Provincial Prosecutor, Ministry of the Attorney General Ontario
Graduate Program in Public Policy, Administration & Law, Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) 2021

Tell prospective students a bit about the work you do.

I work as a Provincial Prosecutor for the Ministry of the Attorney General Ontario, Criminal Law Division in the Halton Crown Attorney's Office. The Ministry of the Attorney General administers the justice system in Ontario and protects the public by delivering a wide range of legal services by creating a modernized, fair, and accessible justice system.

As a prosecutor and agent for the Attorney General, I represent the Crown and am responsible for conducting prosecutions from initiation to disposition and appeals of serious regulatory quasi-criminal offences under provincial or federal statutes at various hearings in the Ontario Court of Justice, and responding to Charter applications. My burden is to prove my case beyond a reasonable doubt - a very high standard. Communicating with key stakeholders, legal counsel, police, witnesses, and victims as part of the process in the criminal justice system. I am also a part-time professor at Sheridan College in the Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies, Paralegal Program. In all of my roles, providing education and presentations to internal and external stakeholders, adult students, police, and colleagues is done using several platforms to engage various learning needs and to promote inclusivity, equity, and diversity.

Tell prospective students a bit about how your studies at York helped you to get where you are today.

While in the MPPAL graduate program, I concurrently undertook the Graduate Diploma in Justice System Administration (JSA). Both the MPPAL and JSA gave me greater depth and breadth of understanding of the nexus between law, the courts, public policy and public administration. I gained a greater appreciation for the importance of public finance, program evaluation, research and data interpretation, and the critical elements of equity, diversity, planning, and the Canadian Constitution. As a Crown prosecutor, I am able to apply my education to better comprehend our statistics and have been able to fruitfully participate in dialogue with key stakeholders regarding re-opening the courts, managing caseload and backlog attributed to the recent COVID-19 global pandemic.