Colin Johnson (bishop)

Early life and education

Born in 1952, Johnson was educated at the University of Western Ontario and received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity College in 1977.

He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) by Wycliffe College and Trinity College both in 2005 and by Huron College in 2015.

Ordained ministry

He was made a deacon in 1977, ordained to the priesthood in 1978 and served a number of parishes in the Diocese of Toronto before becoming executive assistant to the diocesan bishop in 1992 and archdeacon of York in 1994.

Episcopal ministry

Johnson was elected suffragan bishop by the diocesan synod on April 23, 2003, at the Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto) and was consecrated on June 21, 2003, to serve as the area bishop of Trent-Durham, the eastern region of the diocese. He was elected diocesan bishop on June 12, 2004, and installed as the 11th bishop of Toronto on September 12, 2004. He succeeded Terence Finlay, who retired on June 4, 2004, after serving as diocesan bishop for over 15 years. John Strachan was the first bishop of Toronto when the diocese was created in 1839.

On October 15, 2009, Johnson was elected the 18th metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario. The Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario includes the dioceses of Moosonee, Algoma, Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara and Huron. It extends from the Great Lakes in the south to the shores of James Bay in the north and from Martin Falls (Ogoki Post) in western Ontario to Val D’Or in northern Quebec and Cornwall, Ontario in the east. Collectively, Anglicans in the province represent more than half of the Anglican population in all of Canada.

Johnson succeeded Caleb Lawrence of the Diocese of Moosonee, who had been the metropolitan since 2004.

When the 9th Bishop of Moosonee, Tom Corston retired on December 31, 2013, the Anglican Diocese of Moosonee was reorganized as a mission area of the Province of Ontario, with Johnson, as metropolitan, serving as bishop of Moosonee in addition to his jurisdiction in the Diocese of Toronto. He was formally installed as the 10th bishop of Moosonee on April 1, 2014 at Bishop Anderson Memorial Church, Cochrane and enthroned at St. Matthew's Cathedral, Timmins the next day.

He was elected episcopal visitor of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine in 2005 and re-elected in 2010, serving until 2015. In 2009, he was named episcopal visitor to the Ontario chapter of the newly constituted North American branch of the Society of Catholic Priests (SCP).

Johnson chaired the Theological Education for the Anglican Communion (TEAC2) Working Group and was a member of the Council of General Synod (2008–2013), the executive body of the Anglican Church of Canada. He represented the Anglican Church on the National Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and is honorary patron of a number of not-for-profit or social service organisations. For several years (1996–2003) he was a member of the Ontario Press Council. He is a founding member of the Bishops in Dialogue consultation to build understanding and respect among diverse leaders within the Anglican Communion.

Personal life

Johnson is married to Ellen (Smith). They have three children (Andrea, Rachel and Timothy) and one grandchild, Keira.