Accolades

2023 Bora Laskin Award

Recipient of the Bora Laskin Award for outstanding contributions to Canadian labour law

Education

1970 Waterloo Lutheran University

1972 B.A., University of Toronto

1975 LL.B. Osgoode Hall Law School, York University

1977 Called to the Bar of the Province of Ontario

Professional Work History - Overview

1975-76

Articled to Ian Scott at the firm then known as Cameron, Brewin and Scott in Toronto

1977 - 78

Associate with the law firm of Jaffary & Turner, Toronto

1978 - 79

Maintained private office for the practice of law devoted primarily to employment, civil, criminal  and family litigation

1979 - 84

Member of the Faculty of Osgoode Hall Law School with responsibility as:

Counsel for the Community and Legal Aid Services Program

Lecturer in Civil Procedure and Trial Advocacy

1984 to Date

Arbitrator and Mediator (see details below)

1991 - 1997

Chair, Education and Colleges Relations Commissions

1999 - 2006

Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School

2007 to date

Director, Ontario Ministry of Labour Arbitrator Development Program

Arbitration & Mediation Experience

Full-time Arbitrator and Mediator in the public and private sectors, including several appointments to permanent panels, 1984 to date

Roster Mediator, Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program, 1999 to October 2002

Referee under the Employment Standards Act, 1984 -1990

Sitting on a Board of Inquiry hearing cases under the Ontario Human Rights Code

Factfinder, Mediator and Arbitrator for the Education and Colleges Relations Commissions, 1979 - 1988

Tribunal, Project & Academic Appointments

Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, teaching the Labour Arbitration Seminar, coaching moots and supervising graduate theses, 1999 to 2006

Past Director, Ontario Ministry of  Labour Arbitrator Development Program

Chair, Education Relations Commission of Ontario, 1991-1997

Chair, Colleges Relations Commission of Ontario, 1991-1997

Vice-Chair (Part-Time), Ontario Labour Relations Board, 1984 -1997

Vice-Chair, Public Service Grievance Settlement Board, 1984 to date

Vice-Chair (Part-Time), Ontario Labour Relations Board, 1984 -1997

Member of the Task Force recommending revisions to Part One of the Canada Labour Code, appointed by the Federal Minster of Labour, 1995 -1996

Chair, Ontario Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan, 1990 - 1994

Publications

1993

Labour Arbitration Yearbook: Lancaster House, Classification Disputes at Arbitration

1996

Seeking a Balance: Review of Part One of the Canada Labour Code, Co-Authored with Andrew Sims and Rodrique Blouin

2000

Book Review of Legalising Gender and Equality: Courts, Markets

Unequal Pay for Women in America, Published in Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, 2000, Vol. 55, No 2

2001

"Free Speech and Privacy in the Internet Age: The Canadian Perspective", Published in Arbitration 2001 Arbitrating in an Evolving Legal Environment, 54th Annual Meeting, National Academy of Arbitrators, Edited by J. Grenig and S. Briggs, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Washington, D.C.

Contributor to State of the Art and Practice in Dispute Resolution: Symposium in Honour of Bryan M. Downie; Mary Lou Coates, Editor. Queen's Industrial Relations Centre, 2002

2002

"Free Speech and Privacy in the Internet Age: The Canadian Perspective", Comparative Labour Law & Policy Journal,Volume 24, Number 1, Fall 2002

2008

"Arbitration in Opera, Literature and Art" in Arbitration 2008: U.S. and Canadian Arbitration: Same Probems, Different Approaches, Proceedings of the 61st Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Arbitrators

2010

"Human Rights and Accommodation," in Palmer and Snyder; Collective Agreement Arbitration in Canada, 4th Edition, Butterworths, 2010

2013

"Human Rights and Accommodation," in Palmer and Snyder; Collective Agreement Arbitration in Canada, 5th Edition, Butterworths, 2013

2013 - 2014

The "Supreme Court of Canada's Labour Law Trilogy": Its Legacy and Implications on the Future. Volume 45, No 2 Ottawa Law Review, page 265

