Appointee Biographies
Drainage Referee
VALERIE M'GARRY
Valerie M'Garry was called to the Ontario Bar in 1979, having received her B.A. and LL.B. (1974 /1977) from the University of Western Ontario. After ten years of a criminal and civil practice, she became the City Solicitor/Administrator of Legal Services for the City of Sarnia in 1989, where she remained for a period of ten years. She oversaw one of the first restructuring/amalgamations of recent years, when the City of Sarnia and Town of Clearwater joined, and re-integrated with the County. During her tenure, she appeared regularly before administrative tribunals, such as the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (formerly the O.M.B.) and the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal, and at all levels of Court, including an appearance in the Supreme Court of Canada, on behalf of the City. She was Counsel to the City in the Judicial Inquiry which finally took place in 1998 after the Supreme Court decision allowing it to proceed.
JOHN O’KANE
John O’Kane was called to the Ontario Bar in 1986, practicing in the areas of civil and administrative litigation. He is past Vice-Chair of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal, past Deputy Mining and Lands Commission, and past Appeal Roster Member of the Electrical Safety Authority. John resides in Collingwood, Ontario.