A justice of the peace in Kitchener will likely retire before a hearing determines whether there should be repercussions for his behaviour towards another justice of the peace. James Ziegler is accused of inappropriate or unprofessional conduct. He allegedly went to the complainant’s office on the seventh floor of the Waterloo Region Courthouse, on the morning of April 19, 2024. CTV News has chosen not to identify the woman. At a Justices of the Peace Review Council hearing, she told the panel she thought Ziegler seemed upset. “He said, ‘I love you, and I want to have sex with you. I love the way you look. I love the way you laugh. I love the way you smile. I love everything about you, and I want to have sex with you.’” The complainant said he also talked about his wife and a previous affair. “Then he talked about how he had uncontrolled anger issues and how he couldn’t control his anger and how he was horny and how he wanted to have sex with me,” the woman recalled. When she told Ziegler she wasn’t interested in him, the complainant said it seemed to make the situation worse. “His voice would get louder, he would pace faster and I was terrified,” she said. The complainant said Ziegler also came to her office later that same day to give her a book about a woman who attempted suicide. She claimed he returned a third time, but she had locked her office door. The woman also described getting a text message and phone call from Ziegler in the days after his declaration of “love.” In December 2025, Ziegler was found not guilty of forcible confinement and criminal harassment. Justice John Olver acknowledged that the actions of the 74-year-old were “inappropriate and unprofessional,” but he felt he did not have “sufficient context to conclude that [the complainant’s] fear for her safety was based on her belief that the accused might cause her physical harm.” Hearing on hold The panel was expected to hear evidence to determine if Ziegler’s actions amounted to sexual harassment. Those proceedings started with opening statements and testimony from the complainant on Sept. 10. According to an update from the panel, the hearing is sine die, meaning there are no further dates set aside for testimony. One reason is that Ziegler must retire at the end of October when he turns 75. “It is noted that the hearing panel will lose jurisdiction over this matter after Justice of the Peace Ziegler’s mandatory retirement takes effect,” it said. Ziegler’s lawyer also told the panel she had no room in her schedule before the end of October to continue the hearing. When all parties came together to discuss an alternate plan, they couldn’t agree on dates that worked for everyone. The update also noted that they would need three to four days for the proceedings. With files from Krista Simpson
