Justice Sidney B. Linden graduated from the University of Toronto Law School and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1966. He was in private practice until 1980.

 

From 1980-1985, he was the first Police Complaints Commissioner for Metropolitan Toronto and Chairman of the Police Complaints Board. In 1985-1987, he was Executive director of the Canadian Auto Workers (C.A.W.) Prepaid Legal Services Plan, the first privately funded national prepaid legal service plan in Canada. In 1987, he was appointed as Ontario's first Information and Privacy Commissioner, and was responsible for starting up the Agency and serving as Commissioner until April 1990.

 

In April 1990, he was appointed Chief Justice of the newly reorganized Ontario Court of Justice (Provincial Division). In addition to presiding in court, he was responsible for the direction and supervision of the sittings of the court and the assignment of its judicial duties. He also served as Chair of the Justices of the Peace Review Council, Co-chair of the Ontario Judicial Council and was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Judicial Institute (1995-1999).

 

In 1997, Justice Linden was awarded the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice "Justice Award." The award is presented every second year as a mark of distinction and exceptional achievement to a person who, in the opinion of the panel of independent judges, has shown distinctive leadership in the administration of justice in Canada.

 

Since 1999, and until his appointment as Commissioner of the Ipperwash inquiry, Justice Linden served as Chair of the Board of Legal Aid Ontario while on leave from the Ontario Court. The Ipperwash Inquiry was established by the Government of Ontario on November 12, 2003, under the Public Inquiries Act. Its mandate was to inquire and report on events surrounding the death of Dudley George, who was shot in 1995 during a protest by First Nations representatives at Ipperwash Provincial Park and later died. The Inquiry was also asked to make recommendations that would avoid violence in similar circumstances in the future. The Commission delivered its final report containing its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the Attorney General of Ontario and the Report was made public on May 31, 2007.