The Hon. Russell Merredew

This oral history interview features Justice Russell Merredew discussing his remarkable journey from military college to the provincial court bench. Born in 1932 in Kenora, Ontario, Merredew attended Royal Rhodes Military College before entering law school at the University of Manitoba in 1952. After graduating in 1956, he served with the Judge Advocate General’s branch for four years before transferring to Ontario and establishing a general practice in Pembroke with Henry Bradley. His practice expanded to include the town of Deep River, where he moved in 1967 to serve the newly created community supporting Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.

Appointed to the provincial court bench in August 1977, Merredew became deeply involved in judicial administration and education. He served on the Education Committee of the Provincial Court Judges’ Association and ran the judicial education program at the University of Western Ontario for five years. His most significant administrative role came as President of the Association in 1989, during which he led contentious negotiations with Attorney General Ian Scott over judicial salaries and independence. Merredew was instrumental in establishing the arbitration process for judicial compensation that remains in place today.

The interview covers several notable cases from his judicial career, including complex murder preliminaries such as the “Black Widow” cases in Killaloe and an employer liability case (R. v. Timminco) that was overturned on appeal. Merredew provides candid observations about changes in the criminal justice system, particularly criticizing the impact of the Charter of Rights on court efficiency, the politicization of domestic violence prosecutions, and inadequate government support for the courts. He retired to per diem status in 2001, continuing to sit as needed while maintaining his criticism of bureaucratic mismanagement of the justice system.

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