By Cecilia Nasmith
The local court system has just welcomed Acting Crown Attorney Russell Wood, born in Northumberland County.
Northumberland County, New Brunswick, that is.
“It was written in the stars, I suppose,” he said of his move to Northumberland County, Ontario.
With a father in the Air Force, the family called North Bay their home town, largely because both parents were originally from there and they had two postings in that community.
“I'm definitely used to moving around, meeting new folks, being up for new adventures and challenges,” Wood said in an interview five days into his new position.
“I am very happy for this opportunity presenting itself.”
Wood's first official day was Dec. 2, though he was in the area two weeks earlier on another case
“One of the reasons I was interested in coming to this region is, my wife – who is also a lawyer – ended up getting relocated to the Central East region. She's headquartered out of Oshawa now.
“And I was lucky enough that (previous Crown Attorney) Mark Moorcroft made the move to accommodate my transfer by getting appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice,” he added.
“Frankly, as I learn more about the region itself, I am fascinated with the history of it. It still has the small-town feel, which is what I am used to. And as the parent of a six-year-old daughter, it looks like a great place to have a family and raise a child.
“I am quite happy with how it came out and feeling quite fortunate.”
Wood's career began in 2004 with the Ministry of the Attorney General's office in North Bay, where he articled. Then he moved on to work on the circuit in Haileybury, home of the Hardy Boys novels. And from there, he went to Thunder Bay for a few months of prosecution work before landing a permanent position in Timmins, which he characterizes as a place of unique challenges and opportunities.
“That's where I've spent the bulk of my career,” he said.
“One of the great things about Timmins was exposure to a number of satellite courts we had there.”
Serving these outlying areas meant periodic small-aircraft flights to Fort Albany and sometimes taking the train ride to Moosonee on James Bay – a five-hour trip on a good day. And not many people have heard of the little all-but-inaccessible settlement on Hudson Bay called Peawanuck, where they only hold court twice a year.
The last four years saw him in Nipissing, where he served as Crown Attorney in North Bay. But the remote communities he served from Timmins had a lasting effect on him.
“When I had the opportunity to go and visit those communities, and even stay in them, at an early point in my career, it gives you that perspective early on as far as how some of those individuals who come before the court are living and what their day-to-day life is like,” Wood related.
“I would encourage anyone to take the train to Moosonee to actually lay eyes on it. Until you actually see it clearly, you don't have a full appreciation of the conditions people live in and the lack of resources they have.
“It coloured my approach when trying to come up with sentencing positions.”
Wood likes to say that in his industry – unlike other industries – the goal is to avoid repeat customers.
“We are quite happy to be put out of business by a lack of work.”
He always has an eye open for appropriate alternatives to incarceration, but this must take into account community resources that will assist people so they don't come back to court. That holds true throughout the criminal justice system in any location, he said.
“Luckily the vast majority of the people we are dealing with are not inherently dangerous, violent or evil – they are suffering from addictions issues, underlying mental illness, living in poverty. Sometimes it's a matter of engaging them with community services.
“Our office, like any other Crown office in the province, prosecutes everything from impaired driving to homicide. You see it all, just on a lesser or greater scale.
“But with a small-town atmosphere, you are engaging with the same individuals time and again. You build up a good relationship with the local defence bar and the local police services. There's open lines of communications with the youth counsellors in the justice system, community agencies that provide support. You get to know each other on a first-name basis. You can pick up the phone and communicate directly.
“It just makes the wheels run smoother than in a larger centre. I look forward to that approach here.
“I have only heard phenomenal things about everybody who works in the system here about everyone from local lawyers to the bench and other folks who work in the court-services division. I am quite excited to get started and to get fully immersed.”
Being a lawyer (specifically a Crown prosecutor) is an ambition Wood had from a young age.
“I was probably drawn to it more for things that aren't true in reality – having a nice sports car doesn't necessarily pan out. But I was always driven to pursue it.
“One of the best things that I wouldn't have known then, but I know now and appreciate, is just the fact that you have such a wide range of discretion as a prosecutor.
“We know there's no one-size-fits-all for individuals who come before the court. You are able to consider all the person's circumstances. And of course, you can get input from the victims, from the community, from the police services as well. And you try your best to fashion a resolution that works for everybody to the greatest extent that the law allows for.”
Another thing he could not have foreseen is the unpredictability of the work.
“No two days are ever the same. You don't know if you will be prosecuting bail court one day, maybe a homicide, or just providing some pre-charge advice to local police services, or speaking to someone from the probation office or even colleagues from other offices,” Wood said.
“You show up on any particular day with a to-do list, and inevitably you get to none of it because other things occur. But eventually you do knock off those items.
“But so much more comes up, it keeps it fresh and exciting and interesting. Every day presents challenges.”
Another thing he has learned in his career is that no one person knows it all.
“You get out of law school thinking you know everything about the legal system. As time goes on, you realize you know less and less. You learn to live with it and do your best, and try to work with people who know better than you to come to a decision that you hope has a positive impact.”
Wood has found that achieving a successful prosecution requires more than liaisons with the police services, court-services personnel and community services. To some extent, a Crown Attorney also must achieve some degree of familiarity and some sort of working relationship with those who have been impacted by the offence.
“It's comforting and reassuring when the system produces a just result,” he said.
As one who has moved periodically all his life, Wood comes to each new community with a sense of commitment undiluted by any thought of how long his stay might be.
“I have always jumped in with both feet, getting actively involved in the community, getting to know its history, getting into volunteer activities,” he said, listing a string of past memberships that include the Red Cross and the military reserves.
In Northumberland – Ontario, that is – he has found all the advantages of small-town life for his family and his professional life, as well as a bonus he never had in North Bay or Timmins.
“One of the things I like about this area is the proximity to other centres, to be able to hop on the highway and get somewhere else in an hour if you are so inclined.
“It's a beautiful area, and I am definitely dedicated to this area for the long term.”
