Robert Sharpe

Robert James Sharpe, FRSC (born December 4, 1945) is a Canadian lawyer, author, academic, and judge. He was dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law from 1990 to 1995 and a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario from 1999 to 2020.

Not to be confused with Bob Sharpe, Bob Sharpe (basketball), or Pepper Sharpe.
For those with similar names, see Robert Sharp.

Robert James Sharpe
Born (1945-12-04) December 4, 1945
Brantford, Ontario
Known forJudge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario

Early life

Robert James Sharpe was born on December 4, 1945, in Brantford, Ontario,[1] to Eleanor Jane (Cooper) and Ira Sutherland Sharpe.[2] He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario in 1966, a Certificat Pratique de Langue Française from the University of Caen in 1968, a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Toronto in 1970, and a DPhil from the University of Oxford in 1974.[2]

He was called to the bar of Ontario in 1974 and practised law with the firm of MacKinnon, McTaggart (later McTaggart, Potts, Stone & Herridge) in the area of civil litigation.[2] He taught at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law from 1976 to 1988. From 1988 to 1990, he was the Executive Legal Officer Brian Dickson. From 1990 to 1995, he was the dean of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.[3] In 1995, he was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) (now the Superior Court of Justice). In 1999, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario.[4] Sharpe retired on February 28, 2020.[5] After leaving the bench, he joined Arbitration Place.[6] He is a Distinguished Jurist in Residence at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Visiting Professor at University of Oxford./[7]

He is also the author of the following works: The Law of Habeas Corpus (1976), Interprovincial Product Liability Litigation (1982), Injunctions and Specific Performance (1983), Charter Litigation (1987), The Last Day, The Last Hour: The Currie Libel Trial (1988),[2] The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (with Katherine Swinton and Kent Roach) (2002), Brian Dickson: A Judge’s Journey (with Kent Roach) (2003), and The Persons Case: The Origins and Legacy of the Fight for Legal Personhood (with Patricia McMahon) (2007).[4]

Notable judgments

In November 2007, the Toronto Star reported that "In a decision [written by Justice Sharpe on behalf of a panel comprising himself and Justices Karen Weiler and Robert Blair] described as a major breakthrough for freedom of the press in Canada, the [Ontario Court of Appeal] chiselled out what it calls a "new and distinctive" defence for journalists reporting on matters of public significance.[8]

Honours and awards

Sharpe was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1991.[4] He is a patron of the Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal.[9]

References
  1. "Sharpe, Robert J. 1945–". Contemporary Authors. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  2. Simpson, Kieran, ed. (1993). Canadian Who's Who, 1993. 28. University of Toronto Press. p. 1008. ISBN 978-0-8020-4670-3. OCLC 29741010.
  3. "Robert J. Sharpe". University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  4. "Brief Biographical Note of Justice Robert J. Sharpe".
  5. Strathy, George R. (September 22, 2020). "Opening of the Courts of Ontario for 2020 - Additional Remarks". Court of Appeal for Ontario. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  6. "Robert Arbitrator -".
  7. "Robert Sharpe". July 16, 2015.
  8. Tyler, Tracey (November 14, 2007). "Court gives media new latitude". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  9. "Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal - Board of Patrons". Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
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