Workplace

• Human Rights & Accommodation: Advising on compliance with human rights legislation and implementing effective workplace accommodation strategies.
• Dismissal Litigation: Defending employers in wrongful and constructive dismissal claims to mitigate risk and protect business interests.
• Workplace Harassment & Violence: Assisting with investigations, response strategies and compliance related to harassment and violence in the workplace.
• Restructuring & Terminations: Guiding employers through business restructuring, workforce reductions and complex termination scenarios.
• Shareholder-Employee Disputes: Resolving disputes involving individuals with dual roles as shareholders and employees.
• Employment Contracts: Drafting and reviewing employment agreements tailored to business needs and legal requirements.
• Legislative Compliance: Providing proactive advice to ensure compliance with employment standards and evolving legislation.
• Attendance Management: Assisting with the development and enforcement of fair and effective attendance management programs.
• Privacy & Information Access: Advising on workplace privacy issues and access to information requests under applicable laws.
• Policy Development: Reviewing, updating and implementing workplace policies to align with legal obligations and operational goals.
• Compensation & Benefits: Advising on compensation structures and benefit plans that meet legal and strategic objectives.
• Accessibility Compliance: Assisting with compliance under accessibility legislation through audits, training and policy support. 

• Applications for Certification: Advising on employer response strategies, including campaign planning and resisting union certification efforts.
• Arbitrations: Representing clients in rights and interest arbitrations to resolve disputes under collective agreements.
• Collective Bargaining: Supporting employers through negotiation of collective agreements, including strategy development and drafting.
• Strikes, Lockouts & Injunctions: Advising on legal and tactical responses to labour disruptions, including injunction proceedings.
• Unfair Labour Practice Defence: Defending employers against allegations of unfair labour practices before labour boards and tribunals.
• Unionized Workplace Policies: Assisting with the development and implementation of workplace policies.
• Sports and Teams: Negotiating professional sports collective agreements and advising on labour issues in the sports context. 

Occupational Health & Safety

Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) is a complex framework that imposes strict obligations on workplace parties, with serious consequences for non-compliance. The Occupational Health & Safety Group combines deep legal knowledge with practical industry insight to help clients navigate these challenges, safeguard operations and meet legal obligations.

We provide strategic, cost-effective counsel across a wide range of health and safety matters, including workplace audits, policy development, training, inspections and incident response. Our goal is to help clients avoid litigation and build safer, more resilient workplaces through tailored legal solutions and proactive support. 

Our work includes:

• Emergency Response: Advising employers on legal obligations and next steps following critical injuries and fatalities in the workplace.
• OHSA Compliance & Policy Development: Supporting clients in meeting their obligations under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act through tailored policies, procedures and proactive legal guidance.
• Workplace Audits: Conducting audits to identify compliance gaps and recommend practical solutions to mitigate risk.
• WSIB Matters: Advising on workplace safety and insurance issues, including claims management and appeals under WSIB processes. 

Representative Matters:

• Provides ongoing legal advice to PepsiCo Canada, a multinational food, snack and beverage corporation, on its general labour and employment matters.
• Acted as Canadian counsel for the PWHPA and PWHLPA and assisted with negotiations of the CBA towards the launch of a new professional women’s hockey league in North America.
• Represents Interfor Corporation in labour and employment matters relating to their lumber and processing mills in four locations across Northern Ontario.
• Advises The Stevens Company on employment law policy and procedure, and legislation compliance.
• Provides ongoing labour and employment advice to Xerox Canada, including advising on human rights complaints, employment standards, wrongful and constructive dismissal, employment agreement drafting, disability issues and workplace accommodation.
• Acts as labour counsel and in an executive director capacity to the Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team and their players association, the CMNSTPA.
• Provides ongoing legal counsel to Lear Corporation Canada regarding its Ontario production facilities, including employment law matters such as human rights complaints, dismissals, workplace accommodations, and union-related issues such as collective bargaining, grievance arbitration, strike-related injunctions and facility transitions.
• Advises Evonik Corporation on labour grievances and unionized employee matters, cross-Canada employment policies and procedures, wrongful and constructive dismissal, employment standards, human rights issues and the drafting of employment agreements.
• Advises various First Nations and Métis entities on labour and employment matters. 
• Advises various municipalities on general labour and employment matters, including human rights complaints, employment standards, wrongful and constructive dismissal, employment agreement drafting, collective agreements, collective bargaining, disability issues and workplace accommodation.
• Acted on behalf of Steam Whistle before the Ontario Labour Relations board in respect of an application for certification filed by the Service Employees International Union, Local 2.
• Advises and represents First Brands Group in respect of executive employment matters, including significant wrongful dismissal matters before the Ontario courts, employment law policy and procedure, employment agreement drafting and compliance with legislation.
• Advises MHI Canada Aerospace on human rights, wrongful and constructive dismissal, policy and procedure, employment agreement drafting, legislation compliance and creation of strategy regarding terminations and hiring.
• Advises Medline on employment law policy and procedure, and compliance with legislation.
• Advises Black & McDonald on wrongful dismissal, employment relations, employment standards and human resources policies, and provides representation in respect of employment benefits and insurance matters.
• Advises and represents Multy Home in respect of private arbitration (and before the Ontario Labour Relations Board), in respect of all grievances filed pursuant to its collective agreement.