Bruce Ally is a dispute resolution specialist who began his mediation career nearly 4 decades ago and has since completed in excess of 4000 mediations. Bruce’s specializations include Personal Injury, Family Mediation, Employment Law, Estate, Construction, Human Rights, and Child Protection, amongst other areas.  He is certified to provide services to the Government of Canada for mediation, arbitration, and investigation services and holds a contract with the Government of Ontario to provide both mediation and workplace restoration services.

Bruce is a member of the Ontario Bar Association ADR section, a certified member of the Ontario Association of Mental Health Practitioners (OAMHP), an adjudicator holding membership with the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators, and a member in good standing with the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program Superior Court of Justice. He is a Senior Consultant with Workplace Fairness International and is widely published in numerous areas of mediation. Bruce serves as an arbitrator in private matters, investigates workplace harassment issues, and holds certification as an Ombudsman.

Bruce is an Instructor for the Lawyer as Negotiator Program at Osgoode Hall Law School, the Canadian Co-Editor of Mediate.com, and provides and supervises internships to students for the Q.Med and C.Med designations. He has a BA from York University, a Certificate in Mediation from the University of Toronto, an MA in Psychology at Norwich University, an LLM in ADR at Osgoode Hall Law School, as well as Doctoral Studies in Counselling. Currently, Bruce is in the completion stages of his Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Degree from California Southern University.

Marc (he/him) [biracial] is a mediator, arbitrator and adjudicator. Designated a Chartered Mediator and Chartered Arbitrator by the ADR Institute of Canada, he is in private practice and serves on the online Condominium Authority Tribunal. Passionate about dispute resolution, Marc supports access to justice, inclusion and overcoming systemic bias. A non-lawyer, Marc has had a 20 year affiliation with a law firm where he gained understanding of the business of legal practice and role of dispute resolution in various processes, on a mandatory and optional basis.

Marc earned a Master of Laws in Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School. He now serves as a faculty member of the program, where he lectures, and instructs ALDR 6305: In Search of Reconciliation Through Dispute Resolution. Marc is an Academic Partner of the Authentic Allyship Project, where he supports reconciliation as a non-Indigenous ally, and is a faculty at the Canadian Collaborative for Engagement & Conflict Management. Marc has also lectured at Queen’s University, the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, the Law Society of Ontario and the Canadian Bar Association. He has spoken coast-to-coast and in the United States.

Marc has been widely published. He has written books and been featured in peer-reviewed academic journals, including groundbreaking work on gender-identity and text-based, online mediation in the McGill Journal of Dispute Resolution. Marc’s research has also focused on decision maker bias, self-representation and online processes. The founder of ADR Athletics, a web hub focused on supporting the mental health and wellness of dispute resolution practitioners, Marc has chaired related programs for the ADR Institute of Ontario. He was recognized with a 2020 STAR Award by the institution for his leadership, dedication and impact in the field. In 2022, Marc was elected to represent Ontario on the Board of Directors of the ADR Institute of Canada.

Pramila is the Executive Director at ADR Institute of Ontario, an engaging speaker, and Chartered Mediator with over 22 years of experience. Her mediation experience encompasses workplace, residential and commercial properties, personal injury, employment and business-related contractual disputes, statutory accident benefits, community and criminal disputes.

Pramila has held leadership roles as President of the Community Legal Clinic of York Region, Chair of the Social Planning Council of York Region, and Vice-President of the ADR Institute of Ontario. Her work has been featured on CBC radio, televised on CTV, and published in the Toronto Star. She has taught at Schulich School of Business, Toronto Metropolitan University, Centennial College, George Brown College and Seneca College. Pramila has provided coaching, mediation, ADR & leadership training, and consulting services to thousands of participants representing union groups, crown corporations, major Canadian enterprises, faith groups and community organizations across Canada.

