Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Ontario

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 1, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

The Honourable Frederick L. Myers, a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Toronto. Justice Myers fills the remaining position authorized under Bill C-74 (2018) in Toronto.

The Honourable David E. Harris, a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Brampton, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Toronto. Justice Harris replaces Justice L.B. Roberts, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective September 1, 2026.

The Honourable Sandra Nishikawa, a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Toronto. Justice Nishikawa replaces Justice G.T. Trotter, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective June 30, 2026.

Christopher M. Arnone, Partner at Atwood Labine LLP in Thunder Bay, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Thunder Bay. Justice Arnone replaces Justice F.B. Fitzpatrick (Thunder Bay), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective July 17, 2026.

Michael S. Dunn, Crown Counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Newmarket. Justice Dunn replaces Justice M.K. Fuerst (Newmarket), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 1, 2026.

Nicolas M. Rouleau, a sole practitioner in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto. Justice Rouleau replaces Justice F.L. Myers (Toronto), who was elevated to the Court of Appeal for Ontario effective September 28, 2026.

Shantona Chaudhury, Partner at Pape Chaudhury LLP in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto. Justice Chaudhury replaces Justice S. Nishikawa (Toronto), who was elevated to the Court of Appeal for Ontario effective September 28, 2026.

Bevin E. Shores, Partner at Gowling WLG in Hamilton, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in St. Catharines. Justice Shores replaces Justice M.A. Donohue (St. Catharines), who resigned effective January 1, 2026.

Quote

"I wish Justices Myers, Harris, Nishikawa, Arnone, Dunn, Rouleau, Chaudhury, and Shores every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of Ontario well as members of the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario."

-- The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Biographies

Justice Frederick L. Myers received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1983 and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1985. He was a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Right Honourable Bora Laskin as well as Chief Justice Brian Dickson and the Honourable Justice G.E. Le Dain. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1986.

Prior to his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2014, Justice Myers had been a partner with Goodmans LLP since 2003. He practised with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP from 1986 to 2002. His main areas of practice were insolvency law and general commercial litigation.

Justice David E. Harris received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1985 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987.

Prior to his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2017, Justice Harris practised as a criminal defence lawyer, with a particular emphasis on appellate work. He was a sole practitioner from 1993 to 2017 and, from 1988 to 1993, practised with the criminal defence firm Carter, McCombs and Minden. He began his legal career as an Assistant Crown Attorney in Toronto. Over the course of his career, he argued more than 150 cases before the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Sandra Nishikawa speaks English, French, and Japanese. She received a B.A. in international relations with a minor in French from the University of Toronto and went on to earn B.C.L. and LL.B. degrees from the Faculty of Law at McGill University. She was called to the bars of Ontario and New York in 1999. In 2009, she completed her LL.M. at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law.

Prior to her appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2018, Justice Nishikawa was counsel at the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Prior to that, she practised civil litigation for 18 years, first at a large firm in New York, then in the Business and Regulatory Law Portfolio of the Department of Justice Canada, and later at the Civil Remedies for Illicit Activities Office and Crown Law Office – Civil of the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario. Her areas of practice included commercial, administrative, public and human rights law, and she appeared before all levels of courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Christopher M. Arnone was born and raised in Thunder Bay. He received his law degree from Queen's University and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2004. 

Justice Arnone started his legal career with Atwood Shaw Labine (as it then was), became a partner there in 2007, and continued to practice family law at Atwood Labine LLP for over 20 years. He has taught at Bora Laskin Law School and continuing legal education courses and is recognized for a dedication to the collaborative resolution of family law issues. He has benefited from the gracious mentorship of others through his entire career and exhibits a commitment to returning that mentorship and fostering the dynamic legal community of Thunder Bay.

Justice Arnone is a devoted husband, father, and volunteer in the community he calls home.  He can be found spending time outdoors with friends and family.

Justice Michael S. Dunn was born and raised in Toronto. He studied History at the University of Western Ontario and received his law degree from the University of Toronto. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2005.

Justice Dunn began his career as a law clerk at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Following his call to the Bar, he joined McCarthy Tétrault LLP before moving to the Constitutional Law Branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in 2006. As counsel in the Constitutional Law Branch, he litigated constitutional issues at all levels of court in Ontario, as well as before the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2019, he joined the Crown Law Office – Criminal, where he conducted criminal appeals before the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada, in addition to practicing before the Superior Court of Justice.

