The President’s Dinner in Ottawa on February 19 saw some of the brightest lights in the Canadian legal community recognized with CBA awards. This year’s recipients include:
CBA President’s Award
Hon. Juanita Westmoreland-TraorĂ© (retired, former Judge of the Court of Quebec) – Madame Westmoreland-TraorĂ© was the first black female dean of a Canadian law school, a role she held at the University of Windsor from 1996 to 1999, when she became the first black judge appointed in Quebec.
Hon. Hugh Fraser, (Mediator/Arbitrator, JAMS; retired from the Ontario Court of Justice) – A former Olympic sprinter, Justice Fraser worked extensively as an arbitrator in the sporting world. He was appointed as a judge in 1993 and spent 25 years on the bench. He joined JAMS in 2019.
Louis St-Laurent Award of Excellence
Dean Scaletta (retired) – Described as “the face of the CBA and CCCA during decades of service,” Mr. Scaletta is being recognized for a lifetime of service to the legal profession—especially the 26 years he spent as an exceptional volunteer with the CBA, at the Branch and national levels as well as with the CCCA.
Douglas Miller Rising Star Award
Sinziana Gutiu (Senior Program Manager GDPR & Compliance (Data & Trust Office), Telus) – A young lawyer and active CBA member, Ms. Gutiu is already making a name for herself as an expert in privacy law and in the growing field of law surrounding roboticization.
Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law
Jennifer Koshan (Faculty of Law, University of Calgary) – Professor Koshan has made ground-breaking contributions to law reform in the areas of civil remedies for victims of sexual assault, combined with her research and writing on changes to legislation in relation to domestic violence.
Touchstone Award
Patricia DeGuire (Deputy Judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice; a mediator, adjudicator and arbitrator) – In addition to having served in the provincial and federal administrative law system for more than 25 years, Ms. DeGuire is honoured especially for her generous mentorship of young people, particularly young women, from historically marginalized societies.
Jack Innes Award
Jonathan Clancy (Director of Marketing & Information Technology, Ontario Bar Association) – With more than a decade of experience at the OBA, Mr. Clancy is recognized for his creativity and collaborative working style.