It's An Ill Wind

News in Smiths Falls This Week that former town lawyer Tim Ray has been sworn in as an Ontario Superior Court judge. While this is a great achievement and TDPC congratulates Mr. Justice Ray, it's worth remembering that Montague residents are more familiar with the new jurist as the lawyer who advised council in their failed lawsuit against Don Page.

Many commenters, including me, felt at the time that Mr. Ray was the one party who escaped all responsibility for his share in the debacle - there are other comments on this blog from residents who felt quite strongly that the legal advice given to council must have been flawed.

It would seem that Mr. Justice Ray, although his career has not suffered in the least as a result of the landmark case, has at least taken on board a lesson from the experience. In the SFTW article he is quoted as saying:

The Superior Court is a very important court. It's an important position. The court is there as guardian of rights and freedoms of the individual against the state.

Quite right, Mr. Justice Ray. If only you'd thought that way just a little earlier, a great deal of trouble and a great deal of money might have been saved.