(L-R): In front, Pam, Owen, and Debra, and in the back, Jonathan and Sandra |
To celebrate and honour a very special alumnus who has made it a lifelong career goal to champion and support equal access to legal education, the Owen B. Shime Bursaryhas been established at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.
Forty-five years ago, Owen Shime, Q.C. graduated from the U of T, Faculty of Law as the first in his family to attend university. Leading up to Mr. Shime's 70th birthday in September, his children Pamela, Sandra, Debra and Jonathan, decided to commemorate his extraordinary professional accomplishments in labour arbitration and mediation as well as his passion for education and social justice.
The four children generously donated $200,000 to this very special bursary in honour of their father, and with matching funds from the University were able to establish a $400,000 endowment in support of student aid. The endowment will provide an annual bursary to support the legal education of a qualified and deserving student entering the first year of the J.D. program under the Faculty's Financial Aid Program.
Shime's daughter, Sandra, says it made sense for the gift to benefit young adults who dream of going to law school, just like Mr. Shime did in 1958. "My father has enormous integrity and passion for the law," she says. "He has always felt grateful for the legal education he got at U of T, so now someone else can have that same advantage."
In 1982, Mr. Shime's wife Millie passed away, leaving him with four teenage children to raise. His three daughters and son created this gift in part to honour his incredible achievements as a father in an enormously challenging situation. Mr. Shime managed to make his young family a priority while continuing to realize great success professionally. One of his daughters went on to obtain a graduate degree in social work, while the other two daughters and son chose to follow their father into law. Indeed the law school is fortunate to have one of his daughters, Pamela, a 1995 graduate of the U of T, Faculty of Law, serving as National Director of Pro Bono Students Canada housed at the law school.
"Owen is a respected lawyer and labour arbitrator with a passion for social justice and fairness," says Professor Brian Langille. "The fact that he, as an alumnus, is involved in helping students come to this law school only adds to the stature of this incredible gift."
In a career that spanned 40 years, Mr. Shime has become one of the most cited arbitrators in labour law. After seven years practicing civil and criminal litigation, he carved out a niche as a labour arbitrator and mediator, and became a pioneer in alternative dispute resolution in Canada. For eleven years, Mr. Shime served as Chair of the Ontario Public Service Labour Relations Tribunal, and he was Chair of the Ontario Crown Employees Grievance Settlement Board for 14 years. In between, he taught labour law at two law schools including U of T. In 1973, he established his own labour arbitration practice, Arb- Med Limited, in Toronto. In 2000, Mr. Shime was awarded a Law Society of Upper Canada Medal for his impact on the profession.
The bursary, which will first be awarded September 2006, is a wonderful tribute to a man who has made and continues to make an enormous difference to the legal profession.
