Paul Boniferro makes it to the big leagues - further (Updated)

Former Saultite Paul Boniferro has been appointed deputy attorney general of Ontario effective Jan. 3, 2018, says Osgoode Hall. 

The youngest of eight siblings, Boniferro grew up on Stanley Street in the Sault.

He says he's excited about this opportunity to serve both the people of Ontario and his own passion for helping people.

"From an early age I always knew I had an attraction to public administration and law," Boniferro told SooToday. I originally thought I wanted to be a criminal lawyer but I articled in the management law sector." 

That, he said, is when he realized he had a real passion for people in the employment and management law sector.

Since that time, he's served in some high profile arbitration and litigations, including on behalf of the CBC in the case of Jian Ghomeshi. 

He's spent the lion's share of his time representing clients in employment law, including wrongful dismissal and harassment cases; and he's done considerable service in the task of grievance arbitration.

"My sense of public service and community involvement stems from my grandparents and then from my parents who instilled a sense of public service and community involvement in all of us," Boniferro said.

Boniferro maintains a cottage in the Point aux Pins area and returns to the Sault regularly.

In fact, he said, he'll be here again soon to visit the newest addition to his family, grand nephew Anderson.

Two of Boniferro's siblings (Jim and Steve) still reside in the Sault and Paul says he generally visits in the summer.

"While I'm in the Sault I like spending time out on the water in my boat and golfing, especially at Crimson Ridge," he said. 

"He is currently a partner at McCarthy Tétrault in their National Labour and Employment Group, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association."

Bloomberg says this is not Boniferro's first stint on a government-related team.

"He was also a Senior Policy Advisor to the Ontario Minister of Labour during one of the province’s most significant periods of labour relations reform, where he advised the government on changes to the Labour Relations Act, the Workers’ Compensation Act, the Employment Standards Act and the Pay Equity Act," says Bloomberg. 

"I am extremely excited to be appointed to the role of Deputy Attorney General in the Province of Ontario. Public service is something that has always been very close to my heart and my work with government and government agencies over the years has only reinforced the importance of the work done by a very talented and hardworking group of people in the public sector in our country," says Boniferro on his LinkedIn page. "I am very much looking forward to a challenging and fun opportunity and hopefully having input into some positive changes in Ontario."

Boniferro says that, since the announcement, he's received in excess of 900 emails of congratulations "many of which also ask me if I can fix speeding tickets for them," he added with a laugh.