List of Commissioners
KEITH C. NORTON, Q.C., B.A., LL.B.
Chief Commissioner
Keith Norton was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Commission on July 17, 1996. He is an educator and a lawyer by training, having studied law at Queen’s University in Kingston, as well as having received a diploma in education from the Ontario College of Education. He practiced criminal and family law in Kingston, Ontario, and taught at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
Mr. Norton is a former Minister of Community and Social Services and served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Treasurer of Ontario and Minister of Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs. He has also served as Minister of Health, Minister of Education and Minister of Colleges and Universities.
As Minister of the Environment between 1981 and 1983, Mr. Norton became the first Canadian cabinet minister to testify before a Committee of the United States Senate. Throughout his career, Mr. Norton has championed issues related to persons with disabilities, senior citizens and the disadvantaged. He has also been involved in a number of business ventures.
Mr. Norton is a former President of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
JEANETTE CASE
Jeanette Case was appointed to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2003. She is also a part time member of the Assessment Review Board of the Ministry of the Attorney General, where she serves as a part-time adjudicator on matters relating to property assessment. Ms. Case received certificates in Economics, Economic History and British Constitution at Leicester College of Arts and Technology in England, and studied Sociology and Psychology at the University of Leicester Extramural Department. For years she has worked as a conveyancer and title searcher and has conducted orientation and training of community college students in title searching. She has volunteered with Silent Voice, the Canadian Cancer Society, St. Christopher House, Meals on Wheels and the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.
VIVIAN JARVIS
Vivian Jarvis is a founding member and past-president of her local chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association. She is an active member of her community, having served as president of the Women’s Auxiliary at Stratford General Hospital, Neighbourlink, conducting pastoral prison visitations in Ottawa and Hamilton and as Warden of her Church. Ms. Jarvis has served as a City Councillor for the City of Stratford and has worked in the Constituency Offices of MPs and MPPs. She has also stood for election to the Ontario Legislature. She was appointed to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2003.
JUDITH-ANN MANNING
Judith-Ann Manning was appointed to the Commission in February 2000. Ms. Manning is President of Manning Consultants, a barrier-free consulting company specializing in accessibility and disability issues. She majored in Criminology and Law while at university. A lifelong volunteer, she is currently Co-ordinator of the University of Toronto's Wheelchair Access Committee and has held the positions of Chair of the North York Advisory Committee For Persons With Disabilities, co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation, and vice-Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission's Advisory Committee on Accessible Transportation. As well, she is a friend on Transport Canada’s Accessible Transportation: A1E09 – Committee on Transportation Accessibility and Mobility.
EVANGELISTA (IVAN) OLIVEIRA
Ivan Oliveira is a realtor and educator by trade. He has been associated with the Brampton Real Estate Board for over 25 years and has chaired many of its committees, including Public Relations, Discipline, Political Affairs, Arbitration, Membership, Finance, Ethics and Appeals and served as the Board's president in 1987. He is a committed member of the Portuguese community and is the founder of the Portuguese Community School of Brampton where he supervises and implements curriculum. He has taught the Portuguese language in Ontario Secondary schools and he was responsible for the supervision and evaluation of 14 different language instructors under the International Languages Program. Mr. Oliveira is also a part-time adjudicator with the Assessment Review Board of the Ministry of the Attorney General, where he has chaired hearings dealing with property assessment matters. He has served on the executives of several organizations. Mr. Oliveira a recipient of several awards including the 2002 Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. He was appointed to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2003.
MARNIE PAIKIN, CM
Marnie Paikin was appointed to the Commission in September 1996. She is a past President of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, and a recipient of the Province of Ontario's "Outstanding Woman Award" and of the Human Relations Award of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. She has been inducted into the Hamilton Gallery of Distinction and has been appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. Ms. Paikin is currently a Director of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.
ABDUL HAI PATEL
Abdul Hai Patel was appointed to the Commission in April 1999. Mr. Patel received his primary education in India, secondary education in Barbados and post-secondary education at York University.
Mr. Patel is a recipient of the Canada 125 commemorative medal from the Governor General for Community Service. He is a recipient of the Volunteer Service Award from the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation, a member of the South & West Asian consultative committee of the Toronto Police, and a coordinator of the Islamic Coordinating Council of Imams-Canada. Mr. Patel is also the Vice-Chair of the Association of Employees for Employment Equity with New Horizon Solutions Inc., a division of Ontario Power Generation Company and serves as a member of the Provincial Committee of Power Workers Union on Employment Equity and Diversity.
CHRISTIANE RABIER
Christiane Rabier was appointed to the Commission in April 1999. Ms. Rabier received her PhD from the University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis; she received her Masters from the University of Montreal and studied public law at the University of Montpellier in France. She is currently Chair of the Department of Political Science and Vice-Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities at Laurentian University in Sudbury.
Ms. Rabier is active within the francophone community in Sudbury and has worked on a program for francophone women to attend post secondary studies, as well as served as a consultant with TV Ontario on Continuing Education. She also served as a volunteer with Canada’s Special Olympics in 1998 and Operation Red Nose in 1999.
MAE RADFORD
Mae Radford was appointed to the Commission in April 1999. Ms. Radford received a diploma in nursing from the Toronto Western Hospital and a Bachelor of Arts in health administration from York University. She is currently the manager of volunteer services, overseeing operations of a team of 1700 volunteers who deliver friendly visiting, palliative care volunteer visiting, transportation, and Meals on Wheels for the VON Hamilton-Wentworth.
Ms. Radford is a member of the Coalition of Community Health and Support Services, which advocates for community-based health care. She is a member of the Ontario Community Support Association and the Chair of District B. Ms. Radford is the vice-chair of the Citizen Committee for Violence Against Women for the City of Burlington.
REGINALD STACKHOUSE
Author of nine books and over 400 articles in newspapers, magazine and journals, Dr. Stackhouse is Principal Emeritus and research professor at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. He holds a Ph.D. in historical theology from Yale University, an M.A. in Political Economy from the University of Toronto and is an honourary graduate of three colleges as well as canon of St. James Cathedral in Toronto. A former M.P., Dr. Stackhouse served two terms in the House of Commons, chairing the Standing Committee on Human Rights, was a Canadian representative to the United Nations General Assembly and a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights and Refugee Committee. He also served as a Commissioner on the Canadian Human Rights Commission and Chair of the founding Board of Governors of Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology and later a member of the Ontario Council of Regents. He is a recipient of several awards including the 2002 Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. Dr. Stackhouse was appointed to the Ontario Human Rights Commission in 2003.
RICHARD THÉBERGE
Richard Théberge was appointed to the Commission in February 2002. He is a lawyer by training, a policy analyst and accessibility consultant. He has held senior posts in the federal government analyzing and developing policies in connection with business and corporate law. He has volunteered with many organizations that work with the youth and disability communities and currently serves as Vice-President of the Ottawa Independent Living Resource Centre. He has been recognized as a patron of deaf youth by the Jules Leger Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, as well as awarded a lifetime honourary membership in the Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories for his years of work on behalf of the independent testing industry.