Photo: Darren Calabrese / Canadian Press
Source: Toronto Sun
ONTARIO - Former attorney general Michael Bryant, who is facing criminal charges stemming from a car crash that killed a cyclist last summer, has quietly begun work at a prestigious law firm, the Star has learned.
Bryant, who was also aboriginal affairs minister and economic development minister in Premier Dalton McGuinty's government, started this week at Ogilvy Renault as a full-time special adviser.
John West, senior partner at Ogilvy Renault's Toronto office, said Bryant is working with the firm's energy law team.
"Michael is a person we believe brings a lot of value to the table. We recognize that in some quarters it could potentially be viewed as controversial ... it's just a human tragedy all around," West said Friday.
"But, as lawyers, we believe in the rule of law ... and that means we believe first of all in the presumption of innocence and Michael is entitled to the same treatment and respect that you and I are.
"The fact that he's a former cabinet minister doesn't mean that he gets lesser treatment, it means he's entitled to the same treatment that all of us are ... and Michael is equally entitled to earn a living."
West said Bryant's expertise in matters involving first nations, energy policy, and economic development would be invaluable to one of Canada's top law firms.
"We looked at it from the perspective of bringing added value to Ogilvy Renault and its clients," he said, declining to say how much Bryant would be paid.
Bryant, who resigned from McGuinty's cabinet in May, was the $300,000-a-year CEO of Invest Toronto at the time of the incident on Aug. 30 that left bike courier Darcy Allan Sheppard, 33, dead on Bloor Street West.
Following a collision with Bryant's 1995 Saab, Sheppard was dragged along Bloor just east of Avenue Road. The father of four died at the scene.
Bryant, who had been out for dinner with his wife, Susan Abramovitch, to celebrate their anniversary, was charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death.
He has maintained his innocence and his case is slowly working its way through the courts.
Since the tragedy, Bryant, who stepped down from Invest Toronto in September, has kept a low profile. He was unavailable for comment Friday.
Prior to entering politics in 1999, the Harvard and Osgoode Hall-educated Bryant was a commercial litigator at McCarthy Tetrault. At Queen's Park, he was known as an activist minister and a savvy communicator. During his tenure, he banned pit bulls, closed numerous marijuana grow operations and cracked down on street racing.
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