Candidate for Ontario chief justice charged with spousal assault

The head provincial court judge in Brampton — who was in the running to become next chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice — has been charged with assault and assault causing bodily harm over two incidents involving his spouse, the court said Friday.

Paul Currie is regional senior justice for the central west region, which includes the Brampton, Milton and Guelph courthouses. The court said in a brief statement that he will not be assigned any “judicial or administrative duties” until further notice.

The alleged victim is identified in court documents as Currie’s spouse. The assault is alleged to have happened in February, while the assault causing bodily harm charge relates to an alleged incident last month.

Currie’s next court date at the Guelph courthouse is May 23.

He did not immediately return the Star’s requests for comment.

Currie was one of five judges who made it to the interview stage to become next chief justice of the provincial court, according to an email obtained by the Star that was sent earlier this year by Attorney General Doug Downey to the judges and justices of the peace.

The eight-year term of the current chief justice, Lise Maisonneuve, ends in May. Downey has not yet announced her replacement.

In his email, Downey asked the judges and justices of the peace to reach out directly to him “to share any insights you believe would be relevant in consideration of these excellent candidates.”

Downey faced major pushback from the bench when he revamped the appointment process for chief justice, asking judges to provide feedback on candidates directly to him — something the Association of Ontario Judges said violated the separation of powers between executive and judicial.

Currie was appointed regional senior justice by the Ford government in August 2019. A news release at the time said he had been a provincial court judge in Brampton since 2004.

Called to the bar in 1984, Currie worked as a Crown attorney and later moved into private practice before his appointment to the bench.

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