In addition to her mediation practice, Pramila has extensive background in Community Development (CD) and uses engagement strategies, research, and her skills in ADR in CD to mobilize and empower community groups and organizations to create and sustain long-lasting positive changes in neighbourhoods across the GTA. In this capacity, Pramila has instructed and mentored students at the Creative Institute for Toronto’s Young Leaders (CITY Leaders) and the Toronto’s Centre for Community Learning and Development. She has led the implementation of hundreds of programs and services and has received numerous leadership and mentorship awards from elected officials at all levels of government for her work in strengthening the community.

Oliver Martin (he/him) is a highly skilled and experienced mediator, instructor, coach, and workplace consultant. He is dedicated to helping individuals, teams, organizations, and communities connect to self, others, and systems to transform workplace relationships. Since 2003, he has partnered with numerous individuals and organizations throughout Canada, the United States and the Caribbean to improve their ability to lead themself and others through challenging situations. He has also worked behind the scenes in high-profile workplace disputes.

In private practice, Oliver provides training and consultation in conflict resolution, mediation, negotiation, communication, emotional intelligence and leadership development. He also provides mediation, coaching and workplace restorations in unionized and non-unionized environments. He applies an emotional intelligence and organizational systems lens to workplace conflict with a trauma-informed approach.

Oliver is a Senior Consultant at the University of Guelph, providing faculty and staff leadership training, coaching, facilitation, and conflict resolution services. Previously, he was the Director of Training for the Stitt Feld Handy Group (a division of ADR Chambers), an Instructor for the Master’s Certificate in Healthcare Management at Schulich’s Executive Education Centre (York University), and a past Director at the ADR Institute of Ontario.

Oliver received Alternative Dispute Resolution training from the University of Windsor Law School and York University. He has a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University. In addition to his training and experience as a mediator, Oliver is certified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Emotional Intelligence (WE-Q) Profile.

Oliver combines his conflict resolution, emotional intelligence and leadership development expertise to teach others and to create brave spaces for people to connect and transform challenging workplace relationships.

Andrea Menard, she/they/ᐃᐧᔭᐋᐧᐤ wiyawâw is Métis from the abolished Red River Settlement on Treaty 1. She is the Lead Educational Developer, Indigenizing Curricula and Pedagogies, at the University of Alberta; and is the President & Founder of Indigenous Connect ᑲ ᐋᓂᐢᑰᒧᐦᒋᑫᕁ  kaâniskômohcikehk, which is a non-profit organization that researches and practises Indigenous Legal Orders and Ethics. Andrea has over twenty-five years’ experience relationship-building with Indigenous Nations across Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10 as well as the Métis Homeland regions, and with Indigenous Nations on the unceded lands of British Columbia.

Andrea teaches, “Reconciliation and Lawyers” at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law; and co-teaches, “In Search of Reconciliation Through Dispute Resolution” at Osgoode Hall Law School.
She teaches students, academics, and professionals how to decolonize, Indigenize, and apply Indigenous Legal Orders and ethics into their practises and lives.

Andrea is Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the Indigenous Lawyers’ Forum, which is a networking group for Indigenous lawyers, legal academics and law students. She is the academic partner of the Authentic Allyship Project; a Director on Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Alberta (ADRIA); on the Advisory Board for the Centre for Constitutional Studies; on the Indigenous Advisory Group-Criminal Justice for the Canadian Bar Association; the Co-Chair of the Indigenous Foundations Subcommittee for The Honourable Beverley Browne – Wîyasôw Iskweêw – Restorative Justice Pilot Project; and is on the Calgary Legal Guidance: Sahwoo mohkaak tsi ma taas (Blackfoot for Before Being Judged) Indigenous Advisory Committee. Andrea was named the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyer for Canadian Lawyer Magazine, 2022.

John David (J.D.) Ashworth is deeply committed to helping individuals and organizations—including businesses, non-profits, and government entities—navigate conflict in ways that leave them in a stronger, healthier position to achieve their stated goals. John David’s work in conflict management is relentlessly hopeful and rooted in a desire to build relationships that are based on respect and trust. Whether through mediation, coaching, facilitation, or training, he is focused on helping people make their conflicts less painful and more purposeful. 

