2023-2025 SOAR Board of Directors

Robert Blair (Past President)

Robert is the Manager, Adjudication Legal Services in the Office of the Secretary to the Ontario Securities Commission. The Office of the Secretary safeguards tribunal integrity and procedural fairness and provides tribunal education. Before joining the Ontario Securities Commission, Robert practiced in the areas of securities, commercial, class action, and construction litigation. Prior to a career in law, Robert was an investment banker with two major bank-owned investment dealers in Calgary and Toronto. In addition to his involvement with SOAR, Robert is a member of CCAT’s Tribunal Excellence Committee.

Katharine Evans

Katharine Evans is a senior counsel with over 20 years of extensive experience in administrative and regulatory law, currently as Counsel, Compliance and Strategic Initiatives in the Chair’s Office at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT). Previously, Katharine was a bilingual Vice-Chair with the WSIAT. Katharine began her career in the litigation department of a full-service large national law firm, and then acted as legal counsel at the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). In the area of regulatory law, Katharine was the National Director of Compliance and Risk Management at BMO Harris Private Banking, and subsequently the Manager of Compliance Processes at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Throughout her career, she has been involved with the Laskin Memorial Moot Court Competition, a bilingual Administrative and Constitutional Law Moot, both as a Judge and Secretary of the Competition. Katharine holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto and a Master of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. She also currently volunteers as a Crisis Responder at Kids’ Help Phone.

Romona Gananathan

Romona Gananathan is a Vice Chair with the Workplace Safety Insurance Appeals Tribunal and a Vice Chair with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. She has a combined Juris Doctor in Law and Master in Environmental Studies from Osgoode Hall Law School/York University, and a PhD in Education Policy from the University of Toronto. She has been an adjudicator for over a decade and practiced law in both the private and public sectors. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and serves on its Equity Advisory Committee and she volunteers on the Parent and Family Advisory Council of Bridgepoint Hospital.

Rosemarie McCutcheon (President)

Rosemarie McCutcheon was appointed as the Chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) in August 2019. Prior to that appointment, Rosemarie was a vice-chair at WSIAT, with concurrent roles in the oversight and delivery of the WSIAT’s professional development programs, and later, as Alternate Chair - Registrar. Rosemarie started her legal career in litigation, but she has long been committed to public law, having earned the Samuel Lerner Q.C. Prize for attaining the highest combined grades in Public Law, Civil Litigation and Family Law upon her call to the Ontario Bar in 1997. Rosemarie holds an LL.M. (Administrative Law) and an LL.B., both from Osgoode Hall Law School. In 2021, Rosemarie was the recipient of the Ontario Bar Association’s Ron Ellis Award for Excellence in Workers’ Compensation Law.

Lorissa Sciarra

Lorissa Sciarra is the Director of Strategic Development and Delivery with Tribunals Ontario with the Ministry of the Attorney General. Tribunals Ontario is a group of 13 adjudicative tribunals that play an important role in the administration of justice in Ontario, addressing and resolving disputes in the social, property assessment, safety and licensing sectors. Lorissa’s entire 20+ year OPS career has been with the tribunal sector. Before joining MAG, Lorissa working in the adjudication section with the Ministry of Health. Throughout her career she has held numerous positions supporting and managing tribunals with operational over-sight as well as leading and designing transformational initiatives across Tribunals Ontario. She is excited to join SOAR as a first time Board member and looks forward to being a key contributor.

Carolyn Slon (Secretary and Treasurer)

Carolyn Slon has worked at the Ontario Securities Commission since 2006. Currently, as Senior Legal Counsel in the Governance & Tribunal Secretariat, she provides advice to Adjudicators in relation to hearings before the Capital Markets Tribunal dealing with a wide variety of issues relating to securities law, administrative law, evidence, procedure and case management. She has also been involved in a number of the Tribunal’s projects, including the revisions of the Rules of Procedure, e-hearing project and development of the Tribunal’s website. Carolyn is also a member of the Securities Proceedings Advisory Committee, The Advocates’ Society, the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators and the Law Society of Ontario. Carolyn is fluent in French and holds a Civil Law degree from Université de Montréal and a Common Law degree from the University of Ottawa. She completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University.

Voy Stelmaszynski (Vice President)

Voy Stelmaszynski is a retired lawyer with over 25 years experience in the tribunal sector of labour and employment, primarily with the Ontario Labour Relations Board. He has graduate degrees in Slavic Languages and Literatures and previously worked as a court interpreter; he is also a published translator. Voy was President of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (2015-2017) and continues to serve on several of SOAR’s committees including Education and Conference Planning. He remains active in the administrative justice community with SOAR and with Tribunal Watch Ontario. He is a member of the Tribunals Nominating Panel for the City of Toronto. He was the 2017 recipient of the Tom Marshall Award of Excellence for Public Sector Lawyers presented by the Ontario Bar Association. His proudest accomplishments are his daughters, and he remains an ardent Blue Jays fan, win or lose.