Justice Dunn was committed to the continuing professional development of students and counsel, serving as a mentor and an articling principal. He taught a course in Constitutional Litigation at the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor for over a decade. He was also a guest lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School, Osgoode Professional Development and Toronto Metropolitan University. He presented continuing legal education to the Ontario Bar Association and Advocates' Society, among others.

Justice Dunn can most frequently be found spending time with his spouse and five sons.

Justice Nicolas M. Rouleau is a Franco-Ontarian from Toronto. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa's French Common Law Program and a Master of the Science of the Law from Stanford University, which he attended on a Viscount Bennett Scholarship. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 2007.

Justice Rouleau began his career as a law clerk to Justice Marie Deschamps at the Supreme Court of Canada. He then practiced in French and English in the areas of appellate and constitutional litigation, arguing several constitutional matters before the Ontario Superior Court and numerous constitutional, criminal, and civil appeals before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Federal Court of Appeal, and other provincial courts of appeal. He has also taught law courses at the University of Ottawa and in India, conducted workshops on constitutional and international law in Tunisia, and contributed to the research teams for the public inquiries into Long-Term Care Homes and into Foreign Interference.

Justice Rouleau was active in his community. He has served as a member and later as chair of Ontario's Provincial Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs and as co-chair and treasurer of the board of directors of the Canadian International Council. He has given numerous presentations, particularly on minority language rights. He has also reviewed cases for Pro Bono Ontario's Supreme Court of Canada Leave to Appeal Assistance Project and has actively mentored law students and young lawyers.

Justice Rouleau and his wife Alexandra have three wonderful children.

Justice Shantona Chaudhury was born and raised in Montréal. She holds a B.C.L. (master's in law) from the University of Oxford, a B.C.L./LL.B. (civil and common law) from McGill University, and an M.A. (French Literature) and B.A.H. (French Studies) from Queen's University. She served as a law clerk to the Honourable Ian Binnie at the Supreme Court of Canada. She was called to the bar in both Ontario and Québec in 2007.

Justice Chaudhury's early experience included a year training with barristers in London, England as a Middle Temple Fox Scholar, interning at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, interning at the Parliament of Canada, and working in the Montréal music industry. She began her litigation career in Toronto as an associate at Pape Barristers before co-founding Pape Chaudhury LLP in 2018, where she was a partner until her appointment. Her litigation practice involved many areas of law, including civil and commercial litigation, constitutional law, public inquiries, and national security law. She appeared before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and developed particular expertise in appeals. She received numerous awards for her advocacy, including the Douglas K. Laidlaw Medal from The Advocates' Society and the Honsberger Award from the Toronto Lawyers Association.

Justice Chaudhury was Lead Counsel to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, and co-Lead Counsel to the Public Order Emergency Commission. Since 2012, she had been the co-Executive Director of Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, a national non-profit organization offering pro bono advocacy training to counsel appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Bevin E. Shores was born and raised in the Buffalo, New York area and came to Canada as a young adult. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University at Buffalo and her Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2008.

Justice Shores began her legal career as an associate at Daniel & Partners in St. Catharines. She joined the Hamilton office of Hughes Amys in 2012, first as an associate and later as a partner, practicing insurance litigation. She joined Agro Zaffiro in 2019 and Gowling WLG in 2021. Her litigation experience has encompassed a wide range of complex disputes, including commercial litigation, construction litigation, public and administrative law, professional liability, products liability, insurance law, and contract disputes.

Justice Shores was committed to professional development; regularly contributing to legal publications and presenting at conferences. She has served as a mentor, both formally and informally, to many early-career professionals. She was also a frequent volunteer, with a wide range of roles including serving on the board of the former Niagara North Community Legal Clinic; as a member of the executive of the Ontario Bar Association's Civil Litigation and Insurance sections; as a coach for student mock trials; and fundraising for community organizations.

Justice Shores lives in Hamilton and enjoys spending time outdoors; hiking, cycling, running, skiing, and exploring southern Ontario's natural beauty.

Quick facts

• Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
• The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

Contacts: For more information, media may contact: Joannie Fogue, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, [phone], [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]