In private practice as a mediator and conflict resolution specialist, John David’s clients have included schools, university departments, and not-for-profits, including social service agencies and religious organizations. John David has also worked as an Informal Conflict Resolution Practitioner with the federal government since 2019, where he trains and coaches staff to expand their conflict management skills, mediates employee disputes, and facilitates group interventions to improve working relationships. From 2018 to 2020, John David was a Coach in the Lawyer as Negotiator course for upper year students at Osgoode Hall Law School.

John David has a B.A. in Religion & Comparative Area Studies from Duke University and a Master of Laws degree (in Dispute Resolution) from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. He completed a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from York in 2013. John David is a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario, and received his designation as a Qualified Mediator through the ADR Institute of Canada in 2014. John David has served on the Board of Directors for the Community Legal Clinic of York Region since 2019, including one term as Board President.

Lynn Catzman brings over 20 years of experience in mediation and alternative dispute resolution.  As a Chartered Mediator with the ADR Institute of Canada, Lynn conducts mediations for civil matters assigned by the Attorney General’s Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program as well as through her private practice including estate, education, employment, insurance and wrongful dismissal.  She is on rosters for the Ministry of Health/Long Term Care, two Ontario professional colleges, and is on the panel of mediators for the ADR Institute of Ontario and the ADR Institute of Canada.

Lynn began her mediation career in community-based mediation, where she mediated a variety of cases including court referrals.  In 2005, she was presented with the Ontario Volunteer Service Award from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration for her work in the community. Since 2002, Lynn has trained and coached all levels of ADR and has facilitated mediation workshops in Canada, Australia, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

Susette Clunis is a mediator and restorative services practitioner with over 25 years experience in providing mediations and coaching. She has provided practicum experience for many mediation students in various settings including community conflicts, gang violence, victim-offender, and workplace restorations.

Susette has served as the Executive Director for a number of organizations including the ADR Institute of Ontario and Community Justice Alternatives. She is also the founder of the Durham Community Mediation Program, and co-founder of Scarborough Conflict Services, two organizations that have provided mediation services to thousands of community residents, including Private Information Court and mediation training.

Susette possesses a Baccalaureate in Science and Engineering and a Masters in Leadership. In addition to receiving numerous community awards, Susette has appeared on several radio and TV shows including CBC and 98.7 FM.

Susette currently works for the Department of Defence as the Lead Practitioner for Restorative Services and is the Restorative Engagement Lead for Class Action Litigation.

Ben has been an ADR professional for over a decade, and is currently the Senior Investigator for ADR Chambers, investigating workplace, municipal, and banking disputes.  He is accredited as a Charted Mediator (C.Med.) and Chartered Arbitrator (C.Arb.) by the ADR Institute of Canada, and earned Law and Master’s of Business Administration degrees from the University of Toronto.  He has been a member of the Ontario Bar since 2004.

Ben has extensive investigative and adjudicative experience municipally. He is the Integrity Commissioner for the City of Sarnia and the Town of Wasaga Beach through ADR Chambers and was the full-time Lead Investigator for Toronto’s Office of the Integrity Commissioner from 2017-19.  Ben has been appointed by several municipalities as a By-law Hearing Officer, conducting formal hearings into by-law violations including parking, tree preservation, property standards, and animal control.

Ben has extensive experience in tribunal and community mediation settings.  He was formerly a member of the Condominium Authority Tribunal and Toronto’s Administrative Penalty Tribunal, as well as a full-time Mediator and Arbitrator for insurance disputes regarding motor vehicle accidents.

Ben has served as a volunteer Community Mediator for St. Stephen’s Community House, Warden Woods Community Centre, and Conflict Mediation Services of Downsview, and currently volunteers as the Chair of the University of Toronto’s Complaint and Resolution Council for Student Societies.  He is a former Director of the ADR Institute of Ontario.

