News Release

For Immediate Release
October 19, 2005

Attorney General Appoints Judge For Child Protection Cases In Kitchener/Guelph

TORONTO — The McGuinty government is improving court access for at-risk children and their families by appointing Lynda Rogers as a provincial judge to the Ontario Court of Justice, Attorney General Michael Bryant announced today. She is one of a number of expected appointments that will increase the complement of judges that hear family and child protection cases.

"Children are a priority for this government, and we are committed to working with the judiciary and our justice partners to move child protection cases through the system as quickly and effectively as possible," said Bryant. "Madam Justice Rogers has a great deal of expertise in family law. I am confident this experience will serve her well in her new position on the bench."

Called to the Bar in 1983, Madam Justice Rogers practised in the areas of family and criminal law, wills and estates, and real estate. In 1988, she became a sole practitioner primarily focusing on family law litigation. She has been a duty counsel for Legal Aid Ontario and is a member of the Area Legal Aid Committee in Hamilton. Madam Justice Rogers has a strong background in custody and child protection matters, and has been a panel member and legal counsel for the Office of the Children's Lawyer, the Family Responsibility Office, and the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.

Madam Justice Rogers has been a board member of the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, and a Community Advisory committee member of the Community Action Program for Children. She has held various executive positions at the Hamilton Law Association, including president, and has given numerous seminars to the association.

Chief Justice Brian W. Lennox has assigned Madam Justice Rogers to preside in Kitchener/Guelph effective October 19, 2005.

A steady increase in child protection cases has led to the need for more family judges. Recent initiatives, undertaken to address potential delays in child protection cases, include:

• Education sessions for parents' counsel through the Law Society of Upper Canada
• A brochure for families involved in child protection cases
• Work on child protection mediation
• Greater use of videoconferencing in the North.

"We have also been working with the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice on a joint initiative to establish pilot court and community liaison committees in the court locations which will benefit from the increase in the complement of family judges," said Bryant. "This is already helping to foster cooperation and solutions at the local level."

Bryant has appointed 34 judges since the McGuinty government was sworn in on October 23, 2003.

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