Meet Your Commission

The Honourable George Valin (Chair)

The Honourable George Valin was born and raised in North Bay, Ontario. He received his JJD from the University of Toronto Law School in 1968 and was called to the Ontario Bar with Honours in 1970. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1982 and he practiced law in North Bay from 1970 to 1990. He was also a member of the North Bay City Council from 1978 to 1985, member of the Board of Governors of Nipissing University College from 1977 to 1986, and member and Chair of the North Bay Police Services Board from 1985 to 1990. Justice Valin was appointed to the Superior Court of Justice in 1990. From 1996 to 2006, he was the Director of the Ontario Superior Court Judges' Association, and also held the position of President from 2001 to 2003.

Mr. Doug Colbourne (Member)

Mr. Doug Colbourne is an arbitrator and mediator of land use planning, expropriation and election issues at both the provincial and municipal levels. He received his degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario, followed by his Chartered Accountant designation in 1965. He was appointed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) in 1968 and was appointed Chair of the OMB, the Assessment Review Board and the Board of Negotiations in 1996. He is an adjudicator for the City of Toronto in land use planning matters, and has both determined and mediated interjurisdictional disputes for other municipalities. He has been associated for two terms with Elections Toronto for adjudication involving disputed election finances.

Dr. Leslie A. Pal (Member)

Dr. Leslie A. Pal is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University. He received a BA (Honours) from Mount Allison University in 1975, and an MA and PhD from Queen's University in 1976 and 1981, respectively. He taught at the University of Waterloo from 1980 to 1982, the University of Calgary from 1982 to 1992, and has taught at Carleton University from 1992 to present. He served as Director of the Canadian Parliamentary Internship Programme from 1997 to 2000 and as Director of the School of Public Policy and Administration from 2000 to 2004. He was the founding Chair of the Accreditation Board of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the International Political Science Association. He is the author and editor of over 25 books on Canadian and international politics.