Patrick J. Monahan has been appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
Monahan was a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario in Toronto. He replaces Justice I.V.B. Nordheimer, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective Sept. 1, 2022.
David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced the appointment 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.
“I wish Justice Monahan every success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve Ontarians well as a member of the Court of Appeal for Ontario,” said Lametti.
Monahan received degrees from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, followed by an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School, where he graduated as the gold medalist, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1985.
At the time of his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2017, Justice Monahan was Deputy Attorney General for the Province of Ontario (2012-17). Previously, he had been Provost and Vice President Academic of York University (2009-12) and Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School (2003-09). He served as law clerk to Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada and was a faculty member at Osgoode Hall Law School for over two decades. He was also part-time counsel to a major Toronto law firm for 20 years, acting in a wide variety of public law litigation at all levels of court.
Justice Monahan played a leading role in the establishment of the Law Commission of Ontario, where he was the founding chair and served on the Board of Governors. His writing has been cited by courts and tribunals in Canada, including by the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2008, he was awarded the Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing by the Attorney General of Ontario.
The Government of Canada has appointed more than 610 judges since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