Maurice is a Qualified Mediator and Registered Psychotherapist in good standing with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. He is also the Founder of AM Mediation and specializes in mediating disputes in employment law, personal injury, contracts, and human rights. He is a member of Workplace Fairness International and is certified to provide services to the Government of Canada for mediation and mental health counselling.

Maurice has had a dynamic and varied career, which has led to his current work as a Mediator and Psychotherapist. He began his career as a Probation and Parole Officer, where he quickly learned that dispute resolution often achieves more desirable outcomes when compared to combative approaches and a calm and neutral approach is the most effective strategy in resolving disputes. Following his work in criminal justice, Maurice worked for the Human Rights Commission as a Human Rights Investigator and Mediator for several years. Subsequently, he worked with the Ministry of Attorney General tasked with making difficult treatment decisions about long-term care and life support decisions that involve society’s most vulnerable populations.

Maurice is a rostered member of the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program, Superior Court of Justice, as well as an Instructor for the Lawyer as Negotiator Program at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree from California Southern University.

Greg Owens is a facilitator, mediator, educator and conflict resolution practitioner with nearly a decade of experience in governance, mediation and interpersonal relations finding solutions to workplace, health, education and governance disputes. He works with grassroots, not-for-profit, public sector and small private organizations on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility issues, conflict coaching, facilitation, mediation and arbitration services.

Greg currently works as the Manager of Human Resources with a medium-sized social service organization, which helps inform his view of conflict resolution as a form of harm reduction within community and workspaces. His approach to conflict resolution strives to be intersectional and trauma-informed, focusing on interest-based approaches to finding solutions to complex issues faced by members of marginalized communities.

Greg has a degree in Neuroscience and Mental Health from Carleton University, and has completed additional training in Labour Relations and Alternative Dispute Resolution. He is a Qualified Mediator, Qualified Arbitrator and carries a license as a Private Investigator in Ontario. He has served on the Board of Directors for Carleton University as well as HIV/AIDS Resources and Community Health (ARCH) and is currently the Chair of the Audit Committee for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario.

Ethan (Jerry) Mings is the President of the Desk Consulting Group Inc., a firm dedicated to working with organizations and Boards of Directors in the health and community sectors. He brings over 20 years of experience helping groups in private and non-profit organizations tackle change and find solutions unique to their work environment.  Jerry addresses conflict and disputes drawing on his expertise in client-centred mediation to find new opportunities that validate and respect staff and foster collaboration.  Through this process, Jerry enables groups to utilize technology in an effective way to minimize redundancy and direct more time to the collaborative process.

Jerry’s practice builds on supporting clients using effective methods ranging from facilitation to mediation.  The backbone of his approach involves incorporating practices and policies into the mediation process ways that enable clients to utilize and build their own resolution processes particular to their environment.  The process begins with developing a co-creative framework that moves parties to an interactive stage of finding solutions collectively and finally, arriving at answers that inform how they will best work together.

Jerry is an ADR Qualified Mediator, IAF Certified Professional Facilitator Master and Opposite Strengths Certified Coach.

Sharon (she/her) is a Mediator, Trainer and Consultant at Strategic Workplace: Equity and Conflict Resolution Solutions. She provides mediation, workplace restoration, workplace assessments, training and other supports to a wide range of workplaces. Sharon has 15 years of experience in labour, employment and human rights as both a practicing lawyer and a mediator. She has mediated close to a thousand disputes, including many multi-party and extremely complex, high-profile cases.

Sharon gained her expertise in workplace issues (labour, employment, and human rights) when she began her career in private practice for a prominent union-side labour law firm in Toronto. Following that, she went in-house at a major public service union as a litigator. She then spent many years as a Senior Mediator at the Ontario Labour Relations Board. After working as a mediator, Sharon returned to private legal practice as a Workplace Investigator, conducting numerous complex investigations, as well as mediations, workplace restorations, and workplace assessments.