Professional Associations & Activities

1. National Academy of Arbitrators, 1995 - 2023

Vice President and Member of the Board of Governors

Chair, Block Report Implementation Committee

Program Committee - Spring 2019 Philadelphia Conference

Past  Chair and Member of  the Committee on Professional Responsibility and Grievances

Chair, 2015 - 2016 Nominating Committee

Co-chair for the 2015 and 2016 Fall Education Conferences; Denver and New Orleans

Past Member of the Research and Education Fund

Program Committee for the 2008 Ottawa-Gatineau Conference

2. Ontario Labour-Management Arbitrators' Association, Since 1991

President, 2009 - 2010

Task Force on Amendments to the Code of Ethics, 2015

Board of Directors, 1995 - 1998

3. Member, Circle of Chairs, Society of Ontario Adjudicators, 1991 - 1997

4. Canadian Bar Association - Ontario Labour Law Subsection

President  1993 - 1994

Vice President  1992 - 1993

Public Addresses & Activities

Several appearances giving speeches and training sessions about arbitration, mediation, labour relations and interest-based bargaining, including:

1991

"Winning Cases at Grievance Arbitration", presented for Lancaster House

1992

Ontario School Board Trustees Association, "Projections of Labour Relations Issues", Canadian Bar Association, Continuing Education Series,  Labour Relations Act Reforms

1993

Ontario English Catholic School Teachers Association, "Grievance Arbitration"

1995

Ontario Labour Relations Symposium, Panellist, "Ontario Labour Arbitration Forecast"

1996

Law Society of Upper Canada, Continuing Education Series, "Mastering Mediation"

1997

Infonex Seminar, Keynote Speaker, "Successfully Administering the Collective Agreement"

Institute for International Research “Discipline and Discharge, Procedures: A Practical Update Seminar, Diagnosing Potential Outcomes of your Arbitrations: The Arbitrator's Perspective"

Infonex Seminar, Chair,  "Canada Labour Code Reform, A Complete Review"

1998

University of Toronto Centre for Industrial Relations, Panellist,  Labour Arbitration Conference, "Putting Your Best Face on Your Case: What Arbitrators Look for in Case Presentation"

Osgoode Hall Law School, Professional Development Programme, Coach, Advanced Mediation Workshop

Centrum Information Seminar, Chair, "Key Issues in Ontario Education Reform"

Insight Information Inc. Conference, Keynote Speaker, "Labour Reform: How to Keep the Pendulum from Swinging"

1999

Ministry of Labour, Arbitrators Training Program, "Mediation in Arbitration"

Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark, Labour Law Moot Competition, Participating Arbitrator

Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers Conference, Guest Speaker

National Academy of Arbitrators, Speaker, "Disability Issues: The Canadian Perspective"

Lancaster House, Labour Arbitration Conference, Panellist, "Accommodation Issues"

Glass Moulders' Convention, Panellist, "What do Arbitrators Look for at Arbitration"

2000

Coach, Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot

Queen's University Industrial Relations Centre, Presentation, "Labour Arbitration Skills"

Queen's University Industrial Relations Centre, Panellist, Brian Downie Symposium, "Mediating Justice: Practice Meets Theory"

2001

Coach, Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot

Queen's University Industrial Relations Centre, Presentation, "Labour Arbitration Skills", April 30, 2001

Workshop Designer and Presenter for Ombudsman Ontario, "The Duty to Accommodate", October 12, 2001

Lancaster House Conference, Panel Chair, "Issues in Public Sector Bargaining", October 31, 2001

National Academy of Arbitrators, Speaker, Tampa, Florida, "Free Speech and Privacy in the Age of the Internet"

The Canadian Perspective, November 2, 2001, Co-Chair, Ontario Labour-Management Arbitrators' Association

Fall Education Conference, November 15, 2001, "Making the System Work Better"

2002

Coach, Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot

Speaker, Police Employment in 2000 Conference, Toronto, February 25-26, 2002

Key Note Speaker, Ontario Public School Boards Association, Labour Relations Symposium, April 4, 2002

