Overview

### Bio
Mark Charron retired from his litigation practice in December 2023 after nearly 40 years of distinguished service. He now offers mediation and arbitration services in Ottawa and throughout Eastern Ontario, helping parties resolve disputes efficiently and effectively outside of the courtroom.
Throughout his career, Mark specialized in insurance defence, municipal law, and construction law. As a seasoned trial and appellate counsel, he regularly appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Appeal. He also successfully took an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada on an important insurance matter of national significance. This background and experience now inform his balanced and pragmatic approach to dispute resolution in the areas of insurance, personal injury and construction/commercial disputes.
Mark is widely recognized for his integrity, analytical rigour, and ability to navigate complex legal issues with clarity and fairness. His calm demeanor and reputation for impartiality make him particularly well-suited to acting as mediator and arbitrator.
Beyond his dispute resolution work, Mark’s commitment to mentorship and professional development helped shape the next generation of legal professionals. He has led seminars for the Ontario Bar Admission Course on civil litigation and negotiation, supported the University of Ottawa’s Advocacy Skills Course, and conducted mock trials and workshops for organizations including the County of Carleton Law Association, the Ottawa Construction Association, and the Ontario Bar Association.
### Experience
##### Representative Work
##### Automobile Insurance
- Herbison v. Lumberman's Mutual Casualty Co. (2003) O.J. No. 3024 (S.C.J.)
- Herbison v. Lumberman's Mutual Casualty Co. (2005) O.J. No. 2262 (Ont. C.A.)
- Herbison v. Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Co., [2007] 3 S.C.R. 393
- In October 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada reversed two Ontario Court of Appeal decisions on the issue of whether or not, under certain circumstances, an injury can be said to have arisen from the "use or operation of a motor vehicle. Mark successfully represented the appellant in one of those decisions, Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company v. Herbison et al. Justice Ian Binnie wrote both Lumbermens v. Herbison and the companion decision of Citadel v. Vytlingam on behalf of a unanimous court.
##### Police Negligence
- Magas v. Monette et al. [2006] Justice Brennan (S.C.J.)
In this case, which arose from a unique set of factual circumstances, Mr. Charron once again successfully defended two members of the Ottawa Police Force against numerous allegations, including the tort of negligent investigation. The matter was heard before the Ontario Court of Appeal on January 26, 2009, where the trial decision was upheld. A leave application to the Supreme Court of Canada is pending.
- Burns v. Johnston [2003] O.J. No. 2456 (S.C.J.)
The tort of negligent investigation in police cases is novel, and Mr. Charron has acted on numerous occasions in successfully defending those types of claims on behalf of the Ottawa Police Services. He did so at this trial, involving an alleged negligent investigation arising from a coroner's report as to the cause of death.
##### Jury Trials
The decisions in jury trials are not reported, and civil jury trials are increasingly scarce in number. Over the years, however, Mark has taken several cases to trial before a jury, with an excellent success rate achieved on behalf of his clients.
### Career & education
#### Education
1982
Queen's University, LLB
1979
Queen's University, BA, Faculty of English
#### Languages
English
##### Memberships
- Advocates' Society
- Canadian Bar Association (Civil and Construction Law Sections)
- County of Carleton Law Association
- Law Society of Ontario
- Ottawa Construction Association
- Ottawa Valley Adjuster's Association
### Publications & speaking engagements
- Speaker, Ottawa Construction Association Law Seminar Series, 1988 to the present
- Speaker, Municipal Liability, Annual Ontario Municipalities Conference, Gananoque, November 1998
- Speaker, OIAA Annual Meeting - Bill 198 Threshold Issues, November 2003
- Speaker - the Herbison v. Lumberman's Mutual Casualty Co. case, CCLA Annual Civil Litigation Conference at Montebello, November 2005 and November 2007 and Canadian Institute Conference on Automobile Liability, Toronto, November 2005

Practice Areas

• Civil Litigation
• Insurance Law
• Commercial Law
• Construction Law

Bar Information

Called to the bar: 1984 (ON)

Professional Details