TORONTO — Five new Justices of the Peace have been appointed to serve in Northwestern Ontario, including two in Thunder Bay, two in Kenora, and one in Dryden.
The appointments were announced by the Ministry of the Attorney General.
Thunder Bay
- Desmond Berry
Berry joined the Thunder Bay Police Service in 2015 and received an exemplary service award in 2023. He served in the TBPS Community-Oriented Response and Engagement unit from 2020 to 2025, where he worked alongside partner agencies to assist with housing, mental health and addiction resources. Most recently, he served as an Indigenous liaison constable. - Jesse Alan Soloway
He has worked with the OPP's provincial communications centre since 2017. Most recently, he has also provided analytical support for the OPP's regional abuse issues coordinator and the major crime investigation team in Northwestern Ontario.
Kenora
- Joanne Michelle Marie Clouston
She has worked as in-house counsel for Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child & Family Services since 2019. Clouston was called to the Manitoba bar in 2012 and the Ontario bar in 2018. She has worked at various private practices and as a per diem lawyer with the Crown Attorney's office in Fort Frances. - Brent Timothy Lundy
Lundy served as a manager with FedNor, the federal economic development agency for northern Ontario, overseeing program delivery in the Northwest. Since 2018, he has been a director and board chair of the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.
Dryden
- Lorelei Lindell Van Belleghem
She has been a legal aid worker since 2002, supporting both family and criminal law staff lawyers with their cases. Prior to this, she was a court clerk and a reporter with the Ministry of the Attorney General for three years.
Justices of the Peace perform a variety of functions, often dealing with the initial stages of legal proceedings, including bail hearings.
They issue search warrants, summonses, and arrest warrants, and decide cases related to provincial offences and municipal by-law violations such as traffic and parking infractions.
