An Interview with Maria Fava: at 47 Sheppard Toronto Ontario Court of Justice

by Montana Schott

My final interview during my summer placement with mediate393 was with Maria Fava from the Ontario Court of Justice at 47 Sheppard Ave, in Toronto. Maria is a Manager for the family court administrative office, where she oversees an array of operations within the court.

Our meeting began in the lobby of the court. I had been to the location previously, but Maria showed me around areas that I had never seen before and introduced me to many staff members. She said this is a unique courthouse because everyone here interacts as though they are the best of friends. Even if she hadn’t mentioned the camaraderie within this courthouse, it was obvious from the way that everyone interacted. Before we got to her office we spoke with lawyers, trial coordinators, and security guards, who all seemed to know one another well. Even after we settled into her office, staff members continued to come by to say good morning.

As I had simply requested to interview her about her job, Maria said a few times, “I don’t know what to tell you; I just do my job”, which captures the essence of Maria’s work ethic. She is self-described as having an “old school” mentality, which, if I had to characterize, means that she is a hard worker because she believes that is how you should approach your job. Her work ethic originated from a family of hard workers, especially her father, and was fostered by her co-workers when she started in small claims court back in 1977.

This approach to her work has clearly contributed to her success, which has been recognized by the countless awards Maria has received for her service to the public, including the prestigious Amethyst award for lifetime achievement and excellence in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). Maria says she was always surprised to receive such recognition as she was “just doing her job”, but she was especially shocked and humbled at receiving the Amethyst award, which is nominated by upper management.

Maria says that her staff will come to her for anything and everything. She ensures her court will be run well, but not at the expense of her relationships with her employees. Even if they have made a mistake, Maria’s staff knows she will support them at the counter and turn it into a teaching moment afterward. In her words, she follows the golden rule: do onto others as you’d have them do unto you, which helps explain why she can maintain such effective rapport with her team.

Maria also works with the students in the co-op program at the court. This program offers high school, college, and university students the opportunity to intern at the court. Head office screens the co-op candidates for a number of things, and although it is not expected of her, Maria interviews them because she finds it helpful to get to know these students before they come. The co-op students have the opportunity to attend court to see how it operates, and, without accessing sensitive information,  observe and perform some basic administrative functions. Maria finds this part of her job to be particularly rewarding because it helps these pupils decide on a career path. Maria especially loves when co-op students come back to see her once they have found employment in their field because of the sense of accomplishment she gets in knowing that the placement helped guide these young people in their careers.

An inevitable challenge when serving the public is managing people and the high emotions they often present. Although many services are now available online, Maria believes that many people come in person because they need more help than they know how to find online. For example, on a monthly basis, they used to get ten to fifteen consents from parties. Now she says it’s a good month if they get five. Maria attributed the difference to how easy it can be to disregard someone on a screen, compared to the level of engagement when people talk in person.

Managing so much can be stressful. Maria states that in stressful situations she makes quick decisions very easily and commits to them. She possesses confidence in these moments because she often makes the right call but is not afraid to admit if she makes mistakes. Maria enjoys meditation and says sometimes all that is needed is to go outside to take a breather. She also uses another technique that she referred to as “creating her bubble” so that nothing can touch her. She invited me to try it with her, so we stood up, took a deep breath, and extended our arms out to the side and then above our heads. Doing this with the intention of bringing my energy around myself helped cultivate a feeling of resilience, and I could picture how it could help you feel that the stress around you can’t impact you.

It was lovely finishing our interview with the topic of self-care, as Maria offers a calming presence that anyone would want in their office. I felt lucky to be able to soak up some of her wisdom on the topic, and I left the interview feeling more grounded than when I entered.