A cornerstone of the local justice system will be calling it a career as you and I gather to celebrate the start of the new year.
Hastings County Crown Attorney Lee Burgess has announced he is retiring after 35 years of service on December 31st, with a move to part-time hours as he assists in the transition to his successor Mike Lunski.
Lunski is an excellent choice with extensive experience, having begun his journey as an Assistant Crown Attorney in 2004 before joining the Belleville office in 2009, but he has very big shoes to fill.
Burgess has been a mainstay of the Crown Attorney’s Office for as long as I can remember.
Called to the Bar in 1988, Burgess began his career as an Assistant Crown Attorney in 1990 in Ottawa and he joined Belleville in 1993 prosecuting serious and notorious cases during his time as an ACA and then as Crown Attorney, a role he was appointed to in 2003.
Everyone who works with Burgess knows he is a dedicated public servant and a tireless pursuer of justice, but what many don’t know is how personable and kind he is.
My former colleague Nicole Kleinsteuber and I would regularly talk about how Burgess was both funny and easily approachable and a true friend to those in the media who took the time to get to know him.
It is the highest of bars to be both a rigorous and dedicated justice warrior and also a relatable and accessible person inside and outside of the office you represent, and we had 33 years of that with Burgess in Belleville which is a legacy for which we humbly say “thank you Lee”.
I’m Paul Martin, and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
