In civil litigation, Owen frequently acts in commercial cases, investment advisor/dealer disputes, and employment cases. He is experienced in seeking and resisting injunctive relief.
In regulatory and public law litigation, Owen acts regularly as counsel before administrative tribunals and on appeals and judicial reviews. He has particular expertise in professional regulation, human rights, constitutional law, and national security. Owen has advised and represented a number of federal and provincial regulatory agencies on a range of public law matters.
Owen argues cases before all levels of courts in Ontario, the Federal Court, and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Owen has written on various legal topics, including evidence, criminal liability for insider trading, the conduct of disciplinary investigations, and constitutional law. He is frequently invited to speak at professional conferences on constitutional law, administrative law, and evidence.
Following his call to the Bar in 2003, he clerked for Mr. Justice LeBel of the Supreme Court of Canada. Before joining Stockwoods, Owen was a lecturer in the University of Oxford, where he taught administrative, contract and tort law. Owen has also been adjunct faculty at Queen’s University Faculty of Law and is adjunct faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School.
He attended McGill University (BA, 1999), and Queen’s University (LLB, 2002). He holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Oxford (BCL, 2005).
Between 2007 and 2011, Owen was executive director of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, which assists counsel appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada. He serves as pro bono legal counsel to Amnesty International in matters relating to national security and human rights. Owen is a member of Legal Aid Ontario’s Group Applications and Test Cases Committee.
- Attorney General of Canada, et al. v. PHS Community Services Society, et al
Counsel to the intervener the Canadian Public Health Association before the Supreme Court of Canada. Successfully challenged under s. 7 of the Charter the Minister of Health’s refusal to grant an exemption to a safe-injection facility under Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. - Landry c. Barreau du Haut-Canada
Co-counsel for the Law Society of Upper Canada in a French-language judicial review concerning the linguistic rights of a member subject to disciplinary proceedings. CI Financial Corp
Co-counsel for CI Financial in a successful application to the Ontario Securities Commission to quash a decision of the Toronto Stock Exchange regarding a mid-term ratification vote of CI Financial’s Shareholder Rights Agreement
- Afghanistan Public Interest Hearing, Military Police Complaints Commission
Counsel to the witness, Mr. Richard Colvin, before the MPCC. The MPCC is conducting a hearing into a complaint alleging that the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal and unnamed members of the CF Military Police transferred detainees to Afghan authorities notwithstanding alleged evidence that there was likelihood they would be tortured. - Rutigliano v. Commissioner, Ontario Provincial Police
Successfully brought an application on behalf of the subject officer removing the adjudicator for a reasonable apprehension of bias. - Almalki v. Canada, Elmaati v. Canada, Nureddin v. Canada
Representing Canadian citizens suing the federal government for breaches of their Charter rights and various torts as a result of torture and mistreatment - Charkaoui v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) (No. 2)
Co-counsel to the intervener Amnesty International before the Supreme Court of Canada. Successfully challenged under s. 7 of the Charter CSIS’s failure to retain and disclose information relevant to security certificate proceedings. - BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. v. Ord
Co-counsel to RBC Dominion Securities. Successfully resisted a motion for an interlocutory injunction with respect to a departing investment advisor. - Charkaoui v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) (No. 1)
Co-counsel to the intervener Amnesty International before the Supreme Court of Canada. Successfully challenged under s. 7 of the Charter the use of secret evidence in security certificate proceedings.
- Co-Author, “Summary Judgment Motions and Discovery: 18 Months After the Amendments to the Rules” (Conference Paper), Law Society of Upper Canada CLE, 2011
- Co-Author, “Administrative law and Charter principles applicable to regulatory investigations, searches and seizures” (Conference Paper), Osgoode Search and Seizure Conference, 2011
- Co-Author, “Collateral uses of information obtained through regulatory investigations” (Conference Paper), Canadian Institute, 2010
- Co-Author, “The Application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the Regulation of Health Professionals: Anaemic Rights & Prescriptions for Change” (Article), Health Law in Canada, 2010 (30 Health Law in Canada 203)
- Co-Author, “Challenging production requests by professional regulators” (Conference Paper), Osgoode Professional Discipline Conference, 2009
- Co-Author, “Challenging the conduct of disciplinary investigations” (Conference Paper), Osgoode Professional Discipline Conference, 2008
- Co-Author, “The criminal implications of insider trading and tipping”(Conference Paper), National Judicial Institute, 2007
- Author, “The Jury’s Propensity for Prohibited Reasoning: Corbett Revisited” (Article), Canadian Criminal Law Review, 2002 (7 Can. Crim. L.R. 334)
- Adjunct Professor, Administrative Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2009-present
- Adjunct Lecturer, Administrative Law & Seminar on Courts & Jurisdiction, Queen’s University, 2007
- Panellist, Osgoode’s 7th Annual Forum: Administrative Law and Practice, 2011
- Panellist, Our Civil Justice System: Reflecting on the Recent Reforms, Law Society of Upper Canada CLE, 2011
- Presenter, Lecture on the Proper Uses of Investigative Information, Canadian Institute: Conducting Regulatory Investigations, 2010
- Presenter, Lecture on the Rules of Evidence, Federated Press’ Mini-LLB for Regulators Conference, 2010
- Presenter, Lecture on Civil Liability in Canada for War Crimes, Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and Torture , Canadian Centre for International Justice, 2010
- Presenter, Lecture on the Administrative Law and Charter Challenges Available to Respondents, Osgoode’s 6th Biennial Symposium on Search & Seizure Law, 2010
- Presenter, Lecture on the Sufficiency of Reasons to Federal and Provincial Administrative Tribunal Members, Lawyers, and Researchers, Canadian Institute: Advanced Administrative Law and Practice, 2009
- Panel Organizer & Moderator, Panel on Advocacy Before the Supreme Court of Canada at the CBA’s Annual Legal Conference, Canadian Bar Association’s Canadian Legal Conference: Winning Advocacy, 2009
- Presenter, Annual Workshops on Evidence, Canadian Institute, 2007–present
- English
- French
- Member, The Advocates’ Society
- Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Toronto Lawyers’ Association
