Legacy Leaders

Peter Rickaby

Peter Rickaby

Lawyer James (Peter) Rickaby was a dedicated and respect public servant who served the people of Ontario throughout his entire working life. He was a longtime chief prosecutor for the attorney-general’s ministry in Toronto. He prosecuted hundreds of cases as the chief crown attorney for what was known as the Judicial District of York in the 1970s and 1980s.

Peter was born in Toronto and went to the University of Toronto Schools, Trinity College at the University of Toronto, and Osgoode Hall law school. He joined the crown attorney’s office in 1958 after being called to the bar. He became deputy crown attorney for York County in 1968 and crown attorney in 1975. He retired in 1987.

Peter felt very strongly about the conservation of our heritage in Ontario. His brother John notes that “Peter had a talent for, and an enjoyment of collecting and restoring antique and unusual items of furniture and works of art. He had an eye for discarded treasures, and attended auctions around the city over the years, collecting a valuable store of paintings and furniture.” John notes that Peter also had a passion and hobby of buying and restoring old homes. He found an outlet for his talents in an old 19^th century store on the main street in Newburg, Ontario, which had originally been a bakery. He bought it as a country retreat, and worked to restore it. In the following years, he acquired and restored the original town fire hall down the street as a rental residence. During the years prior to and following his retirement, he became involved in the local historical affairs, and made a wide circle of friends around in the area around Newburg and Napanee.

Peter was also deeply concerned about preservation of our natural heritage. He was a long time individual member of Ontario Nature and the Willow Beach Field Naturalists based in Port Hope. When he passed away in 1995 he left a large bequest to Ontario Nature. He had an interest in supporting our Nature Reserves program and was particularly interested in preserving wetlands. To reflect his interests, his bequest was split, with part going to support the Nature Reserves program and part going to Ontario Nature’s investment fund. Peter’s bequest to Ontario Nature made a significant contribution to our Nature Reserves program, enabling us to develop conservation stewardship and management plans for our properties. The other part of his donation supported initiatives to develop and implement environmental education projects, introduce children to nature though young naturalists’ summer camps and strengthen our provincial network of nature and environmental groups, known as Ontario’s Nature Network. We are grateful for the tremendous contribution that Peter made to the protection of nature in Ontario.

Ontario Nature would like to thank Peter’s brothers, John and Andrew, for their assistance in providing information about Peter’s life and interests.

To find out more about how you can make a gift to Ontario Nature in your will, click here.