Peter Deacon

Before retiring on December 31, 2019, Peter practiced law in real estate, mortgages, wills and estates, corporate and commercial law, and collections. Born and raised in Toronto, he attended St. Andrew’s College and earned a B.A. in Economics from Mount Allison University in 1966. Awarded a Rockefeller Brothers Fellowship, he studied at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, where he met his wife, Mary Jane. Peter began his career in social work at the Mental Health Centre in Penetanguishene and earned a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Chicago in 1970 before pursuing law at Queen’s University, graduating in 1977. Called to the Bar in 1979, he became a partner at his firm in 1982 and was later appointed Deputy Judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2000, serving regularly in Small Claims Court. Deeply involved in his community, Peter has contributed to numerous local organizations and served as President of the Penetanguishene Rotary Club, receiving a Paul Harris Fellowship in 1992. He and Mary Jane, who retired as Director of Educational Services at the Mental Health Centre, reside in Penetanguishene and are proud parents of two sons and grandparents to four.