Sharon’s goal is to incorporate anti-oppressive, anti-racist, anti-hierarchical, and trauma-informed principles into all of the work that she does. She is deeply passionate about the power that mediation and mediation-related processes have to transform workplaces and conflicts, and the as-yet untapped potential of mediation if applied in a wider variety of contexts.

Sharon was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2011 after obtaining her J.D. from Western Law in 2010. She interned at the International Labour Organization in Geneva and led both the Diversity Committee and Labour Law Society.  Sharon holds an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management, and Certificates in Transformative Mediation and Advanced Workplace Restoration. She is a designated Workplace Fairness Assessor, a member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario, and a member of the Ontario Bar Association (Labour and Employment and ADR sections), CBA, ADRIO and ADRIC. Sharon is also the Co-Founder of the Women’s Indo-Caribbean Entrepreneurial Group.

Mitchell Rose is the Principal of Mitchell Rose Professional Corporation (Rose Dispute Resolution and Mitchell Rose Law) in the Greater Toronto Area. A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Mitch was called to the Ontario Bar in 1995 and has since attained the designations of Chartered Mediator and Qualified Arbitrator.

Mitch was a civil litigator throughout most of his legal career. As his mediation practice grew, he ceased practising traditional court and tribunal-based litigation and became a Settlement Counsel (ADR Lawyer) who negotiates and attends mediations and pre-trials as an advocate.  Mitch offers dispute resolution services — mediation, mediation-arbitration, and arbitration — for a variety of civil disputes, including commercial, employment, estates, and real estate.

A former Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Ontario Bar Association (2020-21), Mitch is a member of the Canadian Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the ADR Institute of Ontario. He is a frequent writer and speaker on ADR-related topics, and he enjoys mentoring and instructing newer members of the legal and ADR professions.  In this regard, Mitch has a long-standing connection to York University: he guest-judged first-year law student moots and coached law student mediators for many years, and he has chaired and spoken at ADR-related programs for Osgoode PD.

Harold Tan is a Mediator, Investigator, Adjudicator, Author, Faculty Member and Coach.  He holds an LLM (Alternative Dispute Resolution) from Osgoode Law School, a Qualified Mediator (Q.Med.) designation with the ADR Institute of Ontario/Canada, and a Chartered Community Mediator (CCMed.) designation with the Ontario Community Mediation Coalition.

Harold holds a Certificate in Peacemaking Circles – Advanced from Conrad Grebel College (University of Waterloo), and is trained in Restorative Justice (Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General).  Additionally, he holds a Certificate in Adjudication for Administrative Agencies, Boards and Tribunals (Osgoode Law School). Harold is a Partner in the ADR-FDM group (adr-fdm.com), a specialized ADR service which offers the Facilitated Dialogue Model and other ADR services.

Harold advises and trains post-secondary institution faculty, staff and student associations on issues related to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (EDI).  Additionally, he works with Condominium Boards and Cooperative Housing Boards on EDI and Governance issues.

Bruce Ally is a dispute resolution specialist who began his mediation career nearly 4 decades ago and has since completed in excess of 4000 mediations. Bruce’s specializations include Personal Injury, Family Mediation, Employment Law, Estate, Construction, Human Rights, and Child Protection, amongst other areas.  He is certified to provide services to the Government of Canada for mediation, arbitration, and investigation services and holds a contract with the Government of Ontario to provide both mediation and workplace restoration services.

Bruce is a member of the Ontario Bar Association ADR section, a certified member of the Ontario Association of Mental Health Practitioners (OAMHP), an adjudicator holding membership with the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators, and a member in good standing with the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program Superior Court of Justice. He is a Senior Consultant with Workplace Fairness International and is widely published in numerous areas of mediation. Bruce serves as an arbitrator in private matters, investigates workplace harassment issues, and holds certification as an Ombudsman.

