Mr. Pat Case

Patrick Case recounts his remarkable journey from childhood poverty and racism in 1950s-60s Britain to becoming a prominent human rights lawyer and educator in Canada. Born in Richmond, England to Guyanese parents, Case experienced severe racism in Coventry and extreme poverty after his father abandoned the family. His mother’s determination and his discovery of literature, particularly through encounters at Third World Books in Toronto, shaped his intellectual development.

Case’s Canadian experience began in 1968 when he immigrated at age 18, initially working as an encyclopedia salesman and living on the streets with his younger brother. His life transformed when he joined the commune at 151 Havelock Street, where he became involved in community activism and anti-developer campaigns. This led to his engagement with Communist Party politics and eventual election to the Toronto school board in 1979, where he successfully negotiated to save 108 teachers’ jobs.

Determining that law was the key to effective advocacy, Case entered Osgoode Hall Law School as a mature student in 1982, graduating in 1986 as one of only two Black graduates. After articling at Parkdale Community Legal Services, he practiced family law with a focus on Charter challenges before returning to education as Human Rights Director at the Toronto District School Board (1990-1999). Following a brief stint at Ontario Hydro, he became Director of Human Rights and Equity at the University of Guelph in 1999, while also serving on the Court Challenges Program Equality Rights Panel and later the Ontario Human Rights Commission (2006-present).

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