Crown MacDonald promoted

New director of prosecutors for eastern Ontario

09 December 2008

Posted By MEGAN HARRISON

Crown attorney Murray MacDonald is leaving Cornwall for the big city, taking a new position in Ottawa starting first thing in the new year.

Having spent more than 15 years in the Crown attorney's Office in Cornwall, MacDonald said he was offered the job of director for prosecutors for eastern Ontario after the current director was assigned to a special project and decided it was time for a change.

The new job will have him providing administrative supervision to all 10 eastern Ontario Crown Attorney's offices starting on Jan. 5. "I've been the Crown Attorney here since 1992, and even though there have been some tough days, I've loved every day of it," he said.

MacDonald denied the Cornwall Public Inquiry had any impact on his decision to leave the city, adding: "There are challenges of being a Crown Attorney in a jurisdiction of this kind. Even without having something like a public inquiry on your front porch, there are always challenges.

"Some make the job palatable, and some make the job less palatable. However, it's still a job that I have loved doing."

MacDonald also stressed the move is not permanent, and that he could be coming back once the current director has finished in his new position.

One guaranteed appearance in Cornwall will be at the inquiry, where he has yet to testify.

MacDonald said he hasn't received a date just yet, but that he is "looking forward" to his time on the stand. He refused to elaborate further. Taking over for the Crown attorney in the new year is Senior assistant Crown attorney Guy Simard, who will take the title of Acting Crown Attorney in MacDonald's absence.

MacDonald said the two have been meeting for the past few weeks in hopes of making the transmission a smooth one, though he admitted he had few words of wisdom to impart to his successor.

"Mr. Simard is a very wise fellow, there is very little I can teach him," he said.

 Simard declined to comment on his upcoming promotion, saying only "I'm too busy trying to figure out all this stuff right now."  

like my first boss told me many years ago,after i asked him why i was not given the foremans job.He said you never put your best workers foremans or bosses,you but your worse workers.i as a citzen have no respect for you sir and it has nothing to do with the inquirey.you know what im talking about.good luck in Ottawa 

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