Sophie Arseneault practices in the areas of employment, labour, and human rights law. Regularly working with both private and public sector employers, Sophie advises clients on a variety of employment law and labour relations matters. Sophie has assisted clients on pay equity reviews and maintenance exercises, employment equity considerations, employment standards, labour relations, wrongful dismissal claims, human rights complaints and a wide range of proceedings before the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Canada Industrial Relations Board. She works with both unionized and non-unionized employers in a variety of industries.

Irene Arseneault-Allen has been with the Labour Program since 2014.  Irene started as an Early Resolution Officer.  In January 2020 Irene transitioned into the Labour Affairs Officer role and have been in this role ever since.  She is currently a Labour Affairs Officer within the Labour Program of the department of Employment and Social Development Canada

My name is Kelley Banfield and I have worked as a Labour Affairs Officer and Early Resolution Officer with Labour Standards since March of 2020.  I have a background in behavioural psychology, human resources, and mediation/negotiation within the Canadian private sector and New Zealand public sector.

Danielle is a partner with Cavalluzzo LLP practising in the areas of workers’ and Indigenous rights, equality, health and Aboriginal law. She is also the Chair of the firm’s Student Committee. She represents unions and associations, regulated professionals including nurses and midwives, and First Nations in diverse contexts including labour disputes, government relations, human rights and constitutional law, health equity, pay equity, professional regulation, judicial reviews and appeals.  She has particular expertise in the health care, policing and public sectors.

She has extensive experience litigating complex systemic discrimination claims including leading equality cases on behalf of women, racialized and disabled workers.  She has twice represented the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) as an intervener in appeals relating to workplace gender discrimination, first in Canada v. Johnstone, a leading case on family status discrimination, and second in Fraser v. Canada, a Supreme Court of Canada case on adverse effect discrimination and pension equality for women with caregiving responsibilities.

Danielle is regularly invited to present to academic and professional audiences in the areas of labour, administrative, equality and health law and advocacy, as well as diversity in the legal profession.  She holds a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School, where she received several academic awards including the Hallett Entrance Scholarship, which she maintained throughout law school. Prior to law, Danielle earned graduate degrees in Social and Political Thought and English Literature.

Danielle brings feminist, anti-racist and decolonial approaches to her legal practice and is committed to using law to empower clients and support the aims of labour and social movements.  Her commitment to law as a tool for achieving justice at work flows from her experiences as a union member and community organizer with Filipinx migrant workers and their families.

In her non-lawyering life, Danielle is a mother and student of two chaotic beings who do not quit and a member of the Board of Directors of Parkdale Community Legal Services.

Trisha Gain is Legal Counsel – Litigation & Labour at Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) in Calgary. Trisha joined CP in January 2020, and is responsible for labour and employment related legal matters for CP’s Canadian operations. Trisha has spent her entire 20-year legal career practicing exclusively in the area of labour and employment law. She has worked as in-house labour and employment counsel since 2010, in both the oil and gas and construction sectors and has experience across Canada at both the provincial and federal levels. During her time with Kiewit Canada Corp. from 2010 to 2017, Trisha became well-versed in construction labour relations and employment issues across Canada. Prior to moving in-house, Trisha spent 9 years in private practice between Emond Harnden LLP in Ottawa and McLennan Ross LLP in Calgary. She was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2002 and in Alberta in 2006. She is an active member of the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers (CACE) and several of its committees. Trisha received her law degree from the University of Ottawa in 2001, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) degree in Political Science from the University of Calgary in 1998. Trisha is an avid sports fan, skier and animal-lover. When not working, she can be found on the ice playing hockey or skiing in Fernie, B.C.

Ms. Guilbert is a full-time Vice-Chairperson of the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). Prior to her appointment in July 2019, she was the Executive Director and General Counsel of the CIRB after holding the same position at what is now the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board. She is a fluently bilingual Barrister and Solicitor with extensive experience as a lawyer in private practice, as a General Legal Counsel with a federal Crown Corporation, as a tribunal executive and as a Professor of Law with the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management and its Faculty of Common Law.

Ms. Guilbert holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Political Science and History) and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ottawa, and earned a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She also studied Law and Political Science at the Université de Nantes in France. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and a prior member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Roberto Lattanzio is the Executive Director of ARCH Disability Law Centre. Robert has been Executive Director since 2015, and first joined ARCH in 2003. He has acted as legal counsel in test case litigation at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has made law reform submissions to various levels of government, committees, and administrative bodies. Robert has been appointed to numerous advisory committees, and has written and guest-lectured on diverse topics including equality and human rights law, administrative law, education law, capacity and supported decision making, disability rights, legislative reform, and social science evidence. He also has delivered extensive rights education training to our communities of persons with disabilities and continuing legal education to the legal profession. Robert received his LL.B and B.C.L. law degrees with distinction from McGill University in 2003. Robert has a long standing interest in disability rights and social justice, with extensive work and volunteer experience within disability communities and other equity seeking communities. Robert is the 2022 recipient of the Law Foundation of Ontario’s Guthrie Award for his contributions to advancing access to justice.

