Fil-Canadian named to Superior Court of Ontario

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino-Canadian was named to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The appointment of Steve Anthony Coroza, a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharine’s, is the highest position a Filipino-Canadian has attained in the Canadian judiciary.

Coroza is the first Filipino-Canadian to hold a seat in a provincial superior court in Canada.

Canada’s Department of Justice announced last April 29 the appointment of Coroza, which will take effect on July 8.

Coroza obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor Law School in 1995.

He was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1997 and completed a Master of Laws degree at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2003.

Coroza began his career as a staff duty counsel for Ontario Legal Aid in Toronto, where he practiced criminal law until 1998.

Thereafter until 2009, he served as a senior counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

He prosecuted offenses and appeared at all levels of court in Ontario while supervising over 100 federal Crown agents throughout southern Ontario.