Professor Sullivan had a special place at the Common Law Section, having taught here for 27 years. Her statutory interpretations, torts and trusts classes are fondly remembered by hundreds of students. Her texts, including "The Construction of Statutes," have been constantly cited by the Supreme Court of Canada and other courts as essential sources for drafting and interpreting legislation.
Professor Sullivan was born in Chicago in 1946 and raised in Minneapolis. She left Minnesota for Montreal in 1968 with her husband Dan Sullivan to avoid possible consequences of the draft for the Vietnam War.
She earned a master’s degree in English from Concordia University, degrees in Common Law and Civil Law from McGill University (finishing at the top of her class when her son Chris was in grade school) and a Master’s Degree in Legislation from uOttawa.
She moved to Ottawa to clerk for Chief Justice Bora Laskin at the Supreme Court of Canada in 1982 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1984.
After twenty-seven years of teaching at the Faculty, she retired in 2011 and became an employee of the Legislative Services Branch of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Canada and on secondments, sabbaticals and then as a full-time employee she drafted bills and regulations and provided training and legal opinions.
On an online condolence book, several students and former DOJ colleagues shared their reminiscences of a remarkable woman.
“To me, Ruth was in equal parts an exceptional scholar, a practical legal advisor and a humble expert. In other words, a giant!” wrote Nancy Othmer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector.
Former student and DOJ colleague Elise Schissler wrote that Ruth “suffered through 1st year Property for the nth time but still managed to cut through the subject-matter with brevity and with humour. She was the best of them.”
Professor John Keyes wrote that “Ruth was an amazing scholar, teacher, legislative counsel and friend. She has had a profound influence on drafting more understandable legislation and refining legislative interpretation. Her writing and her lectures were delightful and insightful. But perhaps most importantly, her generosity and passion for what was right knew no bounds. I miss her deeply, but her legacy lives on.”
Justice Howard Borenstein, who studied under Professor Sullivan between 1986-89, wrote that it was a “treat” getting to know her.
“As others have said, she was brilliant. She was also mischievously funny, quirky and humble. My classmates and I often spoke about what an amazing professor she was.
“We met for a drink a few years ago. When I told her how my classmates loved her, she seemed genuinely surprised that she was thought of that way. I was more surprised that she did not know as I thought it was so obvious but that was another example of her humility. She was a jewel of a person and a prof. “
Over the next few months, the Faculty will consider how to best mark Professor Sullivan's special contribution.
May her memory be a blessing.