In this edition of the OBA Health Law’s Section Insider, we spoke with the 2026 recipient of the Susan Davidson Memorial Award for Excellence in Health Law, Bill Carter. Here’s what he had to say.
- Tell us a little bit about your background. Where did you grow up and go to school? How did you end up with a career in health law?
I grew up in Oakville when it was a cute little town nestled on the shore of Lake Ontario. The population was about 10,000 when we moved there. I was quite young when I fancied a career as a “court room lawyer.” I suspect that lots of kids, like me, were impressed by Raymond Burr playing Perry Mason on TV. All his clients appeared to be guilty until saved by “Mr. Mason’s” court room magic. His magic was the result of clever investigation, logical deduction, and brilliant cross examination. I think this was where I got the idea that I might enjoy such a job. Later, during the summer I turned 16, I picked up a book from my grandad’s library titled “For the Defence: the Life of Sir Edward Marhsall Hall.” Hall was a very successful and renowned criminal defence counsel practicing in England in the first half of the last century. His biography broadened and solidified my interest in forensics, and showed me that it was possible to actually transform tv drama into a real career. From these threads, I fastened an unwavering determination to become a barrister.
As an undergraduate, I studied international politics, with a minor in international economics, believing this would provide some of the tools of citizenship which are foundational in the profession of law. At law school, I really enjoyed criminal law, but realized that a life spent in that field could be challenging for me, and potentially demoralizing. So, I turned my thoughts towards civil litigation.
My Articles of Clerkship gave me the opportunity to explore and evaluate my field of interest. After my call to the bar, joining a Toronto firm, Borden & Elliot, with a major civil practice sealed the deal for me. My first 10 years had me doing a wide variety of civil work including commercial, tort, securities, insurance, mechanic’s liens, and government liability disputes. It was during this period that I learned the fundaments of civil litigation, and was certified as a Civil Litigation Specialist by the Law Society in 1987, which was a new designation.
During the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Rino Stradiotto, Dan Ferguson, and I started doing some hospital liability defences for the Royal Insurance Company of Canada. This work was in addition to the liability work we were doing for the Province of Ontario psychiatric hospitals. We recognized that public hospitals had a growing need for legal counsel as this the was a time of much greater regulatory and public interest in the delivery of healthcare.
With the advent of HIRO (as it then was) in 1987, our role as its legal counsel accelerated growth in the ‘Health Law’ field, and our group expanded to include Mike McKelvey and JJ Morris. As our practice expanded, we concentrated on the health field, and through the relationships we fostered with our public hospital clients, we also expanded the scope of our services in this sector.
- Your nomination speaks about how you’ve shaped generations of lawyers. Why is mentorship important to you? What advice do you have for the next generation of health lawyers?
I think that most skills can be acquired with a combination of practice and excellent guidance. When I left the academic study of law, and entered the practice, I was very much influenced by the example of my more senior colleagues. I believe it is a cultural hallmark of the law to recognize the value of the constructive guidance we now call “mentorship.” It is generally understood that a career at the Bar can be enriched immeasurably by working with a generous and capable mentor. I was extremely lucky in that way, by coming under the mentorship of Rino Stradiotto. In time, I learned through observation from any number of other counsel, both at my firm, Borden & Eliot, and elsewhere in the course of my practice.
What I have learned from these lawyers, the good, the bad, and the indifferent, is a gift that must be shared.
- How have you seen the health law field change over time? What about the healthcare system?
When I started in 1977, the only health statutes that I can easily now recall were the Public Hospitals Act, the Mental Health Act, the Coroners Act, and the Health Disciplines Act. The exponential proliferation of legislation in this field has fuelled the need for “heath lawyers”, a term that had no meaning at my beginnings in the profession. The number of legal counsel now engaged in public hospitals, government, law firms, and pharmaceutical companies is unimaginable.
In Canada, the healthcare system accounts for approximately 33% of collective government spending. Our age demographics presage growing sectoral stress and public scrutiny arising from this impending dissonance. I anticipate the role of legal counsel will be increasingly relevant to the evaluation of the competing interests and priorities facing decision makers across the spectrum.
- You’ve been practicing since 1977. What keeps you going? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I keep going because I love what I am doing! My relationships with work colleagues, past and present, clients, subscribers, judges, experts, plaintiffs, and the daily challenges across the interface between law and health care are unbelievably rewarding. I hope to do this until I shouldn’t.
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