John J. Wilson

John J. Wilson practices public law in Gowling WLG's Toronto office, chiefly in the areas of Crown liability, administrative law, constitutional law, regulatory law, and Indigenous law. He acts for public and private clients in administrative and civil proceedings, applications for judicial review, and appeals.

He has appeared at all levels of the Ontario and Federal Courts, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Regulators, public bodies, and other public organizations retain John on matters of statutory authority, statutory interpretation, and policy and procedure. He also regularly advises private clients that are regulated by public authorities.

John has acted for First Nations and Inuit governments in litigation involving the duty to consult, disputed elections, and modern treaty interpretation. He was also part of the team responsible for the settlement of the McLean Indian Day Schools Class Action.

In the constitutional realm, John has broadly advised on and litigated division of powers, parliamentary privilege, and Charter issues.

John is co-author of Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Administrative Law, and Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Constitutional Law: Division of Powers.

He is also an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he teaches Administrative Law.

John is a graduate of the University of Oxford (BCL), Osgoode Hall Law School (JD), and Queen's University at Kingston (BA, Honours).

Associations professionnelles

  • County of Carleton Law Association
  • The Advocates' Society
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Ontario Bar Association

Articles and presentations

Gehl v Canada: Circumscribing the Role of Charter Values? John J. Wilson and Guy Régimbald, Ontario Bar Association's Constitutional, Civil Liberties, and Human Rights Law Section, 16 November 2017.

Morasse v Nadeau-Dubois: Does Contemptuous Expression Deserve Charter Protection? Ontario Bar Association's Constitutional, Civil Liberties, and Human Rights Law Section, 22 November 2016.

Interjurisdictional Information Sharing and National Security: A Constitutional and Legislative Analysis, Jacques J.M. Shore, Brian A. Crane, John J. Wilson, (2016) 62:1 McGill LJ 207.