300 federally appointed judges. ...

Career

Judicial career

He received his legal education at

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

in 1961. In 1975, at age 39, LeSage was appointed to Ontario's County and District Court. In 1983 he was named Associate Chief Judge of that court. In 1990, the County and District Court was merged into the Ontario Court (General Division). LeSage became Associate Chief Justice of that court in 1994 and Chief Justice in 1996. After the court system was reorganized in 1999, LeSage was Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice before retiring in 2002. In 1995, LeSage presided over the trial of

Paul Bernardo Paul Kenneth Bernardo (born August 27, 1964), also known as Paul Jason Teale, is a Canadian serial rapist and serial killer dubbed the Scarborough Rapist, the Schoolgirl Killer and, together with his former wife Karla Homolka, one of the Ken an ...

in connection with the kidnapping, torture, and murders of Kristen French and

Leslie Mahaffy Leslie Erin Mahaffy (July 5, 1976 – June 16, 1991) was a 14-year-old Canadian girl and the second murder victim of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. At the time of her death, she was a resident of Burlington, Ontario, and a Grade 9 student at M ...

St. Catharines, Ontario St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

. LeSage has said this was the case that affected him most profoundly in his career.

Post-Retirement

After retiring from the bench, LeSage practiced as Counsel at the law firm

Gowlings Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (Gowlings) was a Canadian and international law firm, with about 700 legal professionals in 10 offices in Canada, as well as in London, Moscow, and Beijing. The firm offered legal support in business law, advocacy/li ...

, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He has since retired from the firm. Since 2004, LeSage has sat on the

Board of Governors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. In 2005 he was elected a senior fellow of

Massey College Massey College is the postgraduate University of Toronto#Colleges, college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The college was established, built and ...

. He was also appointed a commissioner of the

Ontario Securities Commission The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC; French language, French: ''Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario'') is a regulation, regulatory agency which administers and enforces security (finance), securities legislation in the Canadian p ...

. The Government of Ontario appointed LeSage to conduct a review of the province's police complaints system; he presented his report on this matter in 2005. The Attorney General of Manitoba appointed LeSage to conduct an inquiry into the wrongful conviction of James Driskell for murder.

Awards and recognition

In December 2007 LeSage was appointed a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

for his contributions to the Ontario judiciary, notably as Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario, and for his ongoing dedication to public service. In 2009, he was made a member of the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

. LeSage holds honorary degrees from the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

(1996),

Laurentian University Laurentian University (), officially Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Laurentian offers a variety of undergr ...

(2001), and the

Law Society of Upper Canada The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; ) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; ), its name was changed by statu ...

(2006).

Personal

Justice LeSage was born and raised in Tweed, Ontario. Third of four children, his father Wilfred LeSage was of French Canadian ancestry; his mother Elizabeth "Mac" McGrath was of Irish ancestry. Uninterested in farming, Wilfred went into the automobile business in 1920, running a small car dealership, and later distributing petroleum. Justice LeSage lived on Metcalf Street and attended St. Carthagh's Catholic School in the 1940s. “I played hockey, but not very well. I played football with Jack Vance, but again, not well.” LeSage did not intend to become a lawyer. He admired the Jesuit priests who taught him in school, and briefly considered becoming a priest. He applied to join the order, was accepted, but decided not to pursue it. Following graduation from high school in Tweed, he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa. He returned to Tweed to work in the family fuel business, including driving a fuel truck, for a year and a half. He describes his pathway to studying law as a "fluke of circumstances", as a friend in Tweed - whose brother was the Dean of Osgoode Hall - encouraged him to attend law school. He calls himself a "habitual Catholic", but did not bring Catholic principles into his role as a lawyer or judge. LeSage has presided in every county or district courthouse in Ontario. LeSage is married to Susan Lang, who sits on the

Court of Appeal for Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently mistakenly referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal) (ONCA is the abbreviation for its neutral citation) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Ha ...

References

External links

official page at Gowlings.com Patrick LeSage Begins New Life in Law
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lesage, Patrick Living people Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Judges in Ontario Lawyers in Ontario Massey College, Toronto people Year of birth missing (living people)