The conduct of Thunder Bay Judge Patrick Smith is under investigation by the Canadian Judicial Council, the body that oversees judges in Canada.
Smith’s lawyer, Brian Gover, explains it’s because Smith accepted the interim dean position at Lakehead University’s Bora Laskin Faculty of Law on June first of this year,.
It’s a move which is threatening his future as a judge.
The council has the power to strip Justice Smith of his role as a judge of the Ontario Superior Court.
Smith resigned from the temporary posting on September 14th.
Gover calls the council investigation unwarranted and an “exercise in second guessing.”
The lawyer points out Smith’s request was approved by both the chief justice of the Superior Court and Canada’s justice minister.
He plans to argue the case in Federal Court in Toronto on October 9th.