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> Ministries > Agencies > Agency Details > Agency Members Biographies

Agency Members Biographies

ONTARIO MUNICIPAL BOARD

GOTTHEIL, MICHAEL
Michael Gottheil is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Bar in 1987. After working as In-House Counsel for two national trade unions, in 1991, Mr. Gottheil co-founded Engelmann, Gottheil law firm in Ottawa, where he practiced labour, employment and human rights law. He was a Professor at Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa Law School. Mr. Gottheil is a member of the Canadian Association of Visually Impaired Lawyers and, over a twelve-year period, served on the Board of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind as member, Vice-Chair and Chair at the Ottawa local and provincial levels.

CAMPBELL, SUSAN B.
Susan Campbell, of Kitchener, was appointed to the ARB on May 27, 1998. On April 28, 2004, she was appointed Vice-Chair of the ARB and OMB. Prior to joining the Board, she was the Manager of Legal Services and Corporate Secretary for the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund Corporation. Ms. Campbell has also served as counsel for the Investment Funds Institute of Canada, the Ontario Securities Commission, TransCanada Pipeline and the Ministries of the Environment and the Attorney General. She was also the director of by-law enforcement for the City of Mississauga. Ms. Campbell has taught courses at Conestoga College, Ryerson Polytechnic University and the Law Society of Upper Canada. She received her undergraduate and law degrees from Queen's University.

MCKENZIE, JAMES R.
James R. McKenzie, of Thornhill, is a professional mediator and planner and has taught mediation, negotiation and dispute resolution in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University, in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University and in the Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Royal Roads University. Mr. McKenzie is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and is a Registered Professional Planner.

ZUIDEMA, JYOTI V.
Jyoti Zuidema, of Brantford, was called to the Ontario Bar in 1991. Ms. Zuidema has practised in the public and private sector and has represented both municipal and provincial governments in the area of municipal and development law. She has taught law courses at Seneca College and Conestoga College. Currently, Ms. Zuidema is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Ontario and Wilfrid Laurier University. She holds a Master of Laws, a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts.

SOMERS, MICHAEL
Since 1988, Michael Somers, of Toronto, has had extensive experience as both a lawyer and Lecturer. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Somers was a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ontario Regional Office. Prior to this, Mr. Somers was a Barrister with The Law Office of Michael G. Somers (2002-2003), a Lecturer at Ryerson University School of Business Management (1994-2003), an Adjudicator for the Ontario Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, Ministry of the Attorney General (1995-1998), a Lecturer at York University's Faculty of Law, Osgoode Hall Law School (1993-1995), and Counsel for the Board of Inquiry (Police Service Act), Ministry of the Attorney General (1992-1993). He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School.

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CHRISTOU, ARISTOTLE (TELLY)
Aristotle Christou is Principal with Polis Plan Municipal Planning Consultants Inc. Previously, he was a Planner and Senior Planner with the City of Toronto. Mr. Christou's community involvement includes volunteering with the Canadian National Exhibition Association, the Hellenic Canadian Board of Trade and the European Union Chambers of Commerce. Mr. Christou holds a Master of Public Administration from Queen's University and an Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo.

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WONG, JOE G.
Joe G. Wong holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School. Mr. Wong is a qualified lawyer and a member of the Bar of Ontario. He has an extensive background and experience in commercial real estate financing, acquisitions, asset management and consulting. Mr. Wong also served for five years as a member of the Planning Advisory Committee for the City of Toronto.

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HEFFERON, COLIN
Colin Hefferon, of Toronto, has experience in Canadian and international planning and development and a wide knowledge of industry and government policies and practices. Mr. Hefferon worked in residential and industrial-commercial-institutional development and municipal planning for ten years. For the past 15 years, his focus has been on the challenges and the opportunities inherent in sustainable development, particularly the economic and environmentally sensitive use of solid waste. Mr. Hefferon is a graduate of the University of Toronto and York University.

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JACKSON, NORMAN CHARLES
Norman C. Jackson was the City Solicitor for the City of Kingston for twenty years and a solicitor with the City of Ottawa, appearing frequently before the Ontario Municipal Board on planning and municipal matters. Mr. Jackson is a graduate of Queen's University in Arts and Law.

