Hon. Brent Cotter: Honourable senators, two eminent Canadian judges passed away this spring, the Honourable Horace Krever and the Honourable Coulter Osborne. I will speak about Horace Krever on another occasion. Today, I would like to pay tribute to Justice Osborne.

Coulter Osborne passed away on April 19 at the age of 88. Before his distinguished professional career as a lawyer and judge, Coulter was an outstanding athlete. He was a starting forward on Canada’s Olympic basketball team in 1956 in Australia, returning there in 2000 to carry the Olympic torch.

Coulter practised law with distinction for 20 years in Kitchener. He was one of the most outstanding lawyers of his generation in Ontario. Chris Speyer, a friend and admirer, described Coulter Osborne appearing before a jury:

Picture in your mind’s eye a Gary Cooper-like figure — endowed with unassailable natural ability, dispensing his unique brand of gentle persuasion. Juries loved him, judges liked him; his legal opponents respected him.

He was appointed to the Ontario Supreme Court in 1978 and shortly thereafter to the Ontario Court of Appeal, where he served as associate chief justice.

A colleague, Justice James MacPherson, described his judicial skills in this way:

In my 24 years on the Court of Appeal I can safely say that Coulter Osborne was, universally, the most respected judge on the court. The breadth of his legal knowledge, his good judgment, indeed his wisdom, made him an extraordinary leader.

After retirement from the bench, Coulter served as Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner, a continuing commitment to public service. What a distinguished career.

But Coulter Osborne was so much more than this. He was a kind, thoughtful and wise man, beloved within his family: His wife Barbara of 64 years, his three remarkable daughters — Julie, Mary and Katie — four grandchildren and recently one great-grandchild.

Coulter was a mentor to many in his own gentle way, unfailingly kind, with a warm, mischievous sense of humour that enveloped everyone in its embrace. Coulter Osborne had many friends and admirers, so many it’s hard to count. This friendship he bestowed upon many, and all who knew him were enriched by his presence in their lives.

I was one of those. Until COVID, I spent a week each year for over 20 years with Coulter and a small group of friends. I have reflected recently on my good fortune of having been a friend, and I’m saddened that he has died but grateful to have known him. I’m a better person for knowing Coulter Osborne, as are the many hundreds of others who had the chance to bask in the warmth of his friendship, kindness and grace. Thank you.