The Hon. Ted Andrews

This oral history interview with Chief Judge H. Tedford Andrews covers his remarkable career in the Ontario judiciary from the 1960s through the 1990s. Born in 1927 in Sault Ste. Marie to a Methodist minister father, Andrews became a magistrate in 1962 and was appointed Chief Judge of the Provincial Court Family Division in 1968. He was instrumental in professionalizing Ontario’s family court system and organized the first national conference of family court judges in 1967.

Andrews was a pioneer in judicial education in Canada, developing training programs as early as 1971-1972 and serving as Associate Director of the National Judicial Institute from 1990-1992. His career encompassed significant innovations in family court procedures including community service orders, diversion projects, and family counselling services. He also worked extensively on Native justice issues, addressing the complexities of northern court circuits and traditional justice concepts. Despite his contributions, court restructuring in 1990 resulted in his controversial removal as Chief Judge, though he continued his advocacy for judicial education and court reform throughout his career.

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