The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
The Honourable Sally A. Gomery, a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Ottawa, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Toronto. Justice Gomery replaces Justice M.H. Tulloch (Toronto), who was appointed Chief Justice of Ontario on December 15, 2022.
The Honourable Jonathan Dawe, a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Toronto. Justice Dawe replaces Justice M.-L. Benotto, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 1, 2023.
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"I wish Justices Gomery and Dawe every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve Ontarians well as members of the Court of Appeal for Ontario"
-The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biographies
Justice Sally A. Gomery received degrees in common law and civil law from McGill University. She was admitted to the Ontario bar in 1995.
At the time of her appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2017, Justice Gomery was a partner with Ogilvy Renault (now Norton Rose Fulbright) in Ottawa. She was previously an associate with McCarthy Tétrault in Montreal after she articled at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Justice Gomery was recognized for her exceptional written and oral advocacy skills. During 26 years as a civil litigator, she handled a wide array of disputes, but was particularly active in the areas of insurance, medical malpractice and health sector regulation, and class action defence. She was the head of her firm's Business Ethics and Anti-Corruption team.
Justice Jonathan Dawe received a B.Sc. from McGill University (1987) and began doctoral studies in theoretical particle physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He graduated as Bronze Medallist from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 1994 and clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada before receiving his LL.M. from Yale Law School in 1996. He was admitted to the Ontario bar in 1997.
At the time of his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2018, Justice Dawe practised criminal law for more than twenty years, first in the criminal law group at Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP, and then at his own law firm, Dawe & Dineen. He served as Associate Commission Counsel to the judicial inquiry in Manitoba into the wrongful conviction of James Driskell from 2006 to 2007. His legal practice focused mainly on criminal appeals.
Justice Dawe participated in numerous significant appeals in the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He spent many years as an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, teaching courses on criminal procedure and the Charter.
Justice Dawe is an avid baseball fan, kayaker, and guitar player. He grew up in and around Vancouver, and now lives in Durham Region with his wife and their two university-age children.
