The Ontario Securities Commission has appointed Patrick LeSage as commissioner, effective immediately. The appointment is for a three-year term.

“During his distinguished 28-year career on the bench, Patrick LeSage presided over some of Canada’s most publicized and complex cases,” said OSC chairman, David Wilson, in a release.

“Our vice chairs and commissioners welcome this appointment and look forward to benefiting from Commissioner LeSage’s experience in complex legal and policy matters.”

LeSage began his career as a crown attorney in the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, where he rose to the position of director of crown attorneys for Ontario.

Appointed to the county and district court in 1975, he became associate chief judge of that court in 1983. In 1994, he became associate chief justice and in 1996 was appointed chief justice of what is now the Superior Court of Justice for Ontario. He held that position until September 2002, when he became a senior resident at Massey College, University of Toronto.

He joined Gowling Lafleur Henderson as counsel in February 2004 and provides advice on a broad range of litigation, arbitration and mediation issues.