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Appointee Biographies

Custody Review Board (Tribunals Ontario)

CATHERINE BICKLEY

Catherine Bickley has been an adjudicator at provincial tribunals since 2000. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph and the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1991. Ms. Bickley is active as a volunteer in professional and charitable organizations.

DANIEL MCSWEENEY

Daniel McSweeney has a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Toronto. He began his career as a health promoter in Toronto. Later, he founded and led a successful strategic and program planning and evaluation practice which specialized in supporting pre-natal, early child development, and family support agencies in the GTA. He has extensive experience in administrative law and decision-making as a member of the Refugee Protection Division and Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

STEPHANIE KEPMAN

Stephanie Kepman graduated from the University of Ottawa’s Civil (LL.L.) and Common Law (J.D.) programs. Stephanie is fully bilingual and supports access to justice in both official languages. She is a lawyer and member of the Law Society of Ontario. Prior to her work with Tribunals Ontario, she practiced criminal and family law.

PIERRE R. LAVIGNE

Pierre R. Lavigne is a member of the Bar of Ontario and the Bar of Quebec, with a practice in administrative law, litigation, and class actions. His Ottawa based practice has experience in the areas of medical and governmental malpractice, design of compensation systems, alternative dispute resolution, actuarial issues, consent and capacity issues, insurance, and municipal law. He has appeared at all levels of provincial and federal courts up to the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been a sessional lecturer in Insurance and Municipal Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa.

MARTINA DWYER

Martina Dwyer is a Lawyer for Dwyer Law Office and she practises in the area of family law. She graduated from the University of Windsor Law School. She obtained a certificate from Osgoode Hall Law School in Family Law Skills and Practise. She additionally graduated from University of Windsor School of Nursing, as a BScN, RN and is casually employed by Indigenous Services Canada in Public Health.

CHRISTINA BUDWETH MINGAY

Christina Mingay was a former Adjudicator for Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal/Residential Tenancies Board, a former Discipline Counsel for The Law Society of Ontario, and a former Junior Lawyer for Smith Lyons. Her community involvement has included serving as a Volunteer for Regent Park School of Music.

TRACY FOSTER

Tracy Foster has over her 30-year career in marketing communications, production management, project management and graphic design, Tracy Foster has worked for several large multi-national corporations across Canada and the United States. Her work and clients have included TransCanada, Bayer, RBC, Global TV, Albi Homes and Ferrero. Whether leading teams and projects or contributing, Tracy is always at the centre of bringing all the disparate parts and players together towards the common goal. Tracy is a member of the Ontario Parole Board and previously served as a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

MALCOLM MACFARLANE

Malcolm M. MacFarlane is a retired Registered Psychotherapist and marriage and family therapist with 30 years’ experience in the mental health field at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay. He is a former Vice-President with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario where he participated in discipline tribunals and chaired registration panels. In his early career, he was a front-line family services worker at Durham Children's Aid Society. He was President of the Lindsay and District Council on Child Abuse, and a member of the Ross Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee, as well as the Ross Memorial Family Centred Care Working Group. He is author of two edited textbooks, Family Therapy and Mental Health: Innovations in Theory and Practice, and Family Treatment of Personality Disorders: Advances in Clinical Practice. He has published a number of journal articles and was the Section editor of the Family Therapy and Mental Health Section of the Journal of Family Psychotherapy.

LINDA LENNON

Linda Lennon is currently a part time member of the Ontario Parole Board and previously served as a member of the Parole Board of Canada (1993-98 & 2005-2015). Linda worked for a design build firm in Waterloo from 1998-2007, was an elected City Councillor in the City of Guelph from 1985-1992, co-owned a construction company in the 1980s, and worked for Family and Children's Services in Guelph and Wellington County in the early 1980s. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Guelph and has done volunteer work in the past in the areas of domestic violence and homeless youth.

IVANA VACCARO

Ivana Vaccaro serves as a member (part-time) for the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and served as a member (part-time) for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at RV Law LLP, and the founder of Mediated Family Results Inc. She is a family lawyer, an accredited mediator, arbitrator and parenting coordinator. Her community involvement includes serving as a member of the Board of Directors for The Redwood and serving as a coach and advisor with the Coach and Advisor Network for the Law Society of Ontario.

LOUISE CHARETTE

Louise Charette is a graduate of the University of Ottawa French Common Law Program. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ms. Charette was employed with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services for a number of years. During her employment with this Ministry, she held different positions within the provincial correctional system working within the institutional setting and with offenders in the community. As a lawyer, she started her career with the Ministry of the Attorney General working primarily as a per diem Assistant Crown Attorney. She later acquired experience as duty counsel representing the accused. Ms. Charette was previously a part time member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board as well as the Social Benefits Tribunal.

JULIA FOGARTY

Julia Fogarty holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Windsor where her focuses were Biology, Economics and Environmental Sciences. Throughout her undergraduate degree and following her graduation Ms. Fogarty managed an Orthopaedic company in Windsor, Ontario until relocating for law school. In 2014 Ms. Fogarty attended Western Michigan University where she completed an accelerated 2-year Juris Doctor program with a concentration in Canadian Law. During her law school studies she additionally received further training in alternative dispute resolution methods, including general civil, advanced and domestic mediation.

SEAN WEIR

Sean Weir was CEO of Canada’s largest national law firm from 2000 to July 1, 2018. In his legal practice, Mr. Weir advised financial institutions, corporations and major pension funds. Active in his community, Mr. Weir served as an elected Councillor of the Town of Oakville, a director of the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and a Director and Chair of Oakville Hydro. Mr. Weir was named a “Diversity Champion” by Women of Influence Magazine, received the Lexpert Zenith Managing Partner Award for Corporate Social Responsibility and was listed in the Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.

SARA MINTZ

Sara Mintz is the Alternate Executive Chair of Tribunals Ontario, and the Associate Chair of the Licence Appeal Tribunal, Child and Family Services Review Board, and Custody Review Board. Ms. Mintz joined Tribunals Ontario as a part-time member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and CFSRB/CRB in 2019. She was appointed the Associate Chair of the CICB and successfully led the Board’s wind-down. Prior to joining Tribunals Ontario on a full-time basis, Ms. Mintz was a sought after matrimonial lawyer, providing her strategic insights and skilled advocacy to clients for nearly two decades. A graduate of the concurrent business and law program at the Richard Ivey School of Business and the Faculty of Law at Western University, Ms. Mintz has written and presented on a variety of issues at professional seminars. She is an active volunteer with charitable organizations. In her spare time, Ms. Mintz enjoys playing and watching sports, and has a fondness for animals.