York Region appoints new regional solicitor

Dan Kuzmyk, who has been a member of the senior legal team for 17 years, will oversee the region's legal and court services department in his new role

Newmarkettoday.ca
Feb. 19, 2021

The Regional Municipality of York today announced the appointment of Dan Kuzmyk as its new Regional Solicitor, effective immediately.

“York Regional Council relies on our Regional Solicitor to provide sound legal advice to inform our Council, Committee and Board decisions,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “On behalf of Regional Council, I offer congratulations to Mr. Kuzmyk and look forward to his ongoing support in protecting and advancing York Region’s legal interests.”

In his role as Regional Solicitor, Mr. Kuzmyk will oversee York Region’s Legal and Court Services department.

Mr. Kuzmyk attended Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1992, bringing nearly 30 years of municipal and private-sector legal experience to his position. He joined York Region in 2004 as Senior Litigation Counsel and has served as Deputy Regional Solicitor, Dispute Resolution and Construction Law since 2015.

“Over the past 17 years, Mr. Kuzmyk has been a valued member of our senior legal team, providing advice for some of York Region’s critical and contentious issues and projects,” said York Region Chief Administrative Officer Bruce Macgregor. “His experience, leadership and focused drive is a welcomed addition to our strong Senior Management Team.”

Mr. Kuzmyk is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Advocates’ Society, the Ontario Expropriation Association, the International Municipal Lawyers Association and the Municipal Law Departments Association of Ontario. He holds a Master’s Certificate in Municipal Leadership from the Schulich School of Business at York University, an Excellence Canada Certificate in Process Management and a Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate from Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences.

Legal and Court Services is responsible for providing in-house, readily accessible and cost-effective legal expertise to meet the diverse needs of Regional departments, the York Regional Police Services Board and York Region corporations, including Housing York Inc., York Region Rapid Transit and YorkNet.

The department represents the Region in hearings and court proceedings at all levels of court in Ontario, resolves disputes, delivers legal opinions, negotiates and drafts legal agreements and works to ensure regulatory compliance, guard against legal risk and enforce the Region’s rights.

York Region Court Services provides service to residents of York Region, the nine area municipalities, the Province of Ontario, the Judiciary and over 30 law enforcement and regulatory agencies operating within The Regional Municipality of York. It operates six trial courtrooms and two intake courtrooms located in courts in both the Town of Newmarket and City of Richmond Hill.

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 54,000 businesses with 650,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices.