Children’s author Robert Munsch has arranged to donate his papers and archives, including a career’s worth of fan mail to which he diligently responded, to the Guelph Public Library.

The Munsch archive will be made available for research and display at the Ontario city’s new Central Library, planned for a new development at St. George’s Square, the main downtown intersection.

Munsch, 80, has lived in Guelph most of his life since moving there in 1975 to work at the University of Guelph’s Department of Family Studies laboratory preschool. A former Jesuit trainee, he was a daycare worker who became arguably the greatest living children’s author, a bedtime favourite beloved for The Paper Bag Princess, Mortimer, and Love You Forever.

He has been ill for several years with progressive dementia. He had a stroke in 2008. It impaired his storytelling, which he partly recovered through speech therapy. His declining health became a

major news event earlier this year

when he told The New York Times he had applied and been preliminarily approved for Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID).

Munsch’s family, including his wife Ann, said in statement they are excited to know his archives will be kept with care. “The Library has been a large part of our family’s lives,” they said. “When our children were young, Robert would take the kids every week to pick out new books. Robert Munsch is happy to continue to inspire kids and adults alike through the archives.”

The archives are likely to be in place by 2027, the library said in a statement, calling it an “extraordinary gift.” The archives contain original drafts of his stories, notes from publishers, photographs and artifacts from his 40-year career, in which he published 75 books.

Importantly, the archive contains correspondence from children and other fans who were a central part of his work, even sometimes collaborators in a way. More than most authors, he was available to his readers, both through his tireless reading tours, but also by almost always responding personally to letters he received, often signed by an entire grade school class.

Munsch spent much of his working life in libraries, reading his books to schoolchildren seated around him on the floor. He crossed Canada countless times, often staying with hospitable fans, and taking inspiration from the children he would meet, sometimes working them into stories. Gah-Ning Tang, for example, inspired Where Is Gah-Ning?, about her elaborate plan to escape her hometown of Hearst, Ont., for the bright lights of Kapuskasing, and Andrew Livingston of Latchford, Ont., inspired I’m So Embarrassed!, about his embarrassing mother.

“Robert Munsch captures the hearts of young readers and embodies the essence and importance of storytelling in the early years of learning and literacy,” says Eleni Hughes, Supervisor of Archives and Records Management at the Guelph Public Library. “The Library is honoured to house and provide access to Munsch’s archives to foster a deeper understanding of the stories that shaped many of our childhoods and the man who created and brought them to life.”

Munsch began speaking publicly about his dementia diagnosis in 2021. He had also previously spoken publicly about his alcoholism and drug addictions driven by manic depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, for which he was helped to recovery by Narcotics Anonymous.

In his recent New York Times interview, he said he was moved to the decision to die by MAID by watching a brother die of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and thinking he was being kept alive through interventions when doctors should instead just “let him die.”

“I have to pick the moment when I can still ask for it,”

Munsch told the Times.

His daughter Julie Munsch posted on Facebook in response to the swell of attention: “My father IS NOT DYING!!! Thanks to everyone and their well wishes, however, my father’s choice to use MAID was in fact made 5 years ago… My dad is doing well but of course with a degenerative disease it can begin to progress quickly at any point.”

“The Munsch family’s extraordinary gift advances Guelph Public Library’s vision to empower and inspire literacy and lifelong learning for generations to come,“ said Guelph Public Library CEO Dan Atkins. “It’s an exciting time as we prepare to move to the new Central Library and expand our archives. The Munsch family’s generosity stands alongside thousands of Library supporters who have advocated for the work we do.”

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In a groundbreaking move towards greater transparency, the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) has committed in principle to publicly disclosing details when lawyers and paralegals commit crimes or professional breaches.

The move follows a

two-year investigation

by the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) into the law society’s decades-long practice of withholding such information, even in cases involving high-risk conduct by legal professionals.

In a Sept. 25 vote, the LSO’s Professional Regulation Committee

passed motions

that will, for the first time, require that criminal guilty pleas and convictions be posted on the public registry for prospective clients to see.

“I strongly and unquestionably believe members of the public have the undeniable right to know this information,” vice-chair of the regulations committee Jonathan Rosenthal said in a written statement.

“I know many lawyers … were not supportive of this initiative but the LSO is not a lawyers’ advocacy group but a public interest regulator … Many consider not providing this sort of information which is in possession of the Law Society as hiding this information. That is not in the public interest.”

Also approved by the committee is a rule change that would compel the LSO to disclose disciplinary actions against lawyers and paralegals by other professional regulatory bodies and provide a link to those registries so prospective clients are aware.

The LSO’s existing bylaws must be amended before the changes can be put into practice. Both measures would apply to future cases only.

A recent

IJB investigation

detailed hidden histories of several legal professionals who were the subject of criminal charges or convictions and of several who have faced disciplinary proceedings from other regulatory bodies. Currently, criminal convictions against lawyers in Ontario do not appear on their LSO profiles.

“As one can see from a number of recent press articles where we have had recently lawyers convicted of extorting sex from clients, of sexual assault, of fraud … at the moment, we are not telling the public about those convictions when they go to hire those lawyers,” said Toronto lawyer Megan Shortreed, who supported the rule change.

She called the pending rule changes a “no-brainer.”

“They are, in my view, actually the bare minimum and are long overdue. The Law Society continuing to withhold from the public that information that it possesses is not discharging this organization’s duty to the public nor is it maintaining public confidence.”

In several cases,

reporters identified

lawyers and paralegals who have been disciplined by other regulatory bodies for offences that appear nowhere on their LSO public profiles.

Among them is Stephanie Colangelo, who was a licensed high school teacher in Ontario.

In November 2020, she pleaded guilty to sexually luring three students at the school where she taught by sending messages “of a sexual nature” including “sexualized photos and videos of herself” and telling them she would engage in sexual activity with them, including intercourse.

Four days before her guilty plea, Colangelo submitted a paralegal licensing application to the law society, using her maiden name and stating only that she was the subject of a criminal investigation.

The Ontario College of Teachers revoked her licence in 2021 and posted on its website Colangelo’s sentencing documents, along with its own findings. But Colangelo’s public profile on the LSO website still contains no reference to that revocation, her criminal charges or her conviction.

And that won’t change, because the new policy is not retroactive.

Colangelo did not respond to a request for comment.

The debate over disclosure of criminal convictions of lawyers and paralegals was contentious among committee members.

Many of the 143 submissions made to the law society’s regulation committee argued that a lawyer’s reputation would be harmed by the disclosure of convictions or findings of guilt and that disclosure would breach a legal professional’s right to privacy.

One submission contemplated that the public accessing criminal convictions could make legal professionals the targets of false allegations and result in the public being able to do “extensive research” on lawyers involved with their case.

Several benchers — that is, members of the LSO’s governing board — publicly pushed back against the proposal.

While bencher Pam Hrick told the committee that she supported some findings of guilt being reflected on the LSO public register, she questioned the scope of the proposed transparency.

“I think what is being suggested here overshoots what is necessary to protect the public interest,” she argued.

Bencher Lisa Bildy echoed the concerns, stating that while she favoured some criminal code convictions being made public, adding provincial offence convictions went too far.

“I think I’m going to vote against this because it is overbroad.”

During the debate, Rosenthal said that criminal convictions and disciplinary actions should be more accessible.

“We are hiding that information from very vulnerable people. They are at the greatest risk when they consult with a lawyer,” Rosenthal told the meeting. “The very vulnerable clients … will not have the resources to be able to find out that information before they go into a room late at night with a lawyer who may have been convicted of an offence.”

***

The ongoing IJB investigation has identified more examples of criminal findings and internal LSO actions that do not appear on public profiles available to prospective clients.

For example, Toronto paralegal Azary-Zarik Matanov has faced four different criminal charges — including a guilty plea for assault in one case — for alleged offences since 2016.

In 2016, Matanov was charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement of a woman. He pleaded guilty to common assault and received a conditional discharge and 12 months’ probation in November 2017.

He faced a sexual assault and breach of probation charges from another woman two years later that were stayed in September 2019. In March 2019, Matanov was charged with sexual assault and breach of probation by a third woman. Those charges were withdrawn in January 2020.

In 2018, the LSO considered suspending Matanov’s licence due to the sexual assault charge against him, but decided to withdraw its application, noting that his alleged behaviour “is not the type of misconduct that normally results in licence revocation.”

 

In July 2022, Matanov was charged a fourth time with sexual assault, based on a complaint from a woman who alleged he pressured her to perform non-consensual oral sex on him following a date. He was acquitted at trial in November 2024.

Matanov’s public-facing LSO profile does make brief mention that he failed to report criminal charges to the LSO under “Regulatory History.” But there are no  further details on his main profile and no reference to sexual assault charges.

Matanov declined a request for an interview, but in two written statements, his  lawyer, Gil Zvulony, said: “My client is not a threat to the public. He is a professional with an unrestricted licence who has been the target of malicious allegations … We acknowledge the 2016 matter was resolved with a guilty plea … That 2016 matter concluded with a conditional discharge, which is not a conviction under the Criminal Code and demonstrates the minor nature of the incident and certainly not sexual assault.”

Under the LSO’s amended disclosure practices, however, a guilty plea resulting in a conditional discharge would still appear on a licencee’s public-facing profile.

“A discharge does not eliminate the facts underlying the finding,” reads the recommendations to the LSO. “Legal professionals are expected to be of the highest integrity and therefore any finding of guilt is relevant in a regulatory context.”

***

There remains one further debate over greater transparency before the LSO. The committee did not make a final decision on a recommendation that would require the regulator to post criminal charges that have not yet been proven on the public profile of a lawyer or paralegal.

Lawyers are required to report criminal charges to the LSO, but currently that information remains hidden from the public unless the watchdog decides to trigger its own disciplinary process as a result.

Toronto lawyer

Andrew Menchynski

faced criminal charges of assault, forcible confinement and possession of a weapon in September 2022. The charges were withdrawn and Menchynski entered into a peace bond and secret undertakings with the LSO related to those charges that appear nowhere on his record, the IJB investigation found.

He did not respond to requests for comment.

But his lawyer, Peter Downard, previously told the IJB: “Mr. Menchynski has steadfastly denied the allegations made by the complainant … (and) entered into a peace bond without admitting to the facts that gave rise to the charges.”

Between 2021 and 2025, Sudbury lawyer

Adam Castonguay

was acquitted on criminal charges of sexual assault, settled a $13-million civil suit filed by one of the complainants, was subject to two peace bonds, had practice restrictions placed on his licence and is the subject of an ongoing LSO investigation into allegations of misconduct.

There is no record of these matters on Castonguay’s main public profile on the LSO website; all that is stated is that he is currently the subject of regulatory proceedings. There are currently no practice restrictions on Castonguay’s licence.

Castonguay did not respond to interview requests.

The recent committee debate over disclosing criminal charges featured strong reservations about posting allegations that have not been proven.

“Most respondents to the consultation expressed serious concerns about the publication of this information in the directory and emphasized the need to balance the importance of transparency with fundamental rights like the presumption of innocence, and the potential impact of systemic racism,” said LSO spokesperson

Jennifer Wing.

“These are complex questions that require additional research and deliberation.”

Regulators that oversee the conduct of doctors, dentists, nurses and all licensed health professionals in Ontario make public any criminal charges on the public registry for prospective patients to see.

Rosenthal says he will be supporting public disclosure of criminal charges against lawyers and paralegals when the issue comes to a final vote before the committee. There is no timeframe yet for that vote.

“Criminal charges are a matter of public record. Though a lawyer can easily find this information … I doubt many members of the public know this or know how to. I really hope that the LSO register will come in line with … the 27 regulated health professions.”

The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health is a collaborative investigative newsroom supported by Postmedia that partners with academics, researchers and journalists while training the next generation of investigative reporters.

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Just one-third of Ontarians say their province is heading in the right direction,

according to a new Leger poll.

The polling finds that, despite Premier Doug Ford having an approval rating of 45 per cent, a majority — 55 per cent — of Ontarians believe the province is on the wrong track. Only 33 per cent say the province is on the right track.

“There’s been a shift in moods in Ontario. Ontarians are growing more pessimistic,” said Jennifer McLeod Macey, Leger’s senior vice-president of public affairs.

Those in eastern Ontario are most likely, at 44 per cent, to say the province is headed in the right direction, while 29 per cent of those in southern Ontario, 32 per cent of those in the Greater Toronto Area and 30 per cent of those in the Hamilton/Niagara regions and northern Ontario say that the province is on the right track.

There’s also a gender divide: men (36 per cent) are more likely than women (29 per cent) to say the province is headed in the right direction. When it comes to the age breakdown, those in the 35 to 54 age bracket, at just 22 per cent, are the least likely to say the province is doing things right.

Only 42 per cent of Progressive Conservative voters say their province is headed in the right direction — the same percentage as those who support the Ontario Liberals. In comparison, 70 per cent of NDP supporters say the province is headed in the wrong direction.

When it comes to the issues that Ontarians see facing their province, 17 per cent identify housing prices and affordability as the most important. Those in their home-buying years are most likely to see housing and affordability as the most important issue. Twenty per cent of those between the ages of 18 and 34 identify it as the most important issue, as do 19 per cent of those between the ages of 35 and 54. After that, concern drops off sharply: just 12 per cent of Ontarians in the 55 or older age range see housing prices as a major issue.

“Housing affordability continues to dominate as Ontarians’ top concern. This is especially true of younger and middle aged adults,” said McLeod Macey.

Older Ontarians, however, are most likely, at 21 per cent, to view the state of the health-care system as the biggest issue. Overall in Ontario, 14 per cent identify health care as the biggest trouble plaguing the province. (Sixty-one per cent of Ontarians say the Ford government has not been doing well on health-care policy.)

“If performance for Ford is not great in that space, it kind of explains why the overall mood is more pessimistic,” said McLeod Macey.

As for other concerns, hot-topic issues such as the opioid crisis barely register: Just two per cent of Ontarians say it’s the biggest issue facing the province, and only three per cent express high levels of concern about climate change or the environment.

Trade and the economy come in third-place: 12 per cent say the economy is the most important issue facing Ontario while 11 per cent say Ontario’s trade relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump is the most important issue facing the province. Eighteen per cent of those aged 55 and older see trade with the U.S. as the largest issue facing Ontario, compared to just five per cent of those between 18 and 34.

Ford and his government enjoy broad approval for their handling of some of the issues, although support has softened in recent months. Forty-seven per cent of those polled support Ford’s handling of relations with the federal government and 45 per cent approve of how the Progressive Conservatives have handled the tariff file and trade relations with the United States.

However, more people disapprove than approve of the government’s handling of roads and transportation (46 per cent versus 38 per cent) and Indigenous reconciliation (35 per cent versus 33 per cent) and a number of other issues. The most stark contrast comes on the housing front, where 68 per cent disapprove of the government’s handling of the file, compared to just 17 per cent who support it.

“Really, it’s affordability and housing that is most important to Ontarians right now — the top concern. And so if we look at the performance on those on those areas, there’s a lot of room for improvement,” said McLeod Macey.

Broadly speaking, Ontarians are in agreement on a variety of different policy ideas. For example, 79 per cent of poll respondents believe that existing infrastructure should be maintained before new projects are built and 71 per cent believe that there should be rent freezes in areas where rental prices are growing rapidly. The poll also found that 75 per cent believe that price increases in grocery stores should be disclosed to a provincial regulator and 78 per cent say there should be consumer protection rules that label products with information about shrinkflation. A majority — 51 per cent — agree that homeless people do not have the right to camp in public spaces.

The polling also found that despite so many people believing Ontario is heading in the wrong direction, Ford would still enjoy the support of 44 per cent of voters if an election were to happen tomorrow. The Ontario Liberals would place second with 32 per cent of the vote and the NDP would get 13 per cent of the vote.

The polling was done between Oct. 10 and 13 and Oct. 17 and 20, among an online survey of 1,052 Ontarians. Results were weighted according to age, gender, region, and education to ensure a representative sample of the Ontario population. While no margin of error can be associated with a non-probability sample, for comparative purposes, a probability sample of 1,052 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.0 per cent, 19 times out of 20.​

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