LogoutThe Hon. Edson Haines
Justice Edson Marshall Haines (1907-) discusses his journey from humble beginnings in Hamilton, Ontario to becoming a pioneering judge. Born to a working-class Methodist family, a formative experience farming in Saskatchewan at age 12 convinced him to pursue law over manual labor. Unable to afford university, he became a matriculant law student, articling with M.J. O’Reilly in Hamilton (1925-1927) and Thomas Phelan in Toronto (1927-1930) while attending Osgoode Hall Law School. He graduated in 1930 and became a partner in Phelan, Richardson & Haines, specializing in motor vehicle litigation.
As a judge, Haines developed strong views on criminal law reform, emphasizing rehabilitation through psychiatric treatment over punishment. He served as Chairman of the Lieutenant Governor’s Board of Review from 1972-1986, dealing with mental health cases. Notably, he pioneered informal pre-trial conferences before they became formally codized, helping to streamline court processes. His judicial philosophy focused on understanding the psychological aspects of criminal behavior and advocating for psychiatric intervention, reflecting his early interest in mental health law and his work with various forensic and psychiatric institutions.
This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.
References
The following are a selection of topics discussed in this oral history.
- Court of Appeal
- Division Court
- Magistrates Court
- Police Court
- Supreme Court
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Osgoode Hall
- Department of Insurance
- Law Society
- Lieutenant Governor's Board of Review
- First World War
- Great Depression
- Harvesters excursion
- Prairie farming
- Prohibition
- Barrie
- Canada
- Hamilton
- Ontario
- Saskatchewan
- Toronto
- M.J. O'Reilly office
- Phelan, Richardson & Haines
- Robinette, Phelan and Godfrey
- bootlegging cases
- motor car cases
- poisoned liquor cases
- Judge
- Black Lawyers & Judges
- Ontario Superior Court
- Arthur Kelly
- Charles Frederick Haines
- Charles W. Bell
- David Livingstone
- Douglas Haines
- Edson Marshall Haines
- Evelyn Eliza Haines
- George Douglas
- Helen Haines
- Henry Carscallen
- Hugh Kelly
- John Aird
- Lincoln Alexander
- M.J. O'Reilly
- Margaret Haines
- Mary Douglas
- Michael Phillips
- Rocco Perry
- T.C. Robinette
- Thomas Phelan
- Tom Elmore
- Architects' Club
- Clark Institute
- Judges' Continuing Education Programmes
- Methodist Church
- Metropolitan Forensic Clinic
- Ontario Motor League
- Ontario Psychiatric Hospital
- Oxford Group
- Royal Ottawa
- 1900s
- 1910s
- 1920s
- 1930s
- 1950s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- Articling
- Charter of Rights
- Civil Procedure
- Criminal Law
- discovery examinations
- Insurance Law
- jury charges
- matrimonial litigation
- Mental Health Law
- motor vehicle negligence
- Pre-Trial Conferences
- psychiatric treatment
- rehabilitation
- Structured Settlements
- Tort Law
Some of these references were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Archive Details
Files consist of oral history records documenting the life and career of Edson Haines (b. 1907), a Toronto lawyer who taught at the University of Toronto in the 1950s, was made a Justice of the High Court of Ontario in 1962, and later served as a judge of the High Court, Supreme Court of Ontario. Interview topics include: Osgoode Hall Law School; articling; early practice; select cases; Justice, High Court of Ontario; Supreme Court; capital punishment; legal aid. Interview conducted by Paul Iacono. File includes eight audio cassette recordings from a series of seven interviews and a transcript with index (250 p.)