The McMurtry Gardens of Justice on University Avenue is a series of sculptures and fountains sitting among Osgoode Hall, the Law Society of Ontario, and the Superior Court of Justice. Each item in the gallery is designed to represent one of the fundamental legal rights that belong to all Canadians.
The McMurtry Gardens of Justice were created to recognize the Honourable R. Roy McMurtry, who served Ontario for decades as a public servant, elected official, and diplomat. McMurtry was a Member of Provincial Parliament from 1975 to 1985, spending part of that time as the Attorney General of Ontario. He was appointed to the Superior Court of Ontario in 1991 as the Associate Chief Justice, and by 1996 he became the Chief Justice of Ontario at the head of the Court of Appeal. He remained there until he retired in 2007, which was the same year the Gardens opened.
The Pillars of Justice
This statue is a prominent landmark in downtown Toronto, standing in front of the courthouse containing the Superior Court of Justice. When it was unveiled in 2007, The Pillars of Justice was the first and only statue in the McMurtry Gardens of Justice.
The Pillars of Justice was sculpted by Edwina Sandys in 2007. She was first inspired to be an artist when she saw her grandfather, Sir Winston Churchill, painting. Over the last 35 years, the United Nations has commissioned five of her sculptures for their centres in Geneva, Vienna, Rio de Janeiro, Dublin, and New York. Her work is famous for responding to political and social issues, and this piece is no different.
This sculpture depicts a jury of eleven people standing under a roof that represents a courthouse. Juries are usually made up of twelve people, depending on the type of case. Looking at The Pillars of Justice, you will notice an empty space where the twelfth juror would be. This empty space invites the viewer to imagine they are the twelfth juror.
The McMurtry Fountains
The McMurtry Fountains were designed by landscape architect Michael Hough and installed in 1964. They were restored in 2010. The fountains act as symbols of balance and justice, themes that run throughout the Gardens. They form a significant cultural presence in the City of Toronto and continue to symbolize the importance that Canadians place on the values of our justice system and human rights:
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of Expression is a bronze and stainless steel sculpture created by Marlene Hilton Moore in 2012. Hilton Moore is a renowned artist based in Hillsdale, Ontario. She has created public art and hosted art exhibitions in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. She is also responsible for the Freedom of Religion statue that faces this one. These two pieces, along with Equal Before the Law, were added to the Gardens in 2012.
The statue depicts a female figure delivering a speech with her arms open wide, holding a book in one hand. The figure stands on a black-brown base of granite, determined to communicate her message. Both of Hilton Moore’s pieces use bronze, which is usually associated with classical sculpture, and stainless steel, which we see in contemporary art and architecture.
Freedom of Religion
Freedom of Religion was created by Marlene Hilton Moore in 2012, who also made the Freedom of Expression statue across from it. Both figures are made of bronze. Like Freedom of Expression, this piece stands on a base of black-brown granite.
This sculpture depicts a male figure proudly holding up a globe. The globe is covered with eleven symbols associated with the world’s religions and faith groups. The individual symbols are beautiful images in their own right, and together they represent and individual’s freedom to practice whatever religion they choose:
Frederick G. Gans, Q.C. Memorial
This piece, created by local Canadian artist Maryon Kantaroff in 1980, is a memorial to lawyer Frederick G. Gans. Gans was killed in 1978 by a former client’s husband in the hallway of the courthouse that used be at 145 Queen Street West (now the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts). Although installed in 1980 and not formally a part of the Gardens, the sculpture is consistent with the Gardens’ themes in style and values:
Equal Before The Law
By Eldon Garnet, 2011. The lion and the lamb are represented as classic figures in Western thought. The lamb often signifies purity, meekness, and vulnerability, while the lion is the ‘king of beasts,’ powerful and imposing. The lamb and lion’s physical differences are amplified by their symbolic meanings.
Both of these animals are life-sized and constructed out of bronze. This sculpture connects to the other pieces of art in the Gardens by combining bronze and stainless steel, which is used in the scale:
The tower is twisted to a 60-degree angle, which runs parallel to the top of the scales. The ends of the platform are cut at 30-degree angles in relation to the support tower. Everything is calculated to be in perfect proportion, always balanced but turned or angled. The final effect is a scale that gets its balance from a good deal of complexity and careful planning.
The text on the scale is taken directly from section 15(1) of the Charter. It reads: “Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination.” The Charter continues, “and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental and physical disability.”
Scales of Justice Bike Rack
In April 2019, the Toronto Lawyers Assocation (TLA) dedicated a new Scales of Justice bike rack at the Court House, 361 University Avenue. The bike rack/sculpture is composed of a series of scales of justice, engraved with legal principles, as suggested by the clerks of the Court of Appeal. The work was produced with the assistance of at-risk youth:
References: Osgoode Hall
This is such a lovely part of the city. I love how they fixed up that square and the fountain…