Nice Work If You Can Get It

That's certain to give confidence to the public, let alone the court system and those who labour within it to see that justice is done. An extremely poor choice in appointing an eligible-appearing applicant to act as a Justice of the Peace. A woman whose incompetence became legendary, long before she was faced with a review and decided to resign her position.

Not that, evidently, she realized she was hopeless, to compel her to resign. But that there might have been an awkwardly unfortunate investigation into her conduct which would have made a public spectacle of her, and which embarrassment would be just too much to bear.

As it was, her lawyer at a brief hearing, urged members of the justice of the peace review panel to impose a publication ban. Citing the process as "a private matter", certain that if that private matter were to be publicly aired its ramifications would be rather nasty for his client's reputation, possibly impeding her, at age 65, from obtaining another job.

The chairman of the review panel, however, understood the allegations to "have nothing to do with her personal affairs but with the performance of her duty as a judicial officer."

"You have demonstrated inappropriate conduct and made inappropriate comments toward your colleagues exhibiting insulting, badgering, disrespectful and disdainful conduct including screaming, shouting, berating, taunting, making loud and insulting outbursts including making threats such as 'I have lots of stuff on you. You have no idea what I have on you', which you acknowledged to be a threat to destroy the career of the Regional Senior Justice of the Peace if you were not allowed to sit on more challenging courts..." Panel Chairman Justice Paul Taylor

Pretty damning stuff, to add to the charges of lack of competence which court staff and prosecutors complained to senior judges about: "the negative impact on and embarrassment to the court and the administration of justice". A formal hearing, however, has been sidelined, since Solange Guberman chose take the resignation route.

She'd had a good run in the office, however since being appointed by the McGuinty government in 2007. She was suspended two years ago pending the (now-abandoned) review of her performance record. Which included having an English-only hearing conducted entirely in French, despite that the defence lawyers who knew no French, objected.

She has received full pay since then. Her resignation is effective December 2012, and she will be receiving full pay until that time, as well, all $116,000-a-year's worth.

What the hell; it's only tax money.