Friday, January 4, 2019

Blizzard of provincial appointments

After months without any news about appointments, the Ontario government has posted scores of them this week.

Two Toronto lawyers, Jennifer Friedland and Laurie Sandford, have been given one-year terms on the Animal Care Review Board which oversees the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The OSPCA lost its police-like powers in a judicial decision this week and the OSCPA said earlier that it lacks resources to investigate farm-related cases of animal abuse.

Friedland was also appointed to a one-year term on the Fire Safety Commission.

Susan De Avella Schiller of Oakville was appointed to a one-year term on the Environmental Review Tribunal, also known as the Environment and Land Tribunal of Ontario.


Dirk Vanderbent of Hamilton was appointed to a one-year term as chairman of the tribunal.

Tom Hilditch of St. Catharine has been appointed to a three-year term as chairman of the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario. Farmers have concerns that they will be forced to delay harvesting hay to protect Bob-O-Link birds.

The chairman and two vice-chairmen of the OMAFRA Appeals Tribunal’s re-appointments were posted earlier this week.