LogoutThe Hon. Patrick Sheppard
The Hon. Patrick Sheppard traces his path from failed grade 13 to becoming a notable Ontario Court judge. After studying at Acadia University and UNB Law School, he briefly worked as National Youth Organizer for the Liberal Party before articling at Blake, Cassels & Graydon. Rejecting corporate law, he established a storefront practice serving low-income clients, then pursued an LL.M. at Osgoode Hall while supervising students at Parkdale Community Legal Services.
Sheppard served three terms as Toronto City Councillor (1976-1982), chairing public works and leading the anti-pornography campaign on Yonge Street. After private practice and a brief stint as Law Society Discipline Counsel, he was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in 1991 during the Askov crisis. He served as Local Administrative Judge in Newmarket (1992) and Scarborough (1993-1998), implementing innovative case management systems including first appearance courts and judicial pre-trials.
Moving to Old City Hall in 1998, Sheppard presided over significant cases including R. v. Parker (medical marijuana) and several leading Aboriginal sentencing decisions. He played a key role in establishing Toronto’s Gladue Court in 2002, applying Supreme Court directives on Aboriginal sentencing. Going supernumerary in 2009, he reflects on his diverse career spanning municipal politics, legal education, and judicial administration, emphasizing the importance of access to justice and innovative court management.
This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.
References
The following are a selection of topics discussed in this oral history.
- Federal Court
- Ontario Court of Appeal
- Ontario Court of Justice
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Osgoode Hall Law School
- University of New Brunswick Law School
- University of Toronto Faculty of Law
- Department of Justice Canada
- Law Society of Ontario
- Metro Toronto Council
- Ministry of the Attorney General
- Toronto City Council
- Askov Crisis
- Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Church Union 1925
- Patriation of the Constitution
- Young Offenders Act
- Youth Criminal Justice Act
- Federal
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Toronto
- Blake, Cassels & Graydon
- Jaffary & Sheppard
- Stikeman Elliott
- Carella v Leach Returning Officer
- R v Belmar
- R v Chong
- R v Fowler
- R v Ikuta
- R v Parker
- R v Penasse
- R v Thomas
- R v Whitmore
- R. v. Askov
- R. v. Clark
- R. v. Gladue
- R. v. Harper
- R. v. Stinchcombe
- Judge
- Ontario Court of Justice
- Art Eggleton
- David Crombie
- Frances Lankin
- Fred Zemans
- Gavin MacKenzie
- George Hately
- Howard Hampton
- Jake Howard
- John C. McNair
- John Sewell
- John Turner
- Jonathan Rudin
- Karl Jaffary
- Lester B. Pearson
- Mary Hogan
- Murray Ross
- Phil Fontaine
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau
- Ron Ellis
- Stephen Lewis
- The Hon. Brian Lennox
- The Hon. David Scott
- The Hon. John Evans
- The Hon. John Kerr
- The Hon. Patrick Sheppard
- The Hon. Sidney Linden
- The Hon. Vibert Lampkin
- The Hon. W. Gibson Gray
- Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges
- Canadian University Liberal Federation
- Law Society of Ontario
- Liberal Party of Canada
- National Judicial Institute
- 1940s
- 1950s
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s
- Aboriginal Sentencing
- Administrative Law
- Bail
- Charter Rights
- Constitutional Law
- Court Management
- Criminal Law
- Disclosure Law
- Electronic Monitoring
- Indigenous Rights
- Insider Trading
- Judicial Administration
- Legal Aid
- Medical Marijuana
- Sentencing Law
- Youth Criminal Justice
Some of these references were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Archive Details
File consists of oral history records documenting the life and career of Mr. Justice Patrick Sheppard (b. 1943) who was appointed to the bench in 1991. This interview concerns his personal and professional history. File includes six audio cassette recordings and a transcript (171 p.). This interview was recorded on June 30, 2010.