Bruce is an Instructor for the Lawyer as Negotiator Program at Osgoode Hall Law School, the Canadian Co-Editor of Mediate.com, and provides and supervises internships to students for the Q.Med and C.Med designations. He has a BA from York University, a Certificate in Mediation from the University of Toronto, an MA in Psychology at Norwich University, an LLM in ADR at Osgoode Hall Law School, as well as Doctoral Studies in Counselling. Currently, Bruce is in the completion stages of his Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Degree from California Southern University.

Barbara Benoliel is President of Preferred Solutions, a conflict management organization. She holds a B.A. (Hons) in Psychology, a M.B.Sc. In Organizational Behaviour and Development, and a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice. She is a licensed private detective in Ontario. Barbara has been in private practice for over 25 years, and mixes research, teaching, and practice.

Barbara is a past President of the ADR Institute of Ontario (ADRIO), and a winner of the Lionel McGowan Ontario award for contributions to the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution. She is a senior core faculty member at Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her main practice is in human rights mediation and restorative processes in multiple settings. Her research focuses on the human side of disputes in organizations and institutions and alternative approaches to justice.

Colm has been a full-time ADR practitioner for over 25 years. Colm received his LLM (ADR) from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. He holds the FCIArb designation with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) and the C. Med-Arb designation with the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC).

Colm is an acknowledged Canadian expert in the development of online dispute resolution (ODR) and med-arb processes.  His book, ODR – Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow., co-authored with Marc Bhalla, is the first book on ODR published in Canada, and was released on November 15, 2022.

Colm provides both ODR and med-arb training through the Canadian Collaborative for Engagement & Conflict Management and has been a part-time instructor in ADR at the Faculty of Law, Queen’s University and Humber College.  He is a frequent guest lecturer at Queen’s University, Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto and has also presented at continuing education programs and conferences provincially, nationally, and internationally.

William is the Vice-President of Cornet Consulting & Mediation Inc., a private alternative dispute resolution service provider in the National Capital Region, the GTA and across Canada. William is a mediator, negotiator, business consultant, investigator, facilitator, trainer, coach, and ADR conflict management system design specialist. He has mediated two-party and multi-party disputes in various contexts, including family, commercial, employment, workplace, human rights, personal injury, and intercultural.  He has conducted over 5,000 mediations, facilitations, coaching and negotiations since 2004.

William has administered, trained and designed ADR workshops for such organizations as Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Status of Women Canada, Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Attorney General of Ontario, Catholic Centre for Immigrants (CCI), Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO), The Hospice in Geneva (Switzerland), the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and numerous First Nations governments and Indigenous organizations across the country.  He also lectures on ADR, negotiations and conflict resolution at Saint Paul University in Ottawa.

William holds the designations of Chartered Mediator and Accredited Family Mediator. He has earned a BA in Philosophy and Ethics from Saint Paul University and the University of Ottawa, an MA in Conflict Studies with a specialization in Intercultural Mediation from Sherbrooke University, and an LLM in ADR from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

As a litigator, Barb has appeared at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada and a wide variety of statutory and appellate tribunals. For the last 20 years, Barb has focused her practice on mediation and arbitration and has experience in a broad range of areas including bodily injury, errors and omissions, property claims, construction, property and commercial leasing, employment, WCB, OHS, privacy and discrimination disputes.

Barb is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, Chartered Mediator and Chartered Arbitrator with the Alternate Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada, Member of the British Columbia Arbitration and Mediation Institute, Governor with the International Academy of Mediators, Registrant with the BC Mediator Roster Society, Certified Mediator with the International Mediation Institute, and Charter Member with the Canadian Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Barb has also served as a Judicial Justice of the Peace for the Provincial Court of British Columbia, and Appointee with the Panel of Arbitrators for the American Dispute Resolution Center.

