Aston Hall is set to become Ontario's first Black Associate Chief Justice

February 24, 2021

During lunchtime at school, Aston Hall often sneaked into the nearby Sutton St. courthouse in Kingston, Jamaica.

With aspirations of probably becoming an advocate, he was intrigued by the machinations of the criminal justice system.

A decade after Hall’s appointment as a Canadian provincial court judge, he has been elevated to Associate Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, making him the first Black legal practitioner to hold the position in the province.

The common denominator in most successful individuals is the support they receive along the journey to success.

Hall was quick to point that out.

“I didn’t accomplish this by myself,” he said. “I have had significant community support. I am standing on the shoulders of giants. They did what they did and I am where I am. I have also had enormous support from the larger society as well. There are a number of decent people who have been so helpful.”

Hall credits his late maternal grandmother, Estelle Weir, for steering him in the right direction.

“I came from a single parent family and she raised me,” he pointed out. “The only things she had to offer me in a very loving environment were care and education. She believed in education and insisted I had to attend school. Having her attend my graduation from law school was extremely satisfying for me.”

Former provincial government Minister Mary Anne Chambers penned a recommendation letter for Hall’s appointment to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2011.

“I recall at his instillation ceremony that he had everyone laughing as he recalled some of the challenges he had experienced along the way,” she said. “But what I took away from that was the importance of hard work, focus and resilience as we seek to always be our very best selves. I knew he would excel. I rejoiced when he was appointed a Regional Senior Judge and I am absolutely thrilled by his latest appointment.”

The Associate Chief Justice and the Associate Chief Justice-Co-ordinator of Justices of the Peace provide support to the Chief Justice and have specific delegated responsibilities as well as those set out in the statute.

Retired provincial court judge Greg Regis said Hall’s appointment is a major step in ensuring that Canadian institutions reflect the populations they serve.

“Justice Hall’s background and experience will provide diverse perspectives at the court’s administration table,” he pointed out. “I am confident his contribution will be an asset as the court continues to reform to meet society’s needs.”

Lawyer and Adjunct Professor Dhaman Kissoon noted that the appointment has great significance not only for the legal community but also more particularly for young members in Hall’s community.

“Justice Hall is a role model and your young people should come to the realization that hard work pays off in the end,” the law professor on issues of race and the law added.

A Canadian resident since1983, Hall completed his undergraduate degree and law degrees at York University prior to operating a sole proprietor practice that focussed exclusively on criminal law. He also managed associates and provided strong ongoing support and training to articling students.

The senior partner at Hall & Vaughan for seven years up until 2009 was a Night Court prosecutor and a political assistant to then provincial Minister of Community & Social Services Minister Zanana Akande. He was also a Community Development Consultant with Toronto Community Housing where he researched and presented a report titled, ‘Identifying Employment opportunities for Hard to Reach Youth in Public Housing’.

As a counsellor for the defunct Black Inmates & Friends Assembly that provided a discharge-planning service for Black inmates in the federal and provincial penal systems, he consulted and assisted in the rehabilitation process to help Black youths make a smooth re-entry into society.

Hall was an occasional instructor with the former North York Board of Education, instructing primary school students in African and Caribbean history and a founding member of Caribbean Share which was a young offenders program that assisted Black male inmates with rehabilitation and educational and support programs.

He was a local administrative judge in Scarborough and a member of the court's education secretariat before becoming a Regional Senior Judge four years ago.

Hall was the third Black judge to hold the position after Hugh Fraser and Greg Regis who are both retired.

His appointment as Associate Chief Justice becomes effective on June 3.

Last December, Guyanese-born Faye McWatt made history as the first Black woman to be appointed Associate Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario.