Spencer Bass

Spencer joined Stockwoods as an associate in 2019. Since that time, Spencer has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. He represents clients on a broad range of matters including corporate litigation, criminal defence, administrative law, and constitutional law. Spencer is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law where he teaches Legal Research & Writing.

Spencer was called to the bar in 2018. Prior to joining the firm, Spencer served as a law clerk to the Hon. Justice Suzanne Côté at the Supreme Court of Canada. He also completed a clerkship with Justices Groberman and Willcock at the British Columbia Court of Appeal in 2017-2018. Before clerking, Spencer worked as a summer student at a major national full-service firm, gaining experience in a broad range of corporate litigation.

Spencer holds a J.D. from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he graduated as the gold medalist of his year, having achieved the highest standing in his graduating year, while also receiving a number of other awards for his academic achievement. During his time at law school, Spencer completed a certificate in Transnational Law at the Université de Genève in Geneva, Switzerland, attaining the second highest standing in the program. He also holds a B.A. (Hons.) from Queen’s University.

Spencer’s practice encompasses all of the firm’s practice areas. Examples of his past representative work include:

Ontario (Attorney General) v. Restoule, 2024 SCC 27 – Spencer represented 7 Northern Ontario First Nations before the Supreme Court of Canada seeking redress for the Crown’s longstanding breaches of the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850. The Supreme Court unanimously and forcefully declared that the Crown breached the Treaty for nearly 150 years by failing to increase the annuities under the Treaty. The Court also ordered the Ontario and federal governments to negotiate just compensation for the First Nations, which may amount to tens of billions of dollars.

Ontario (Attorney General) v. Ontario (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2024 SCC 4 – Spencer appeared as counsel to the requester before the Supreme Court of Canada seeking the public release of Premier Ford’s mandate letters to his ministers under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

R. v. Grewal, 2023 ONSC 1516 – Spencer successfully defended a former Member of Parliament in obtaining a directed verdict of acquittal on all charges of breach of trust and having the case completely dismissed without the need to present a defence.

R. v. Ramelson, 2022 SCC 44 – Spencer represented the B.C. Civil Liberties Association at the Supreme Court of Canada in an appeal dealing with the doctrine of entrapment in the context of internet spaces and cyber crime investigations.

The Corporation of the City of Mississauga v. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, 2022 ONSC 6227 – Spencer successfully represented the requester in resisting a judicial review application concerning a freedom of information request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Privacy Act for access to records about a municipal election.

R. v. July, 2020 ONCA 492 – Spencer appeared before the Ontario Court of Appeal and argued in favour of a heightened constitutional minimum standard for the police to obtain a search warrant to seize the text messages of a suspect.

Mathur v. Ontario, 2020 ONSC 6918,  – Spencer is representing a group of youth in launching a constitutional challenge against Ontario for the province’s failure to take action on climate change. The Application alleges that Ontario’s repeal of the Climate Change Act and failure to implement meaningful carbon emissions targets amount to a violation of Ontarians’ rights under sections 7 and 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Spencer assisted in successfully resisted Ontario’s motion to strike the Application, in the first decision of its kind in Canada.

Law Society of Ontario v. Harry Kopyto, 2020 ONSC 35 – Spencer successfully represented the Law Society of Ontario in obtaining a permanent injunction to prohibit a former licensee from engaging in the unauthorized provision of legal services.

Corporate/commercial litigation – Spencer has assisted clients with resolving a large range of corporate and commercial matters including shareholder disputes, class actions, negligence claims, and contractual disputes.

Criminal Defence and Appeals – Spencer has assisted clients in resolving their criminal matters, ranging from charges for impaired driving to appeals of manslaughter convictions.