Ghanaian-born now provincial judge in Canada

A prominent young Toronto lawyer, who made a career switch from the medical to the legal profession when a friend suggested he wasn't smart enough to get into law school, has been appointed a provincial judge.

Ghanaian-born Kofi Barnes will become Canada's 25th African-Canadian judge when he's sworn in on Monday, March 8 in Oshawa.

Called to the Bar in 1993, Barnes was the prosecutor in charge of operations of Canada's first Drug Treatment Court in Toronto that provides intensive, court-supervised treatment to drug-addicted offenders who commit non-violent crimes related to their addiction.

"As the first prosecutor in Canada to perform this function, I had no successful precedent to turn to," Barnes once said. "But we have developed a system of frequent court appearances, treatment appointments, urinalysis and community supervision which makes the drug treatment court participant the most-supervised non-incarcerated participant in the criminal justice system."

The first of its kind in Canada, the Toronto court - launched as a pilot project in December 1998 - is modelled on the approximately 600 drug treatment court programs in the United States.

In addition to his extensive criminal law experience, Barnes has served in various administrative capacities, including as team leader of the Federal Prosecution Service, the Toronto Superior Court and the Ontario Court of Justice prosecution teams.

A graduate of Trent University and Osgoode Hall, Barnes is a member of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, the U.S. Association of Drug Court Professionals and the International Association of Drug Court Professionals.

Barnes, who at age 39 will become one of the country's youngest judges, will join St. Lucian-born Gregory Regis on the bench in Oshawa.

Guyanese-born Maurice Charles became Canada's first Black judge in 1969.