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Morley Wolfe
- Accession Number
- 2012-8-2
- Source
- Archival Accessions
- Accession Number
- 2012-8-2
- Material Format
- textual record
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Date
- 1950-2002
- Scope and Content
- Accession consists of two issues of the University of Toronto's "Undergrad" publication (1950 and 1951), which contain articles written by Morley Wolfe. Also included is a copy of the completed nomination form which was successfully submitted to nominate Morley for the City of Toronto's William P. Hubbard Award (1990) as well as a copy of B'nai Brith Canada's book outlining the League of Human Rights Black/Jewish Dialogue project (2002).
- Administrative History
- Morley S. Wolfe was born in Winnipeg in 1928 to Cecil (b. 1895) and Betty (nee Davidow) Wolfe. He spent his early childhood in various cities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba until moving to Toronto in 1940. Soon after graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1955 he started his own practice as a senior member of the law firm Burt, Burt, Wolfe and Bowman. In 1971 he was appointed Queen’s Council, and from 1973 to 1977 he served as counsel for B’nai Brith Canada. After his retirement from practice in 1993, the Province of Ontario appointed him presiding Justice of the Peace for Ontario and Deputy Judge in Small Claims Court.
- His first marriage was to Sandra Newman in 1958 and they had three children together: Leslie, Lee, and Melanie. He later married Joan and became the step-father to her daughter, Erin.
- Throughout his life Morley was passionate about fighting prejudice and discrimination and became involved with organizations, such as the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. He was also a member of the Toronto Police Services Board Committee on Race Relations, served as Chair of the North York Committee on Community, Race and Ethnic Relations, and was appointed to the Canadian Multiculturalism Council. In addition, he was the founding president of Toronto Residents in Partnership (TRIP) from 2003 to 2006.
- His involvement extended to Jewish organizations. He served as national president of B’nai Brith Canada (BBC) from 1982 to 1983 and was a founding member of its League for Human Rights. He was also president of BBC’s Toronto Regional Council and Wilson Heights Lodge No. 1998, and of the Jewish Camp Council of Toronto as well as many other organizations.
- Morley’s hard work and involvement in the community earned him many awards, including, City of Toronto’s William P. Hubbard Race Relations Award, the YMCA Canada Peace Medal, B’Nai Brith Canada Service Award, and the Province of Ontario’s Senior Achievement Award.
- Around 2002, Wilson Heights Lodge No. 1998 began filing a series of appeals with B’nai Brith International (BBI) over concerns that BBC’s national executive was governing undemocratically. Morley played a key role in filing these appeals and was the centre of one appeal filed after BBC censured him without advance notice or the opportunity for a hearing. These appeals were not all successful.
- Around 2006, Morley became involved in another appeal against BBC that was filed by a group of members who called themselves the Concerned Members of B’nai Brith Canada (CMOBBC). They alleged that BBC’s national executive had too much centralized power, was not governing transparently, failed to provide members with audited financial statements at multiple annual general meetings (AGMs), passed a constitution that members had defeated at the 2005 AGM, and was threatening and harassing some members. BBI’s appeal court rendered its verdict in 2007 in favour of BBC. Soon after this judgment was made BBC took steps to expel all the members of CMOBBC. In response, Morley resigned from the organization.
- Morley currently resides in Brampton.
- Source
- Archival Accessions