Canadian Lawyer

w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m A P R I L 2 0 1 9 27 Teschner to work for him as a special counsel in 2015. This marked the beginning of Teschner's career in the public service. In addition to the pleasure of not having to docket his time, Tes- chner was also finding himself more on the client side, evaluating legal advice as only one of many factors to consider in determin- ing an approach. "Having lived in that world, delivering that service for so long, it was very strange to shift it to being the one who was receiving that service. But it helped me appreci- ate the pushes and pulls on lawyers. And so, I would often say, at the end of call on a Friday, please don't work on this on the weekend, go spend time with your family, it can wait until Monday." By 2017, Teschner was again pulled into a high-profile role, as spe- cial counsel to the assistant deputy attorney general. He was tasked with developing Ontario's response to Jus- tice Michael Tulloch's "Report of the Independent Police Over- sight Review." In less than a year, the government was looking for a dramatic transformation to the policing landscape in Ontario. "It was both immensely rewarding, incredibly intellectually challenging and also very stressful because it was a blend of policy development, legal work interfacing with the politicians of the day, the attorney general or the minister, but also with a very, very wide range of stakeholders." Once he had fulfilled his mandate in record time, he then went to work in-house for the Office of the Independent Police Review Director. But with his reputation for handling high-profile politi- cal projects well established, another opportunity quickly arose. The current executive director of the Toronto Police Services Board was retiring, and Teschner leapt at the opportunity. "If you look at what I did with the G20 and what that report was about, which was really about strengthening police governance, and then some of the other work that I did in the following years, [it seemed] to really bring me to this place and bring me to this chair." Teschner' vision for his new role, like many of his career moves, seems clear-eyed despite the many uncertainties around him. "My vision is to help the board, in its role as a robust civilian governor, to break down the traditional barriers that exist when it comes to civilians overseeing or governing the police, to move away from, as we said in the G20 report, this idea that policy and operations are watertight compartments that should never meet." It's a vision, no doubt, that will help guide him through the uncertainties and tumult that he will continue to face in his high- profile role. "[The work I did previously on the G20 report and police governance seemed] to really bring me to this place and bring me to this chair." QUICKLY FIND WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR LEGAL COMMUNITY ALBERTA LEGAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY 2018-19 Includes Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon The Alberta Legal Telephone Directory 2018-19 helps you find lawyers, courts, government departments and any other legal entities you need. Published annually, it includes new and updated names, mailing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers for up to 10,000 listings. Order your copy today! Visit www.store.thomsonreuters.ca or call 1.800.387.5164 for a 30-day no risk evaluation. Spiralbound • 4FQUFNCFS 2018 • $49.50* Order No. L7798-8403 • ISBN 978-0-7798-8403-2 Multiple copy discounts available *Plus applicable taxes and shipping & handling. Prices subject to change without notice. Untitled-6 1 2019-03-13 8:41 AM

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