Chris Collins has formally stepped down from Port Hope council to take on a new job as a justice of the peace effective Monday (January 29).
He was one of 45 new justices of the peace appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice by the provincial government on Friday.
Collins can no longer serve as a municipal councillor since, under the Justice of the Peace Act, a justice of the peace must cease other employment and refrain from any political activity upon appointment.
Collins was elected to Port Hope council for the first time in October 2022 as one of two Ward 2 councillors representing residents in the rural area of the Municipality of Port Hope, and was the chair of the protective services portfolio.
Prior to his election, Collins was a manager of training and standards at York University and a professor at Centennial College, where he was recognized as a subject matter expert in criminal law, provincial statutes, and emergency management. He was also previously an operations manager of nuclear security at Ontario Power Generation, served with the Canadian Armed Forces, and was an acting inspector with Halton Regional Police. He has a masters law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and a masters in emergency management from Walden University.
There are over 325 justices of the peace in Ontario who perform judicial responsibilities. Both provincial court judges and justices of the peace compose the Ontario Court of Justice, one of Ontario’s two trial courts. In matters of criminal law, justices of the peace preside over virtually all bail hearings in the province and the majority of criminal remand courts as well as other criminal hearings, among other duties. They also exercise jurisdiction over most provincial regulatory offences and municipal by-law prosecutions.
Collins has been assigned to the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay.
“On behalf of all members of council, I offer heartfelt congratulations to Chris on his appointment to the Ontario Court of Justice as a Justice of the Peace,” said Port Hope mayor Olena Hankivsky in a media release. “It has been a pleasure working alongside Chris over the last year and we wish him the very best as he takes on this incredible new opportunity. Council will begin the process of filling the vacant council seat and more information about that process will be available in the coming weeks.”
In accordance with the Municipal Act, council is required to declare a resigned seat vacant at its next meeting and then has 60 days after to either appoint a person to fill the vacancy or to pass a by-law declaring a by-election. Council will declare Collins’ seat vacant at their next regular meeting on February 13 and a report will be brought forward at a future meeting to consider an appointment or a by-election.
