Ken Sandhu

Deputy Chairperson
Refugee Protection Division

Ken Sandhu was appointed member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) on June 21, 2004 and designated Deputy Chairperson of the Refugee Protection Division on March 5, 2007.

Mr. Sandhu worked for the Ontario Public Service from 1971 to 1988, during which he held several positions, including in human resources management, estimates planning and operational and corporate policy development.

In the late 1980s, he began a six-year term as the Executive Vice-Chair of the Ontario Board of Parole (OBP) followed by seven years as the Chair of the OBP. He saw the Board through significant change management in the 1990s and represented the Board’s interests and profile at numerous national and international justice venues.

In the early 2000s, he was Executive Lead for developing a provincial, multi-ministry Inspections, Investigations and Enforcement Learning Strategy with the Ontario Ministry of Labour, followed by a term as Regional Director of Probation and Parole Services, Ministry of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Mr. Sandhu is a past President of the Canadian Criminal Justice Association, past President of the Ontario Association of Corrections and Criminology and past President of the Quarter Century Club, an organization dedicated to recognition of long service employees in the public service in Ontario. He is also a past treasurer of the Association of Paroling Authorities International and a past director of the American Probation and Parole Association.

In 2001, he was awarded the Medal of Honour by the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators for his outstanding contribution to the administrative justice system of Ontario and, in 2002, the Association of Paroling Authorities International awarded him the Vincent O'Leary award for his contribution to the field of parole. He is also a recipient of The Government of Canada’s Corrections Exemplary Service Medal & Bar for managing offenders and law enforcement programs.

He has a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in Political Science and Criminology from the University of Guelph and a Masters in Criminology from York University. He is also a graduate of the National Defence Academy, Poona, India.

He is married and has three children.