February 19, 2020
OTTAWA – Each year the Canadian Bar Association presents a number of awards honoring some of the brightest lights of the legal profession, people who have contributed measurably to the Association, the justice system and the legal profession.
This year’s awards will be presented during the Feb. 19 President’s Dinner at the Chateau Laurier, as part of the events surrounding the CBA’s 2020 Annual General Meeting.
Here are this year’s honorees:
Douglas Miller Rising Star Award
Sinziana Gutiu (Senior Program Manager GDPR & Compliance (Data & Trust Office), Telus) – A young lawyer and active CBA member who 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) – For her groundbreaking contributions to law reform in the areas of civil remedies for victims of sexual assault, together with her research and writing on changes to legislation in relation to domestic violence.
Louis St-Laurent Award of Excellence
Dean Scaletta (retired) – For his lifetime of service to the legal profession, and 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. He’s been described as “the face of the CBA and CCCA during decades of service.”
Touchstone Award
Patricia DeGuire (Deputy Judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice; a mediator, adjudicator and arbitrator who has served in the provincial and federal administrative law system for more than 25 years) – Recognizing her passion for justice, commitment to public service, and her ability to create consensus out of apparent chaos. She is especially honoured for her generous mentorship of young people, particularly young women, from historically marginalized societies.
CBA President’s Award
Hon. Juanita Westmoreland-Traor̩ (retired, former Judge of the Court of Quebec) РMadame Westmoreland-Traor̩ was the first black female dean of a Canadian law school, and the first black judge appointed in Quebec.
Hon. Hugh Fraser, (Mediator/Arbitrator, JAMS), (retired from the Ontario Court of Justice) – A former elite athlete, Mr. Fraser sat on the Dubin Commission looking into the use of banned substances in sports, and during his legal career worked extensively as an arbitrator in the sporting world.
For more information about this year’s award winners or to be accredited for the CBA’s Annual General Meeting, please contact Kim Covert.
About the CBA
The CBA is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 36,000 lawyers, notaries in Quebec, law teachers and law students from across Canada are members.