Item - 2023.NL2.1

The Nominating Panel - Toronto Licensing Tribunal recommends that:  

1. City Council appoint the following candidate to the Toronto Licensing Tribunal, who will serve as Chair, for a term of office ending on November 14, 2026, and until a successor is appointed:

-  Mary Lee

2. City Council appoint the following candidates to the Toronto Licensing Tribunal who will serve as public members, for a term of office ending on November 14, 2026, and until successors are appointed:

-  Marc Bhalla

-  Emily Cole

-  Verlyn Francis

-  Peter Harris

-  Joanne Lau

-  Edgar-Andre Montigny

3. City Council direct that the balance of Confidential Attachment 1 and Confidential Attachments 2 to 5 to the report (March 7, 2023) from the City Clerk remain confidential in their entirety as they relate to personal matters about identifiable individuals being considered for appointment to the Toronto Licensing Tribunal.

Candidates' biographies:

Marc Bhalla

Marc Bhalla is an experienced mediator and adjudicator with senior designations of the ADR Institute of Canada. He earned a Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School and an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor. A proud resident of North York for over two decades, Marc is deeply engaged in the community. He is passionate about justice, fairness and the work of the Toronto Licensing Tribunal.

Emily Cole

Emily Cole is a resident of Toronto-Danforth. She is an experienced adjudicator and a certified mediator. Emily is a veteran investigations and trial lawyer with thirty years experience. She has prosecuted and defended many complex, high-profile commercial litigation cases. Emily holds a B.A from McGill and a J.D from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is also qualified to practice law in New York.

Verlyn Francis

Verlyn Francis holds J.D. and LL.M. degrees from Osgoode Hall Law School. After practising law in Toronto for over twenty years, she worked as an adjudicator at Toronto Licensing Tribunal and Social Security Tribunal. In addition to her independent work, she is a corporate and civil  arbitrator and mediator on the rosters of international and local institutions. Ms. Francis teaches graduate studies in ADR and ethics in business and law schools, and has served on several not-for-profit boards.

Peter Harris

Peter Harris is married to a judge and lives in a rambling century house/construction zone in the Beaches area. He describes the home as a free­ standing gong show comprised of kids, grandkids, child care-givers, construction workers, assorted relatives and mealtime guests. Having an insatiable fixation on rights and natural justice, Peter has always contended - judgments should be a product of teamwork and give expression to a diversity of viewpoints, while striving for fairness and justice.

Joanne Lau

I am a lawyer and adjudicator.  I was called to the Ontario bar in 1990 and practised law in the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic for over two decades.  My practise included representing clients before Federal and provincial tribunals and courts.  I was an adjudicator for the Consent and Capacity Board and am presently adjudicating disciplinary matters as part of the Tribunal Committee of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. 

Mary Lee

Mary Lee is a Program Coordinator and Professor in the Longo Faculty of Business at Humber College.  She has a long and distinguished career in the administrative justice sector and the Ontario Public Service. Mary is the former Executive Director of the Local Planning Appeals Support Centre.  She has rich expertise in mediation, adjudication, operations and business services.  Mary holds a Master of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. 

Edgar-Andre Montigny

Edgar-Andre Montigny completed his doctorate in Canadian history in 1993 and then spent several years teaching history and Canadian studies at various universities before he decided to study law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, graduating in 2003. He spent his articles as a judicial law clerk at the Superior Court of Justice, focusing on administrative law issues before the Divisional Court. From 2009 until 2016, he was a staff lawyer at ARCH Disability Law Centre.

The Nominating Panel - Toronto Licensing Tribunal will conduct interviews and recommend seven candidates, including one candidate as the Chair, to City Council for appointment to the Toronto Licensing Tribunal.