George Alexander Gale, (June 24, 1906July 25, 1997) was a
Chief Justice for the province of
Ontario, Canada from 1967 until his 1976 retirement from that post.
Born in
Quebec City, he would move to
Vancouver,
British Columbia for his youth before settling in
Toronto for his legal career.
Education and career time line
*1929: Gale graduated from the
University of Toronto where he received his
Bachelor of Arts
*1932: Formally became a lawyer following further studies at the
Osgoode Hall Law School
*1944: Became partner of Toronto legal firm Donald, Mason, Weir & Foulds (today known as
WeirFoulds LLP
WeirFoulds LLP is a Canadian law firm based in Toronto, Ontario. The firm specializes in litigation, corporate, property and government law. It is one of Canada's oldest law firms.
History
In 1860, Theodore H. Spencer, LL.B., began his practice ...
)
*1946: Designated King's Counsel in 1946
*30 October 1946: Became a judge for the Trial Division of Ontario's High Court of Justice
*1952: King's Counsel designation became
Queen's Counsel upon the 1952 accession of
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
*1956: Chief editor for what would be known as "Holmestead & Gale", a rewriting of Ontario's court rules
*1963: Became member of the Ontario Court of Appeal
*1 June 1964: Became Chief Justice of Ontario's High Court of Justice
*21 September 1967: Became Chief Justice of Ontario, the province's highest judicial position
*1968: Joined executive of the Canadian Judicial Council
*1969: Judicial Council of Ontario is created with Gale as its first Chairman
*1976: Retired as Chief Justice of Ontario, subsequently joining the Ontario Law Reform Commission as vice-chair
*1979: Joined the (Ontario) Premier's Advisory Committee on Confederation
Other roles
From 1956, he also served for a long term on the Board of Governors of
Wycliffe College, a Toronto theological school affiliated with the
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church co ...
. He was also active within that church denomination as a member and
Churchwarden (1956–1960) of Toronto's St John's York Mills parish.
Gale donated a trophy in 1973 for a competition which is today known as the
Gale Cup Moot which demonstrates skills in legal argumentation using staged proceedings.
Brother in
Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Alpha Phi, University of Toronto)
Honours
* 1969: Honorary Doctor of Laws,
York UniversityYork University, list of honorary degrees
/ref>
* 1977: Companion of the Order of Canada
References
External links
Harry Palmer Gallery: George Alexander Gale
(Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP news release, CNW Group, 20 February 2006)
1906 births
1997 deaths
Judges in Ontario
University of Toronto alumni
Companions of the Order of Canada
Canadian King's Counsel
Osgoode Hall Law School alumni
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