Queen's University Industrial Relations Centre, Presentation, "Labour Arbitration Skills", April 28, 2002

Panellist, Law Society Continuing Education Seminar, "New Developments in Labour Law, Mediation in Arbitration", May 27, 2002

Discussion Leader, "Recent Issues and Developments in Canadian Labour Arbitration", National Academy of Arbitrators 2002 Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pa., May 30 -  June 2, 2002

Co- Chair, Ontario Labour-Management Arbitrators' Association, Continuing Education Seminar, "Assessing Credibility",November 21, 2002

2003

Coach of the winning Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, February 18-19, 2003

Queen's University Industrial Relations Centre, Presentation, "Labour Arbitration Skills", May 25, 2003

Plenary Panellist, Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference, University of Calgary, Industrial Relations Research Group, June 11-12, 2003

Panellist, "The Future of Administrative Justice", 2003 Conference of Boards and Agencies, November 7, 2003

2004

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, January 24, 2004

Queen's University Industrial Relations Centre, Presentation, "Labour Arbitration Skills", May 1, 2004

Panellist, Police Association of Ontario Conference, Workshop on Arbitration under the Police Services Act,  August 10, 2004

Panellist, Ontario Bar Association Labour Law Section, "Zero Tolerance: the Ultimate Zero Sum Game", September 20, 2004

Panellist, "How to avoid being Judicially Reviewed", with Justice Stephen Goudge, Ontario Court of Appeal, and Professor Thomas Kuttner, Ontario Labour-Management Arbitrators' Association, November 18, 2004

2005

Panellist, "Rulings on Difficult Issues at Arbitration", OPS Labour Relations Conference, January 20, 2005

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, Placed 2nd

2006

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, January, 2006

Panellist, Ontario Bar Association, Labour Law Subsection, "Straight Talk from Arbitrators", June 12, 2006

Speaker, Insight Conference, "Accommodation Issues in Arbitration", June 15, 2006

Moderator, Panel on "Ethical Issues in Arbitration", with  Justice Stephen Goudge, George Thompson and Ken Swan, at the Ontario Labour-Management Arbitrators' Association Conference, November 16, 2007

2007

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, January, 2007

Panellist, "Difficult Rulings at Arbitration", Lancaster Conference, Calgary, Alberta, June 13, 2007

Speaker, "Confessions of the Arbitrator who wrote the Parry Sound decision" or "Be careful of what you asked for", Montreal, Quebec, June 14, 2007

Director, Arbitrator Development Program, Phase 1, with the Ontario Ministry of Labour, November 28 - 30, 2007

2008

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, January 2008

Member, Program Committee - 2008 National Academy of Arbitrators Annual Meeting, Ottawa-Gaineau

Director, Arbitrator Development Program, Phases 2 & 3, with the Ontario Ministry of Labour

Presenter, Labour Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in Art, Literature and Opera, at the National Academy of Arbitrators Conference, Ottawa-Gatineau, May 2008

Chair, Panel on How to Deal with Ethical Dilemmas, at the National Academy of Arbitrators Conference, Ottawa-Gatineau, May 2008

2009

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, January 2008

2009 Speaker for the New Member Orientation, National Academy of Arbitrators Conference, Chicago, Illinois; May 20, 2009

Panellist, "The Next Generation of Arbitrators and Advocates - From Where Will They Come", National Academy of Arbitrators Conference, Chicago, May 23, 2009

Speaker, "What do Arbitrators Look for?" Canadian Labour Congress: Arbitration Skills Seminar, May 28, 2009

Presenter, "Human Rights and Accommodation," for the Office of the Ombudsman Ontario, September 24, 2009

Panellist, "The Business Side of Arbitration," National Academy of Arbitrators - Fall Education Conference, San Antonio, Texas; October 3, 2009

Panellist, "Squaring the Circle:  Finding a balance between benefit coverage and cost containment", Lancaster House Conference - Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector, December 16, 2009

2010

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team - Winners of the Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, January 2010

Panellist, "Self Represented Litigants," 2010 Ontario Bar Association Institute, February 16, 2010

