Patricia Wilson
Community Pillars
Patricia Wilson has dedicated her post-legal career to impactful community work, leading volunteer-driven initiatives that support refugee resettlement, foster inclusion, and strengthen civic engagement in Ottawa.
Patricia Wilson enjoyed a distinguished 32-year legal career in Ottawa, Ontario, primarily as a partner in the Public Law group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Called to the Ontario Bar in 1984, she practiced law from 1982 to 2016, advising on complex constitutional, administrative, and regulatory matters. Her career also included early work as a researcher and advisor on Indigenous issues with Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and as a parliamentary assistant during the 1970s.
Following her retirement from legal practice, Patricia turned her attention to refugee sponsorship and settlement through grassroots action. Since 2015, she has played a leading role in Ottawa Centre Refugee Action (OCRA), a volunteer-driven initiative supporting the private sponsorship and resettlement of refugees in Canada. Initially joining OCRA as a volunteer, she helped resettle a Syrian family of six. Recognizing the profound need for sustained refugee support, she soon took on a leadership role and became the principal organizer of OCRA’s ongoing sponsorship work.
Under her guidance, OCRA has sponsored or supported the sponsorship of 119 refugees as of January 2025. These newcomers have come from countries including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Colombia, the Central African Republic, and Ghana. An additional 19 individuals are awaiting government processing, and three more sponsorship applications are in preparation.
Patricia’s work includes developing detailed sponsorship applications, navigating complex immigration processes, coordinating with government officials and visa offices, and partnering with Sponsorship Agreement Holders such as churches and community organizations. She has helped raise over $1 million in community donations to support these efforts, and she personally recruits and coordinates the hundreds of volunteers who support each new family’s settlement journey.
Her role extends far beyond paperwork and fundraising. She oversees the full spectrum of refugee resettlement, including securing housing, furnishing homes, arranging medical and dental care, enrolling children in school, connecting adults with language classes, training and employment, organizing social outings, and ensuring access to government services. Her commitment to dignity, empowerment, and integration has helped many families rebuild their lives and futures in Canada.
In addition to her refugee work, Patricia served for a decade (1992–2002) on the Board of Directors of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and was named a Fellow in recognition of her contributions.
Patricia’s deep sense of justice, strategic thinking, and compassion continue to shape a meaningful legacy of inclusion and community engagement in Ottawa. Through her leadership with OCRA, she has helped transform lives of those arriving in Canada and of those inspired to support them.
