(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

TO SERVE RED DEER, CAMROSE, WETASKIWIN

New justice appointed to central division of Alberta

Aug 29, 2024 | 5:09 PM

Central Alberta has just been appointed a new justice, Gina Toni, who will serve the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer, Camrose, and Wetaskiwin.

Toni received her bachelor of laws from the University of Saskatchewan in 2004. She has worked as an associate and a partner with Altalaw in Red Deer, specializing in family law. She was also a member of the Court of King’s Bench Family Law Consulting Committee, where she provided input on improving the efficiency of the family court. Since 2007, she has been an active member, past membership chair and current treasurer of the Association of Collaborative Law Lawyers of Central Alberta.

Her appointment begins September 6, 2024.

Alongside Toni, two new assistant chief justices, and two other justices were appointed to various regions in Alberta.

Assistant chief justices play a role in supporting the chief justice and overseeing legal matters in their respective regions. Justices hear all criminal cases under federal statutes and all offences under provincial statutes and municipal bylaws, as well as family and child protection cases and certain civil disputes.

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“Congratulations to these outstanding jurists and legal professionals on their respective appointments. They have consistently demonstrated their deep understanding of the law and commitment to justice throughout their careers. I am confident that they will bring the same intelligence and fairness to these new roles,” said Mickey Amery, minister of justice and attorney general.

The other new judicial appointments include:

• Susan Borsic, KC
  • Will serve Calgary Family and Youth Division
  • Received a bachelor of laws (with distinction) from the University of New Brunswick in 1998 and was awarded the medal for highest standing in her law school graduating class. She spent her articles clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada. Prior to her current role as manager of professional development at the Canadian Bar Association, she worked as a litigation associate at two national law firms, senior legal counsel to the Chief Justice of Alberta, senior legal counsel for the Alberta Human Rights Commission, and resolution counsel at the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta.
  • Appointment starts October 15, 2024
• Justice Eric Brooks
  • Will serve Southern Region
  • Received his bachelor of laws from the University of Alberta Law School in 1986. He worked as a sole practitioner in Edmonton from 1987 to 1995, focusing on criminal and family law, and joined the Legal Aid Youth Office as a staff defence lawyer in 1995. He became a Crown counsel with Alberta Justice in 1998. He was appointed a justice with the Alberta Court of Justice in April 2011, serving the Southern Region. He also served as lead justice in the Medicine Hat Drug Treatment Court.
  • Appointment starts September 30, 2024
• James Sawa
  • Will serve Calgary Criminal Division/Calgary Region
  • Received a bachelor of laws from the University of Calgary in 1991. He is currently senior counsel for the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service in Calgary, where he has held several roles since 2006, including Crown prosecutor, assistant chief Crown prosecutor and deputy chief prosecutor. Prior to working with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, he worked as an associate and partner with Valin Partners Law Firm in Ontario, a staff lawyer for the Kenora Legal Clinic in Ontario and a prosecutor for Manitoba Justice in Winnipeg.
  • Appointment starts September 3, 2024
• Justice Eric Tolppanen
  • Will serve Calgary Criminal Division/Calgary Region
  • Graduated from Queen’s University Law School in 1991 with a bachelor of laws, and from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2009 with a master of laws. He worked first in private practice and then with the Alberta Securities Commission. Most of his career was as a prosecutor with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) where his roles included trial counsel, appellate counsel, and assistant chief Crown prosecutor. In 2015, he was appointed assistant deputy minister of the ACPS, a position he held until his judicial appointment in 2020. Since then, he has been president of the Alberta Provincial Justices’ Association and is a board member of the Canadian Institution for the Administration of Justice.
  • Appointment starts August 28, 2024

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