G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal awarded to The Honourable Bruce Durno by Criminal Lawyers’ Association
Toronto, ON, July 29, 2024 – The Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA) has awarded the prestigious G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal to The Honourable Bruce Durno.
The Martin Medal, presented annually since 1989, recognizes outstanding, lifetime contributions to criminal justice and is named after G. Arthur Martin, who was Canada’s greatest criminal advocate before becoming a leading jurist with the Ontario Court of Appeal. The Honourable Bruce Durno will receive the Medal at a special awards luncheon on November 16, 2024.
In being chosen by a committee composed of CLA President Boris Bytensky, a Justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal, a legal academic and a seasoned criminal defence Lawyer, The Honourable Bruce Durno becomes the 36th recipient, and joins the ranks of famed lawyers and jurists headlined by G. Arthur Martin himself, the first winner of the award.
Bruce Durno embodies the very best qualities a criminal lawyer and judge can possess. As Brian Greenspan has said:
“Justice Bruce Durno’s reputation as a criminal law giant is well deserved. The criminal law, criminal lawyers, and criminal law judges across Canada owe a significant debt to his dedication and commitment. In his efforts across a wide spectrum, including his dedication to the CLA, he has been a selfless contributor to the maintenance and development of the practice of criminal law. He has, despite an enormous workload and the constant demands from the profession and his colleagues, maintained a reputation for courtesy, even-handedness and integrity.”
Bruce articled at Humphrey, Locke, Ecclestone and Kane, a leading criminal law firm and the birthplace of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association. Hugh Locke was the first President and David Humphrey Sr. the inspirational leader of that formidable group, three of whom became justices of the Superior Court.
Bruce spent 24 years as defence counsel conducting trials and appeals in all courts in Ontario and in the Supreme Court with a significant proportion of his clients legally aided.
He was President of the CLA from 1992 – 1996, a period of great turmoil for the defence bar. Brian Greenspan explains,
“Bruce expertly steered the Association against the attempts of the Law Society to significantly reduce criminal law service delivery. While at the helm of the CLA, … it was Bruce Durno who almost single-handedly preserved the certificate system, maintaining an independent criminal defence bar.”
After his 1998 appointment to the General Division in Central West, he was Regional Senior Justice between 2000 and 2009 and official criminal law lead from 2009 to 2023.
Throughout his long tenure in Central West, Bruce was instrumental in keeping afloat what Justice Cory in the 1990 Askov decision called “the worst district . . . north of the Rio Grande”.
Justice David Doherty has commented:
“Bruce’s achievements as a trial judge, both in the case management sphere and as a trial judge, are without equal. What is even more remarkable, however, is that Bruce has been so successful while performing this task in a manner which almost always leaves everyone satisfied that they have been treated fairly.
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Bruce’s even-handed, thoughtful, and wise exercise of his judicial functions, along with his kind and unfailingly respectful treatment of others, identifies him as a person very much cut from the same cloth as Justice G. Arthur Martin.”
Darilynn Allison, Crown Attorney for the Region of Peel knows firsthand the heroic efforts Bruce Durno has made in Central West:
“Without Justice Durno’s incredible capacity for and dedication to old-fashioned hard work, the Superior Court of Justice in Peel would have surely crushed under the weight of the sheer volume many years ago. His efforts with those key pre-trial appearances and discussions have been absolutely essential to the fair and efficient administration of justice in this jurisdiction.”
Bruce has been a primary driver of court reform. Together with the Honourable David Watt, he co-chaired the SCJ Chief Justice’s Advisory Committee on Criminal Trials that led to significant changes to criminal procedure.
Bruce is a mainstay of continuing legal education for the bar at CLA, Law Society, local bar associations and Crowns’ conferences and for the judiciary at National Judicial Institute programs across Canada.
Bruce Durno has a unique and special temperament. As Ms. Allison says:
“Justice Durno approaches each case with a calm and reassuring presence.
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He … is respectful and measured to all that appear before him in the Superior Court. He willingly mentors young counsel. He recognizes that they are learning and make mistakes. He kindly corrects them in a uniquely Justice Durno way that makes young counsel feel educated, but never deflated. He never uses his esteemed position to teach counsel that appear before him in any way other than with an approach which is in the highest tradition of civility. All leave His Honour’s court feeling they have had a fair hearing and are better lawyers for the experience.”
CLA President Boris Bytensky notes:
“In his 50 year legal career, Bruce Durno has been a leader and an inspiration to many. As a highly respected lawyer, then as President of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, and eventually in a lengthy judicial career leading one of the busiest superior court trial jurisdictions, he was known for his incredible work ethic, his calm but forceful leadership, his quick dry wit, and his commitment to education and mentorship. The G. Arthur Martin award is reserved for those who have made the highest contribution to the legal profession, and we are thrilled that someone so obviously deserving and so universally respected, has accepted this year’s award.”
For more information on the G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal, including the list of past recipients, please visit https://criminallawyers.ca/about-us/awards/.
The Criminal Lawyers’ Association is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 1,800 defence lawyers in Canada. It is the largest organization of its kind in Canada. The mandate of the association is to serve as a strong voice for criminal lawyers and other stakeholders concerned with the quality of criminal justice in Canada. https://www.criminallawyers.ca/
John Chagnon
Executive Director
Criminal Lawyers’ Association
ed@criminallawyers.ca
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