Canadian Justice Review Board - PRESS RELEASE

Canadian Justice Review Board (CJRB)
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PRESS RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14, 2005

At its annual general meeting September 12th and 13th, the Canadian Justice Review Board (CJRB) expanded its current board of directors by electing the Honourable Anne C. Cools of Ottawa, his Honour retired Judge Wallace G. Craig of Vancouver and lawyer Michael R. Sporer of New Westminster B.C.

The Honourable Senator Anne C. Cools

Senator Anne C. Cools has been an innovator and leader in the creation of social services to help battered women, families in crisis and families troubled by domestic violence. In 1974, she founded one of the first battered women's shelters in Canada, Women in Transition Inc., serving as its Executive Director. She negotiated W.I.T.'s membership as a United Way Member Agency and assisted many other battered women's shelters in Ontario to get started. As W.I.T.'s Special Projects Manager from 1984 until 1990, she successfully opened a second women's shelter in 1987. From 1980 to 1984, by Order-in-Council appointment, Senator Cools served as a Member (Temp.) on the National Parole Board of Canada, the federal tribunal and paroling authority for inmates in the federal correctional system. Senator Cools has received many awards during her years of service. Recently, she was given a Certificate of Recognition as Canada's first black senator by Howard University's Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center in Washington, DC. She was named one of the recipients of the 2001 Toronto Bob Marley Day Award in recognition of Canada's multicultural heritage and her continuing struggle to promote equality, peace, and harmon.

Retired Judge Wallace G. Craig

Retired judge Wallace G. Craig has worked in the justice system for forty-six years. He graduated from the University of British Columbia faculty of law in 1954 and practiced as an independent lawyer in downtown Vancouver from 1955 to 1975. In 1975 he was appointed to the bench of the Provincial Court of British Columbia (Vancouver Criminal Division). During his twenty-six years in court he sensed that the criminal justice system and particularly the judiciary was dispensing justice without any real sense of law and order. In his view, the criminal justice system has ceased to be a deterrent to criminal behaviour. Following his retirement in 2001, he was released from the judicial constraint against engaging in public discussion and political comment and thereafter focused his efforts on raising public awareness about the state of the justice system. Wallace Craig is considered an authority and thought leader in the area of law and order in our time. He offers us some thoughts and solutions with only one purpose in mind and that is to make our communities more peaceful and safe.

Michael R. Sporer

Michael Robert Sporer graduated from the University of Alberta Law School in 1993. He is a partner in the New Westminster law firm of Sporer Mah and Company and a member of the executive of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia (TLABC) and he has served on various standing committees for the TLABC. He is recognized as an Advocate by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, headquartered at Notre Dame Law School, in South Bend, Indiana. He is also a member of the international legal fraternity Phi Delta Phi and the Association of Trial Lawyer of America (ATLA).Michael Sporer is a regular contributing political columnist to The Royal City Record and Burnaby Now. Mr. Sporer's legal practice is focused on tort law. His legal and political interests include private property rights, restitution to crime victims, private law remedies and the poltical culture of nations. He has studied and written about the relationship between law, legislation and liberty as well as the limits of state action in the foreign and domestic affairs of nations.

In a keynote address, Chairman David A. Kahn noted that the CJRB received many letters from Canadians who believe that they have been ill served by the justice system. Most are dealing with severe economic hardship as a direct consequence of seeking justice in courts that are increasingly unpredictable and capricious. These are indicative of a systemic problem - for many Canadians, justice is both unaffordable and uncertain. "The Board is grateful to its Directors for their ongoing advice, especially to founding chairperson Professor Robert Martin who has been a constant source of guidance and inspiration, to Executive Director William Nichol who continues to develop and grow the organization with tact and great insight, to our Vice Chairman Lynne Cohen and to our Treasurer Gwen Landolt. While we may take satisfaction from our progress, we recognize that this is just the start of a long road," said Mr. Kahn.

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PRESS RELEASE SEPTEMBER 14, 2005

The Honourable Senator Anne C. Cools
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