Simon-Pierre Paquette is Director, Labour, Employment & Litigation at Purolator Inc., having previously worked as general counsel of a Crown corporation, in-house counsel and labour relations director for a large federally-regulated employer and in private practice at a leading national law firm. His practices has been focused on labour and employment law, and he benefits from extensive experience in subjects such as labour relations, labour standards, grievance arbitration, human rights, privacy, official languages, pensions and workplace drug and alcohol testing.

Gillian maintains a broad labour, employment, and human rights practice. She regularly advises provincial and federal sector employers on matters related to employment standards, employment related litigation, grievance arbitration, labour relations and human rights.

Michael is recognized as one of Canada’s leading employment and labour lawyers by Chambers Global®, Who’s Who Legal® (Global Elite Thought Leader & Most Highly Regarded), Legal 500®, Best Lawyers® and Lexpert® and as a Five Star Safety Lawyer by Canadian Occupational Safety®. He is a Fellow of the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers®.

Acclaimed for his strategic excellence and outstanding client service, says Chambers Global®, “Michael draws praise for satisfying the needs of even the most demanding clients and his specialist knowledge of union contract and negotiation issues, where he is described as “exceptional,” and impresses with his “phenomenal” work.”

Former Chair of each of the National Labour and Employment Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and the Labour and Employment Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association, Michael is widely published and frequently asked to chair or speak at international and national conferences. His clients are national and international, public and private, and operate in a wide range of industries and sectors.

Boards and Memberships

Michael is Chair of Skilled Trades Ontario (a Provincial Crown Agency under the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development) and sits on the board of directors of Skills Canada (Ontario) and Support Ontario Youth.  He is a Past Executive Member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC), and Past Corporate Chair of the LLSC’s Light The Night, and the Yves Landry Foundation, and a current member of the following organizations:

• American Bar Association (Administrative & Regulatory Practice and Labour & Employment)
• American Seniors Housing Association
• Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association
• Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers
• Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
• Council of Ontario Construction Associations
• Ontario Bar Association (Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction Law, Administrative Law, Labour & Employment, CCCA/Corporate Counsel, Privacy and Access to Information, Civil Litigation, Constitutional, Civil Liberties, Human Rights, Workers’ Compensation, Class Action, and Education)
• Ontario Retirement Communities Association
• Retail Council of Canada
• Toronto Board of Trade
• Toronto Construction Association
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Awards

Michael is the recipient of several awards including the Construction Institute of Canada’s Chancellor’s Award of Excellence, Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA) Hard Hat Award of Excellence, University of New Brunswick Alumni Award of Distinction, Canadian Interuniversity Sport (U Sports) Lester B. Pearson Award, and the Canadian Franchise Association Volunteer Leadership Excellence Award and Distinguished Franchise Support Service Award.

Matthew is a management-side employment and labour lawyer who advises private, public, and institutional clients on a wide range of complex matters. His practice includes both advisory and litigation work. Matthew has advised employers on allegations of constructive and wrongful dismissal, contract drafting, human rights claims, occupational health and safety prosecutions, union grievances, and workplace training. He has also assisted with mediations, labour arbitrations, and various stages of litigation in Ontario’s courts and tribunals.

Michelle Sterling is a Senior Investigator in Occupational Health and Safety for the ESDC – Labour Program. Michelle started her career with the Labour Program in 2008 and has held her current position for the past 8 years. Michelle is responsible for providing technical guidance to a team of Health and Safety Officers (HSO) in the Ontario region as well as conducting investigations and inspections of federally regulated employers. Michelle was responsible for training HSOs on the new Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations when they came into force on January 1, 2021.

A Partner at our Vancouver office, Jennifer represents employers in all areas of labour and employment law including wrongful dismissal, employment contracts, human rights issues, employment standards, union organizing, collective agreement interpretation, grievance handling, progressive discipline and investigations into employee misconduct. Jen has experience appearing before arbitration boards and a variety of administrative tribunals including the Human Rights Tribunal and the BC Labour Relations Board. She has also appeared as counsel in the Provincial Court of British Columbia, Supreme Court of British Columbia and BC Court of Appeal. A significant part of Jen’s practice involves acting for and advising First Nations governments, economic development corporations, and First Nations-owned entities and business and assisting with their policy development and training, as well as governance. Jen volunteers for the BC SPCA Vancouver/Burnaby Branch as a Community Council member