The Hon Samuel Grange

This comprehensive oral history interview with Mr. Justice Samuel Grange covers his distinguished legal career from 1948 to his retirement. Born in 1920, Grange articled with T.H. Wickett and later became a partner at Heighington, Symons & Grange before joining McMillan, Binch, Stewart as head of their litigation department. His early career included providing free legal aid through the Sheriff’s office, and he later served on the board of the Parkdale Community Legal Services clinic from 1971.

As counsel, Grange appeared in numerous significant Supreme Court of Canada cases, including Mason v. Freedman (dealing with dower rights), Sidmay Ltd. v. Wehtham Investments (mortgage broker regulation), and Canadian Motorways v. Laidlaw Motorways (trademark law). He frequently worked with John Robinette on appeals and handled both civil and criminal matters, including prosecutions under the Competition Act during the Diefenbaker government.

Appointed to the High Court of Ontario in 1974 and later elevated to the Court of Appeal, Grange served as a Bencher of the Law Society from 1971-1974, where he was active on legal education, legal aid, and disciplinary committees. His judicial career was notably marked by conducting two major public inquiries: the 1980 Mississauga Train Derailment Inquiry and the 1983-1985 Royal Commission into Certain Deaths at the Hospital for Sick Children (the “Grange Commission”). The latter inquiry, examining suspicious infant deaths, raised important legal questions about the scope of public inquiries and the naming of individuals, ultimately resulting in Court of Appeal restrictions on his ability to assign blame for the deaths.

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