Product Description

As a criminal court justice, David Vanek faced many challenges, but the one we all remember is Regina v. Susan Nelles, the case of the deaths of four (and possibly 24) babies at Hospital for Sick Children in 1981. In a controversial and widely publicized decision Judge Vanek discharged Susan Nelles on charges of murder.

The decision in the Nelles case was a defining moment in Vanek's career because it was an occasion when he was called upon to bring to bear the full force of his life-experiences in the solution of a difficult problem. The reasons behind the Nelles decision and the diverse experiences of David Vanek are told in his new memoirs, Fulfilment, published in cooperation by The Osgoode Society and Dundurn Press.

Fulfilment gives behind-the-scenes accounts of the struggle to reform and win new stature for provincial court judges in Ontario in the 1960s and 1970s; provides a window into the travails of a Jewish immigrant family living in the Toronto area in the inter-war years when Canada's largest city was evolving into the diverse and sophisticated city it has become; and offers insight into growing up Jewish in Southern Ontario in the first half of the century.

A combination of personal family history, social history and legal history told with clarity and good humour, Fulfilment reveals the experiences that gave David Vanek the wisdom and will to achieve this pinnacle of success and excel at it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2908502 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

From the Inside Flap
Soldier, university professor, lawyer, political candidate, and judge; John Vanek's compelling life story has seen him in many roles, all of which are played out in these memoirs.

The child of Jewish-Russian immigrants, Vanek encountered anti-Semitism while growing up, but was able to overcome prejudice and rise to prominence. He was educated at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School (where he was in a Jewish fraternity with Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster) before serving in the Second World War. When the war was over, he returned to the University of Toronto to teach law, and opened his own practice. In 1963 he ran for Parliament as a member of the Progressive Conservative party. In 1968 Vanek became a provincial court judge, and would preside over cases dealing with robbery, drugs, assault, gambling, pollution, and embezzlement, as well as the rights of citizens vs. the rights of police.

His most high-profile case was that of Susan Nelles, a nurse at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children who was charged with the murders of four babies at the hospital. Vanek went on to become the president of the Provincial Court Judges Association, and was active in campaigning for changes in how the courts treat young offenders.

About the Author
David Vanek

Customer Reviews

Fulfillment - An excellent overview
This book provides a look at one one person's formative years in Toronto, growing up in a Jewish home in the 1920's and 1930's. What was it like in Toronto during Hitler's rise to power in Germany, the war years and finally, Mr Vanek's elevation to the criminal court bench in Ontario. The book provides a succinct look at the maturation of Ontario's justice system and finally highlights some of Judge Vanek's most promonent cases, the most famous of which is R v Susan Nelles. The book is clearly written and extremely readable.

Enjoy it, I did!