Justice Joelle Malette
The Ontario government is pleased to announce the appointment of Justice Joelle Malette to the Ontario Court of Justice. Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Malette to Thunder Bay.
Justice Joelle Malette was called to the Ontario bar in 2005. From 2005 to 2021, she was an associate at Wallbridge Wallbridge, focusing on motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice and institutional sexual assault liability claims. In 2021, she founded Malette ADR | RED, a bilingual dispute resolution firm. She has taught advanced dispute resolution and the art of advocacy as a part-time law professor at the University of Ottawa. She is also a bencher at the Law Society of Ontario and a part-time adjudicator on the Transport Appeal Tribunal of Canada, the Social Benefits Tribunal of Ontario, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Law Society Tribunal.
Justice Malette was vice president and president of the Artemis Youth Centre, a youth-led initiative in Timmins that aimed to create a safe place for young people to foster creativity, build confidence and pursue new opportunities. She was also on the board of governors at Collège Boréal d’arts appliqués et de technologie. Justice Malette graduated from the French Common Law Program at the University of Ottawa and did post-graduate studies at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.
Congratulations to Justice Malette on this appointment!
See the June 10, 2025, news release from the Attorney General of Ontariok for more information.
Justice Alyssa Bain
The Ontario government is pleased to announce the appointment of Justice Bain to the Ontario Court of Justice. Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Bain to Stratford.
Justice Alyssa Bain was called to the Ontario bar in 2002. She began her career articling with the Department of Justice in Toronto before working as a federal prosecutor with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada from 2002 to 2019. Throughout her 17-year tenure as a federal prosecutor, Justice Bain was responsible for prosecuting offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. In 2019, Justice Bain joined the Ministry of the Attorney General as an assistant Crown attorney. She served as a case management lead, trial litigator and mentor on the ministry’s Sexual Violence Advisory Group, supporting Crowns in the litigation of sexual offences.
Justice Bain is a member of the Stop Violence Against Women Committee for Perth County and the Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition — Huron, Perth, Bruce, Lambton. In 2024, she joined the board of directors of the Canadian Mental Health Services Association, Huron Perth Addiction and Mental Health Services. Since 2017, Justice Bain has been a committee member of the Ontario Judicial Education Network, providing coaching and mentoring support to high school students participating in annual mock trial competitions and outreach programs.
Congratulations to Justice Bain on this appointment!
See the May 5, 2025 news release from the Attorney General of Ontario for more information.
Justice Ghina Al-Sewaidi
The Ontario government is pleased to announce the appointment of Justice Ghina Al-Sewaidi to the Ontario Court of Justice. Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Al-Sewaidi to Dryden.
Justice Ghina Al-Sewaidi was called to the Ontario bar in 1993. She began her legal career in London, Ontario, specializing in immigration law with appearances before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and Federal Court. In 1997, she became a sole practitioner and established her own firm in Toronto focusing on family and criminal law, appearing before the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Justice Al-Sewaidi joined Legal Aid Ontario in 2011 as a family law staff lawyer. In 2016, she became the manager of the Family Law Service Centre at Legal Aid. In 2021, Justice Al-Sewaidi spent six months in the position of acting director at Legal Aid’s Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan office, carrying complex criminal litigation files and managing legal operations. In 2022, she joined the Litigation and Regulatory Affairs team at General Counsel office, Legal Aid Ontario.
Justice Al-Sewaidi is an active member of the community. She has provided pro bono legal services to Arabic-speaking newcomers to Canada. She is on the board of the Toronto Lawyers Association and is an honorary member of the Mandean Canadian Association. Justice Al-Sewaidi has represented Canada on Team Canada for dragon boating competitions in China and Thailand and is a certified dragon boat coach. She holds law degrees from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom and the University of Ottawa. Her post-graduate studies were completed at the University of Dundee, Scotland with a focus on Petroleum Law. She holds a dispute resolution certificate from York University and acts as a mentor and articling principal.
Congratulations to Justice Al-Sewaidi on this appointment!
See the June 10, 2025, news release from the Attorney General of Ontario for more information.
Justice L. Joleen Hiland
The Ontario government is pleased to announce the appointment of Justice Hiland to the Ontario Court of Justice. Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Hiland to Cobourg.
Justice L. Joleen Hiland was called to the Ontario bar in 2009. She worked as a criminal defence lawyer with the law office of James Hauraney between 2009 and 2014 in the Tri-County region. In 2014, Justice Hiland established her firm as a sole practitioner, with a focus on criminal law and defending clients charged with serious offences. While maintaining her defence practice, Justice Hiland was one of two agents for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Peterborough for four years, prosecuting drug matters. In 2022, Justice Hiland joined the Peterborough Crown Attorney’s Office as an assistant Crown attorney, prosecuting a variety of offences and co-leading the Peterborough Intensive Serious Violent Crime Bail Team. She has appeared before the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice.
Justice Hiland is a committed volunteer in her community. She has been an executive member of the board of directors of Peterborough Youth Services, overseeing the implementation of the agency’s vital services such as clinical counselling and crisis services for youth aged ten to 18 and their families. Justice Hiland is also an operations committee member with the E Naaknind Anishinaabeg Indigenous Peoples’ Court (IPC), addressing issues and concerns directly related to the local IPC.
Congratulations to Justice Hiland on this appointment!
See the May 5, 2025 news release from the Attorney General of Ontariofor more information.