BA (York) 1970, LLB (York) 1973, Bar of Ontario 1975, practiced as criminal defence counsel for sixteen years, specializing in penal and parole litigation. Justice Cole was named to the bench of the Ontario Court of Justice in 1991 and currently presides at Metro West Court, Toronto.  He was seconded to act as co -Chair of the Commission on Systemic Racism in the Ontario Criminal Justice System from 1992 to 1996. Justice Cole is co-author of Release from imprisonment: The Law of Sentencing, Parole and Judicial Review (1991) and Making Sense of Sentencing (1999). He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Justice Cole teaches “The Law of Sentencing and Penal Policy” at the University of Toronto and at Osgoode Hall Law School.