Province promotes judge in southern Alberta

He has also served as the lead justice in the Medicine Hat Drug Treatment Court.

Assistant chief justices support the chief justice hear criminal cases and statutes under federal, provincial and municipal laws, as well as family and child protection cases and certain civil disputes.

Including Brooks, the province made a total of five judicial appointments across Alberta. Justice Minister and Attorney General Mickey Amery says they each bring high levels of experience and expertise.

“They have consistently demonstrated their deep understanding of the law and commitment to justice throughout their careers. I am confident that they will bring the same intelligence and fairness to these new roles,” says Amery.

The new judicial appointments are as follows:

Susan Borsic, KC
- Will serve Calgary Family and Youth Division
- Received a bachelor of laws (with distinction) from the University of New Brunswick in 1998 and was awarded the medal for highest standing in her law school graduating class. She spent her articles clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada. Prior to her current role as manager of professional development at the Canadian Bar Association, she worked as a litigation associate at two national law firms, senior legal counsel to the Chief Justice of Alberta, senior legal counsel for the Alberta Human Rights Commission, and resolution counsel at the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta.
- Appointment starts October 15, 2024
Justice Eric Brooks
- Will serve Southern Region
- Received his bachelor of laws from the University of Alberta Law School in 1986. He worked as a sole practitioner in Edmonton from 1987 to 1995, focusing on criminal and family law, and joined the Legal Aid Youth Office as a staff defence lawyer in 1995. He became a Crown counsel with Alberta Justice in 1998. He was appointed a justice with the Alberta Court of Justice in April 2011, serving the Southern Region. He also served as lead justice in the Medicine Hat Drug Treatment Court.
- Appointment starts September 30, 2024
James Sawa
- Will serve Calgary Criminal Division/Calgary Region
- Received a bachelor of laws from the University of Calgary in 1991. He is currently senior counsel for the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service in Calgary, where he has held several roles since 2006, including Crown prosecutor, assistant chief Crown prosecutor and deputy chief prosecutor. Prior to working with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, he worked as an associate and partner with Valin Partners Law Firm in Ontario, a staff lawyer for the Kenora Legal Clinic in Ontario and a prosecutor for Manitoba Justice in Winnipeg.
- Appointment starts September 3, 2024
Justice Eric Tolppanen
- Will serve Calgary Criminal Division/Calgary Region
- Graduated from Queen’s University Law School in 1991 with a bachelor of laws, and from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2009 with a master of laws. He worked first in private practice and then with the Alberta Securities Commission. Most of his career was as a prosecutor with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) where his roles included trial counsel, appellate counsel, and assistant chief Crown prosecutor. In 2015, he was appointed assistant deputy minister of the ACPS, a position he held until his judicial appointment in 2020. Since then, he has been president of the Alberta Provincial Justices’ Association and is a board member of the Canadian Institution for the Administration of Justice.
- Appointment starts August 28, 2024
Gina L. Toni
- Will serve Central Division
- Received her bachelor of laws from the University of Saskatchewan in 2004. She has worked as an associate and a partner with Altalaw in Red Deer, specializing in family law. She was a member of the Court of King’s Bench Family Law Consulting Committee, where she provided input on improving the efficiency of the family court. Since 2007, she has been an active member, past membership chair and current treasurer of the Association of Collaborative Law Lawyers of Central Alberta.
- Appointment starts September 6, 2024

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by David Opinko

Province promotes judge in southern Alberta

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