On October 4, 2024, the Canadian Prison Law Association awarded Chip O'Connor the CPLA Lifetime Member Award.
Chip has been practicing law in Kingston since 1975, and for most of that time, he has been devoted to correctional law.
Chip was a founding member of the CPLA and also served as Director of the Correctional Law Project (now Queen’s Prison Law Clinic) at Queen’s Law School. For almost five decades, Chip has been an active advocate for incarcerated persons. He has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada no fewer than twelve times, in seminal prisoner human rights cases involving the right to vote, search and seizure, habeas corpus, and the extension of the application of Gladue principles for Indigenous prisoners. Chip has also been counsel in dozens of appellate cases across the country. In addition, Chip appeared before the Prison for Women Commission of Inquiry (1996), conducted by Madame Justice Louise Arbour.
Chip has lectured extensively on the rights of incarcerated persons, including at the Native Law Centre in Saskatchewan and at Queen's Law. He has published a textbook on the subject of prison law through Quicklaw (Halsbury’s Laws of Canada on Penitentiaries, Jails and Prisoners).
Chip was the recipient of the Ed McIsaac Human Rights in Corrections Award from the Office of the Correctional Investigator in 2021. In the press release for this award, Ivan Zinger called Chip "a legend in Canadian correctional law circles".
Chip also received the Sidney B. Linden Award from Legal Aid Ontario in 2013 for his work defending prison inmates: https://www.thewhig.com/2013/11/25/local-lawyer-wins-award.
The CPLA is pleased to honour Chip's incredible career and commitment to defending prisoners' rights.
canadian prison law association