The Hon. Edward Saunders

This extensive oral history chronicles the remarkable career of Edward Saunders from his wartime service through his distinguished legal career. Born in 1925, Saunders served in the Canadian Army from 1943-1946, including combat in Europe and education at the innovative Khaki University of Canada, where he met future Supreme Court Justice Gerry LeDain and fellow judge Bob Rutherford. After completing his law degree at Osgoode Hall, he briefly practiced at McMaster, Montgomery before joining Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt in 1955.

Saunders’s career at Oslers spanned the firm’s transformation from the “Club” era to the “Corporation” phase, working alongside luminaries like Purdy Crawford and witnessing the arrival of Bertha Wilson as the firm’s first female lawyer. His practice encompassed taxation, corporate law, and major developments like the Eaton Centre project. Despite limited litigation experience, he was appointed to the Ontario Supreme Court Trial Division in 1977, where he served with distinction for nearly 20 years.

The interview provides intimate details of several significant cases, including the wrongful dismissal decision in Bohemier v. Storwal International and the landmark criminal law ruling in R. v. Scopelliti regarding admissibility of evidence of victims’ violent disposition. Following his judicial retirement, Saunders returned to Oslers as an arbitrator and mediator, helping establish their ADR Centre and continuing his contributions to dispute resolution into the 21st century.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.