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GOLDKIND, HAROLD
Since 1968, Harold Goldkind, of Toronto, has been a partner at the Law Firm of Kates and Goldkind. Mr. Goldkind is also an Inquiry Officer under the Expropriation Act and a Toronto Small Claims Court Deputy Judge with the Ministry of the Attorney General. His community involvement has included serving as a Guest Speaker at the Ontario Expropriation Association Fall Conference, member and volunteer with the Bayview/Silver Hills Community Association and volunteer with the Finnish Pentecostal Church of Toronto. Mr. Goldkind holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto.

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SUTHERLAND, SYLVIA
Sylvia Sutherland, of Peterborough, is former Mayor of the City of Peterborough. In the past, Ms. Sutherland was also an Administrator for the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, Producer and host of the Afternoon Show, a reporter with the Toronto Telegram and a journalism Instructor at the Ryerson Polytechnic Institute. She holds a Diploma in Journalism form the Ryerson Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Trent University.

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AKER, JOHN
Prior to joining the Ontario Municipal Board, John Aker was President of Schofield-Aker Insurance in Oshawa. Mr. Aker was also a Councillor in the City of Oshawa and the Region of Durham for over twenty years. In addition, he served as Chair of Ontario Works Durham and as a member of the Planning Committee in Oshawa for several years. Mr. Aker is a graduate of Queen's University in Business and Commerce.

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CONTI, CHRISTOPHER L. (CHRIS)
Until 2007, Chris Conti, of Oshawa, held the position of Executive Director of Friends of Second Marsh and President of Conti Environmental Services Inc. Previously, Mr. Conti served as Director of Resource Planning and Interim Chief Administrative Officer with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority and as an Environmental Planner with the Ministry of Natural Resources. His community involvement has included serving as President of Amnesty International, member of TD Canada Trust Friends of the Environment and Chair of the Port Hope Environmental Advisory Committee. Mr. Conti holds a Master in Environmental Studies from York University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto.

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SILLS, MARY-ANNE
From 1994 to 2007, Mary-Anne Sills, of Belleville, was the owner and operator of a bookkeeping and fundraising company. Previously, Ms. Sills was Mayor and City Counsellor of the City of Belleville, an Office Manager with the Hastings Children's Aid Society, and a Residential Life Counsellor. Her community involvement includes serving as Chair and Director of the Belleville Recreation Association for Special Athletes, Director with the Violence Awareness and Random Acts of Kindness Committee and Fundraising Coordinator with the Ontario March of Dimes.

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ATCHESON, JOHN PETER
John Peter Atcheson was the Commissioner of Community Development Services for the City of Brantford, and has been a qualified municipal land use planner for more than thirty-five years. Mr. Atcheson holds a Master of Science degree in Urban Planning from the University of Toronto.

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O'CONNOR, GARY CHARLES
Prior to joining the Ontario Municipal Board, Gary O'Connor was Mayor of West Nipissing, and Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Town of Sturgeon Falls. Mr. O'Connor holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Languages and Social Sciences from Queen's University as well as a Bachelor of Education degree with a Certificate of Bilingualism from Laurentian University. In addition, he served as Chair of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association and an executive member of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

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STEFANKO, STEVEN
Steven Stefanko was a partner with the law firm of Lerner LLP from 1981 until his appointment to the Ontario Municipal Board in 2005. In addition, Mr. Stefanko has served as an Adjunct Professor with the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario. He was Chair of the Board of Directors of London Hydro Inc., Chair of the Board of Directors of King's University College, and Chair of the Committee of Adjustment for the City of London.

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SCHILLER, SUSAN DE AVELLAR
Susan de Avellar Schiller, of Toronto, was elected to Toronto City Council in 1976. In 1981, Ms. Schiller became a member of the Ontario Legislature. She was the Minister of Citizenship and Culture from 1983-1985 and the Minister of Environment in 1985. Ms. Schiller is a professional mediator and facilitator. She has been a consultant to the Office of the Attorney General, California, Task Force on Domestic Violence and Vice-Chair of the Assessment Review Board. Ms. Schiller was a member of the Ontario Municipal Board from 1994-2002 and served as Vice-Chair and Executive Vice-Chair during this time. Ms. Schiller holds a masters degree in Public Administration from New York University.

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