Barb’s accolades are wide-reaching and extensive, including:

• • Canadian and International Who’s Who of Commercial Mediation, 2011 – 2022
  • Best Attorneys in Canada by Best Lawyers, 2013 and 2015
  • Lawyer of the Year (Alternative Dispute Resolution) by Lawyer Monthly, 2014 and 2021
  • Best Lawyers in British Columbia by Best Lawyers, 2016
  • Best Lawyers in Canada by the Vancouver Sun, 2018
  • Best Lawyer in Canada by Best Lawyers, 2018, 2020, 2021
  • Best Lawyers in Canada by the National Post, 2019 and 2020
  • Lawyer of the Year by the National Post and Best Lawyers, 2020

Brenda has spent over 20 years honing her skills in the dispute resolution field as a mediator, trainer, facilitator, and conflict management coach. As an entrepreneur specializing in leadership communications, employee engagement and conflict management, Brenda launched Discussions by Design to provide support to both new and senior organisational leaders so that they can develop proactive, energized, and productive high performing teams with measurable results.

Brenda is a National Mediation Trainer and Coach for the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) and served eight years as a Director and Executive Member for the ADR Institute of British Columbia (ADRBC). She is on Health Canada’s Informal Conflict Management Support (ICMS) Roster as a Conflict Management Expert to assist employees of the Federal Government address workplace issues using various dispute resolution processes such as mediation and individual and group conflict management coaching.

As a trainer and facilitator in communication and conflict management, Brenda incorporates the most advanced research and tools in neuroscience and relationship awareness to help organizational teams build greater awareness and skills to effectively manage difficult discussions and work through conflict. She co-developed and facilitated a program on Board Governance and Dispute Resolution which has been delivered internationally.

Brenda received her Certificate in Conflict Resolution from the Justice Institute of British Columbia, her Chartered Mediation (C. Med) designation through the ADR Institute of Canada, and her Certification in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University.

Pramila is the Executive Director at ADR Institute of Ontario, an engaging speaker, and Chartered Mediator with over 22 years of experience. Her mediation experience encompasses workplace, residential and commercial properties, personal injury, employment and business-related contractual disputes, statutory accident benefits, community and criminal disputes.

Pramila has held leadership roles as President of the Community Legal Clinic of York Region, Chair of the Social Planning Council of York Region, and Vice-President of the ADR Institute of Ontario. Her work has been featured on CBC radio, televised on CTV, and published in the Toronto Star. She has taught at Schulich School of Business, Toronto Metropolitan University, Centennial College, George Brown College and Seneca College. Pramila has provided coaching, mediation, ADR & leadership training, and consulting services to thousands of participants representing union groups, crown corporations, major Canadian enterprises, faith groups and community organizations across Canada.

In addition to her mediation practice, Pramila has extensive background in Community Development (CD) and uses engagement strategies, research, and her skills in ADR in CD to mobilize and empower community groups and organizations to create and sustain long-lasting positive changes in neighbourhoods across the GTA. In this capacity, Pramila has instructed and mentored students at the Creative Institute for Toronto’s Young Leaders (CITY Leaders) and the Toronto’s Centre for Community Learning and Development. She has led the implementation of hundreds of programs and services and has received numerous leadership and mentorship awards from elected officials at all levels of government for her work in strengthening the community.

Nalini’s lived experience motivated her lifelong commitment and dedication to addressing matters of social justice, equity, diversity and human rights. After obtaining a Bachelors in Education, Nalini pursued an LL.B. from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, followed by an LLM in Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Nalini currently serves as the Interim Director of EDI with Humber College. Prior to this role, she was the Director: Centre of Expertise – Workplace Investigations with LCBO, where she defined and led the development and implementation of the Workplace Investigations Centre of Expertise. This undertaking encompassed workplace investigations strategy, policies and procedures for the entire organization including Retail, Supply Chain, Retail Service Centres and Corporate Operations.

