Ryan Peck, head of HALCO, wins 2016 Sidney B. Linden Award

Published: January 10, 2017

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This year’s winner of the Sidney B. Linden Award is Ryan Peck, executive director of the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO). Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) will honour Mr. Peck at a ceremony in Toronto’s Osgoode Hall this February.

Mr. Peck has diligently fought for low-income people who require help and guidance in the justice system since he graduated from the University of Toronto in 2000. He articled at HALCO, and after he was called to the bar in 2002, he worked in legal aid clinics and as a duty counsel until his appointment as executive director of HALCO in 2007.

“Ryan exemplifies all the attributes we look for when presenting this award,” says LAO Board Chair John McCamus. “His work as a staff lawyer at the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, as duty counsel for tenants at Ontario’s Advocacy Centre for Tenants and as a criminal duty counsel demonstrate his dedication to Ontarians and its diverse communities.

“Since he took the helm of HALCO, Ryan has dedicated himself to ensuring the best legal representation possible for those living with HIV/AIDS. He has gained the respect of lawyers and clients throughout Ontario as a tireless champion for the legal rights of people with HIV/AIDS. I congratulate him on this remarkable achievement.”

“I am deeply honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Sidney B. Linden Award,” says Mr. Peck. “I look forward to continued work with the HIV community and others, including community legal clinics, to bring about social and economic justice.”

In addition, Mr. Peck is a member of the Ontario Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS, which provides social and health policy advice on HIV-related issues to the Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. He has served as the co-chair for the Ontario Working Group on Criminal Law and HIV Exposure since 2008, and joined the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network’s Board of Directors in 2008.

About the award

LAO’s Sidney B. Linden Award recognizes exceptional individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to helping low-income Ontarians in the pursuit of access to justice. Until now, the award has been presented to nine recipients: Bob Richardson, William A. (Bill) Sullivan, Fergus J. (Chip) O’Connor, Peter G. Kirby, Michael Bossin, Barbara Jackman, J. Robert Kellermann, Paul Copeland, and the late Dianne Martin.