Mr. Justice C. James Newton, QC

Jim Newton and his wife, Betty, were among the very first people I met when I came to Almonte in June of 1976. There was hardly a breath between my arrival and the invitation I received to dine with them at their home on Elgin Street in Almonte across from the United Church.

When I first arrived I was greeted only by Jim. He wasted no time in getting into the pre-dinner drinks. Later Betty joined us. There was as well another chap (who I thought might have been their son because his name was Jim too). It turned out that the other Jim was Jim Collie of the woollen mill fame from the Village of Appleton. I subsequently learned that Jim Collie and Betty had some special association going on but clearly Jim Newton didn’t seem to mind nor did Jim Collie for that matter.

Later in life Jim Newton and Betty were divorced. At least they parted ways. Jim Newton was known to have a close female “friend” in Perth and I believe they ended living together for some time. Jim was then the Crown Prosecutor in Perth so that was his stomping ground. A number of years afterwards I attended the swearing in ceremony when Jim was appointed to the Bench, the equivalent of what was then called a County Court Judge. There was a further more raucous celebration of the event at Bass Lake Lodge when the local Bar and others rallied for the annual County of Lanark Law Association dinner. I fortunately quit my membership in that Association before my time evolved to become President. It was really nothing more than a club for the Perth lawyers who generally looked down upon those of us who practised elsewhere.

Jimmy Newton was a great entertainer; he had a marvellous sense of humour. Frequently he addressed any number of congregations, legal or otherwise. As snobby as he was (he liked his Cadillac and refined living) he always pretended to be the country bumpkin from Corkery (raised next to the “shit house” as he was wont to proclaim). He frequently held court at the Superior Restaurant. I recall in particular one Saturday morning. There was a raging snow blizzard. When Jim materialized at the door of the Superior Restaurant he assumed his customary position at the bench table, lit a cigarette and proceeded to tell us that his Cadillac wouldn’t start that morning. He determined however to walk to the Superior Restaurant which was only about the equivalent of six or seven blocks away. However, by the time he got to the Library parking lot he realized it was further than he had anticipated. Jimmy saw a car parked in the lot so he opened the door and said to the driver, “I’m the fucking Judge; drive me to the Soup!”