FORT FRANCES — For the first time in more than a decade, the Rainy River district will have a sitting judge.
The province on Monday announced the appointment of Terry Peter Waltenbury as a judge to the Ontario Court of Justice, sitting in Fort Frances.
Waltenbury has practiced as a lawyer in Sudbury since being called to the bar in 2001, working in both private firms and having joined the Sudbury Crown Attorney's Office in 2021.
Fort Frances hasn't had a full-time sitting judge since 2012, instead having travelling judges preside over local matters.
The province's Judicial Appointments Advisory Council started accepting applications for the position last year.
Douglas Judson, the president of the Rainy River District Law Association and the chair of the Federation of Ontario Law Associations, called the appointment a breakthrough.
"Having a judge based in your community helps to create a more locally-responsive justice system. It improves access to justice. It means that the judiciary will be closer to the issues in your community," Judson said in a statement.