Organizing Committee Member, Canadian Labour Arbitrators' Educational Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, March 6-8, 2010

Co-Presenter, with William Kaplan; "The End of the One-Trick Pony: When is being an Arbitrator Not Enough?" A Workshop on Med-Arb for Nova Scotia Minister's List Arbitrators, Sponsored by the Nova Scotia Minister of Labour's Arbitration Advisory Committee, Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 20, 2010

Presenter,"The Arbitration Scene," Address to the Education, the Economy and Sustainable Bargaining Labour Relations Conference, October 1, 2010

Panellist, "Family-Related Responsibilities: Reconciling personal needs and operational demands," Lancaster House, Labour Aribtration Conference, December 9, 2010.

2011

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team - Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, Finalists, January, 2011

Guest Speaker, Interest Arbitration, "Strait Talk from an Arbitrator", Police Association of Ontario Conference, April 18, 2011

Panellist, National Academy of Arbitrators,Representation Rights and Issues in Arbitration, San Diego California, May 2011

Panellist on Interest Arbitration, Emergency Services Steering Committee of Ontario Conference, June 17, 2011

Presentation to a delegation from Viet Nam regarding Arbitration in Ontario, August 2, 2011

Panellist on Accommodation Issues, Canadian Conference of Counsel for Employers, Niagara Falls, Ontario, September 22, 2011

Panellist, Rogers School of Management - "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; The Future of Interest Arbitration," Toronto, October 7, 2011

2012

Coach of the Osgoode Hall Law School Mooting Team, Mathews, Dinsdale and Clark Labour Arbitration Moot, January, 2012

Presentation on Interest Arbitration, Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs - "Ask the Arbitrator", Toronto, January 19, 2012

Workshop Leader on Accommodation Issues, Alberta School Board's Association, January 20, 2012

Panelist, What's Up Doc/ Medical Conundrums in Arbitration, National Academy of Arbitrators Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 8, 2012

Panelist, Interest Arbitration; Deliberations and Questions From the South African Delegation, presented to the South African Public Services Co-ordinating Bargaining Council, June 29, 2912, Toronto, Ontario

2013

Ottawa Law Review Symposium, February 7, 2013.“The Labour Law Trilogy”; Presentation “Back to the Future: The “Trilogy” in Light of Fraser - Can or Will the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Protect Collective Bargaining?”

2014

“The [Bare] Essential Elements of Labour Arbitration in Canada” for "A Comparative Analysis of Labour Arbitration in Western Industrialized Countries: Plus ca change, Plus c’est la meme chose.” American Bar Association: Alternate Dispute Resolution Mid-Winter Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 22, 2014

2015

Presentation to the Teacher and School Board Collective Bargaining Conference: How to Improve the Arbitration Experience. September 25, 2015

Co-Chair, Fall Education Conference, National Academy of Arbitrators, Denver Colorado.

2016

Co-Chair, Fall Education Conference, National Academy of Arbitrators, New Orleans, Mississippi

2017

Panelist, Re-thinking Arbitration, National Academy of Arbitrators Conference, Chicago, Illinois

2018

Director, Interest Arbitration Skills Development Program, Sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Labour and the Ontario Labour Management Arbitrators’ Association

Faculty Bargaining Services Conference - Arbitrators’ Panel - November 2, 2018

Volunteer, Community Activities & Interests

Intake Worker, Yonge Street Mission, Food Bank, 1998 - 1999

Member, Social Planning and Allocation Committee, United Jewish Federation, 1998 - 2001Member, Social Planning and Allocation Committee, United Jewish Federation, 1998 - 2001

Volunteer, Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law,  Peer Mediation Project, 1999 - 2000

Board of Directors, Chamber Concerts Canada, 1992 - 2000

Sandwich-maker, Waitress and Cleaner, "Feed the Hungry Program"

Law Society of Upper Canada, Fall 2000 - 2006

Patron, Canadian Opera Company and as much theatre as possible

Student of Ballroom and Swing Dance

Certified (but very cautious) Scuba Diving