As a sought-after Consultant and Advisor on human rights, EDI, workplace investigations, workplace assessments, and mediations, Nalini has worked with organizations including Toronto District School Board (TDSB), York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB), York University, Access Dispute Resolution, and a host of municipalities and regulatory bodies to achieve system-wide transformational change.

Nalini’s accolades include Vice-Chair, Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal where she adjudicated 400+ cases related to workplace injuries, Member of the Health Professionals Review Board and Health Services Review Board, Dean, Diversity and Equity with Centennial College, and Mediator with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario. Her community engagements are extensive and include Chair of the Board of Directors with Blue Hills Child and Family Centre, Founder & Chairperson of the Town of Richmond Hill’s Inter-Cultural Committee, Member of the Richmond Hill Accessibility Advisory Committee, and Board Member with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Canada.

Michael was appointed Vice-Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board in 2019 and also runs a bilingual private labour arbitration and mediation practice where he specializes in labour and employment disputes. Michael has over thirty years experience working on both sides of the table in a number of operational positions, including as a lawyer and as a labour relations professional.

Michael is a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law. Upon being called to the Bar in 2004, Michael began his legal career working in the Labour & Employment Law practice groups of two law firms before becoming in-house counsel with Air Canada, with a particular emphasis on labour-related litigation. He has extensive experience in the airline industry with international airlines in Canada, the United States and Asia, where he served as Head of Employee Relations.  In 2014, Michael was appointed Director, Labour Relations, Air Canada, and in 2018, Director, Labour Arbitration.

Michael is a mediator, investigator and facilitator with ADR Chambers who has mediated more than 2,000 private and public disputes. His areas of expertise include administrative, civil, code of conduct/disciplinary matters, contract, insurance (including personal injury and Statutory Accident Benefits matters), landlord/tenant, and workplace disputes.

Michael is the ADR Chambers Integrity Commissioner for Niagara Region, the Town of Grimsby, the Toronto District School Board, and the Durham District School Board. He is also an investigator for the ADR Chambers Ombuds Office for banking and municipal matters. Michael has investigated a variety of workplace disputes involving discrimination, harassment, and bullying claims, and is on the approved list for workplace investigations with the Ontario Public Service. He is also a Workplace Restoration Facilitator.

In addition to having developed and taught Alternative Dispute Resolution courses at Durham College, Michael co-founded the Campus Mediation Services, which provides a dispute resolution process for the campus community. He is a co-author of the textbook Choices in Approaching Conflict: Principles and Practice of Dispute Resolution, 2^nd ed. (Emond Publishing, 2019).

Elton is an accomplished Board Director, Arbitrator, Mediator, Negotiator, Consultant and Business Executive with extensive and global experience in business operations, board governance, negotiation, arbitration, mediation, and dispute resolution systems design. He currently serves as the President and Chair of the Board of Directors at the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada (ADRIC); and is the former President and Chair of the Board of Directors at the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of British Columbia (ADRBC). As a Board Director and CEO, Elton architects accelerated sustainable growth and profitability, while building effective, competitive organizations by combining creative problem solving, strategic thinking, and business acumen with legal and dispute resolution skills and knowledge.

Having lived and worked in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Latin America, Elton has demonstrated leadership and sound business acumen in different organizations, across multiple functions, geographies, languages and cultures. He possesses extensive experience in resolving complex, multicultural, and multilateral commercial disputes and negotiations while avoiding and minimizing litigation costs, ultimately saving time, effort, and resources.

Elton has led businesses with annual revenues in excess of US $500 million, consistently delivering double digit growth, and managing global, high-profile brands. Senior corporate positions that Elton has held, include Vice President at Walt Disney Television International; Board Director at HBO Latin America; and Managing Director Sports and Pay-per-view at Globosat.

Elton graduated with an MBA from INSEAD, a Masters in Dispute Resolution from the University of Victoria, and a Law Degree from Pontifical Catholics University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Social Sciences at Royal Roads University. Elton is a Certified International Director (IDP-C), Chartered Mediator, and Qualified Arbitrator.