Douglas Cunningham - Former Associate Chief Justice of Ontario

The Honourable J. Douglas Cunningham, Q.C. was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 1991. During his more than two decades on the bench, Mr. Cunningham presided over hundreds of complex, high-stakes trials, first as Regional Senior Judge for the East Region (2000-2002) and then as Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Justice (2002-2012). He also regularly sat on civil appeals as a Judge of the Ontario Divisional Court.

Mr. Cunningham was also a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Judicial Council, chaired the Administration of Justice Committee and served as a member of the Court of Martial Appeals and the Pension Appeals Board.

Retiring from the court in 2012, Mr. Cunningham founded Cunningham Dispute Resolution Services. Since then he has been a highly successful commercial arbitrator and mediator based in Toronto and Ottawa, serving clients across Canada and internationally. He has conducted independent reviews for both the federal and provincial governments, and served as a consultant to counsel in trial strategy, appeals and neutral evaluation.

Mr. Cunningham’s broad experience gained during his years on the bench and in private practice includes corporate and commercial matters, professional liability, construction, critical injury and insurance, securities, employment, product liability, entertainment and sports, class actions and estates.

A graduate of Huron College at Western University and Queen’s University Law School, he was called to the bar in 1969, appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1980 and designated a specialist in civil litigation in 1990. In 2013, he received an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Murray Segal - Former Deputy Attorney General of Ontario

Following a distinguished career with the Ontario government, including eight years as Deputy Attorney General of Ontario and former Deputy Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, Murray Segal now practices as independent legal counsel, consultant and mediator practicing as Murray D. Segal Professional Corporation.

Mr. Segal was the chief legal advisor to the Government of Ontario and advisor to Cabinet, the Attorney General, other ministers and deputy ministers. He oversaw all government litigation and is experienced in developing legislation. With a deep commitment to access to justice, he guided the modernization of Ontario’s justice architecture, with a keen eye to updating technology. Mr. Segal oversaw and implemented transformation of the human rights system, administrative law tribunals, police oversight, civil law reform and criminal justice improvements.

Prior to his time as the Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Segal was the Chief Prosecutor for the Province of Ontario, leading the largest prosecution service in Canada.

Today, drawing on his extensive legal and executive experience, he advises and represents clients in both the public and private sectors. He has been asked by governments across Canada to look into challenging issues including reviewing the Nova Scotia justice response in relation to the late Rehtaeh Parsons. He sits on the Boards of CAMH and CMHA-Greater Toronto.

David Cooke - Former Ontario MPP and Cabinet Minister

Born in Windsor and graduated with Bachelor of Social Work in 1975, David Cooke was elected to the Windsor Board of Education in 1974. In 1977, Mr. Cooke was elected as a New Democrat MPP and served in the legislature until February 1997.

During his tenure in the legislature, Mr. Cooke was appointed Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, served as Government House leader, Chair of Management Board and was appointed Minister of Education and Training.

Mr. Cooke is the former chair of the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network and the Seneca College board, and a former member of the Windsor-Essex Development Commission board. He also served as the chair of the board of governors of the University of Windsor. Mr. Cooke served 10 years on the Provincial Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) Board of Directors—the last three as chair. During his tenure, he made important contributions to the agency’s growth and development, and helped set the vision for the organization’s modernization efforts.

Awarded an Honorary Diploma from St. Clair College in 1998, Mr. Cooke also received the Clark Award for outstanding service to the University of Windsor. In 2002, he was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and in 2012 the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Mr. Cooke holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor in 2014 and currently co-chairs the Steering Committee in Windsor Essex planning for a new hospital.