Justice retires after 36 years
There’s one thing Justice Ann Watson has loved more than the law.
And after 13 years serving as a judge in St. Catharines and a legal career that spans 36 years, Watson intends to dedicate all her time to her first love – her family.
Friday, as she presided over the courtroom for the last time, friends and coworkers gathered in Courtroom 6 to share memories of the many years they spent working together.
“I’m looking forward to having some more free time, that’s for sure,” said Watson, who was first called to the bar in 1982 when she began her career working as Hamilton’s first female Crown attorney.
She said Justice Joseph Nadel, who retired at the start of the year, inspired her to follow suit.
“When Joe decided to go, I seriously thought court is changing and evolving,” she said. “I love the law, but I love a lot other things, too. I love my family. The law doesn’t define me.”
Watson said working as a judge meant there was “never enough time” to dedicate to the other aspects of her life.
She said she hopes to spend much of her new found free time with her 18-month-old grandchild, who lives in Montreal.
“It’s difficult when you’re working full time to go up there on a weekend,” she said. “That’s certainly something I’m looking forward to.”
She also hopes to focus more on her interests in music and art.
Regional Senior Justice Sharon Nicklas told Watson that she “can’t begin to thank you for your years of dedicated service to the Ontario Court of Justice, for your passion, for your compassion for all of the persons in Niagara Region, both as a Crown and as a judge.”
Nadel said the years spent working with Watson in various capacities was a “pleasure and a joy.”
“I hope you enjoy your retirement. I found it very dislocating initially. It’s very confusing to wake up on Thursday morning and have no place to go, but eventually you get used to it.”
Judge Fergus O’Donnell lauded Watson for the work she has done presiding over the Indigenous People’s Court, a role he will be taking over in her absence.
He told her the work she has done with the court is the “greatest legacy you will leave behind in this building.”
But Watson later attributed the success of the Indigenous People’s Court to the community it serves.
“It is a community-based court and for me it was an honour,” she said, adding Niagara’s “vibrant” Indigenous people were committed to the court, and to their community.
Watson’s send-off was organized by Defence attorney V. J. Singh, who said he initially planned a low-key event that snowballed once others learned of his plans.