Shelley has 25+ years of experience in all areas of labour law, human resources management, and Occupational Health & Safety management. After her schooling Shelley's career was spent entirely in various industries working as the senior executive responsible for Human Resources and Labour Relations. Shelley has worked both nationally and internationally in union and non-union environments in the education, hospitality, IT, long-term care, manufacturing, retail, and tourism industries.

Certified in Alternative Dispute Resolution, Shelley is also able to provide mediation, conciliation and arbitration services. These services are varied based on client needs and include workplace assessments, workplace investigations, facilitated discussions, and coaching.

Shelley is actively involved in the community serving as Board Chair for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Halifax, Board Member for ADR Atlantic Institute, and a long-time supporter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
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Ashley Amaro is the “A" in JADE Mediation Practice Group. She manages all of the logistics that connect JADE with its members!

Ashley completed three extensive Certificates in Dispute Resolution at York University in Toronto. The advanced training piqued Ashley's interest in helping people engage in the right conversations, and fuelled her movement forward to the next level. Having a business background in operations, and a desire to focus on Family Mediation, Ashley decided to merge her expertise and passion to develop a practice in succession planning for families and their business affairs.

Ashley provides her mediation services to both the Ottawa and Toronto areas. With high energy and laser focus on getting to the point, Ashley makes effective use of her talent for corralling the many moving parts and the instrumental points of a facilitation or mediation. Empathy, intuition, and active listening abilities allow Ashley to create a meaningful connection amongst her clients and peers. As she continues with her journey, Ashley works tirelessly to empower others in employing a collaborative method to share their stories and resolve their conflicts.
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Bob Belliveau, Q.C. is Counsel with McInnes Cooper in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has a broad range of litigation experience over four decades including corporate commercial, banking, construction, environmental, and insurance disputes. Bob is recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in a variety of specialized areas of litigation practice. In recent years, his practice has been focused on construction, environmental, and insurances matters. He has just completed leading the largest, most complex construction litigation in the history Atlantic Canada, in the oil and gas sector. Bob has considerable ADR experience and has participated in hundreds of mediations, including many multi-party disputes.

Bob has lectured on litigation practice, ethics and techniques at seminars sponsored by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and the Continuing Legal Education Society of Nova Scotia. Bob is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and the Canadian Bar Association. He is past Chair, Board of Governors, Saint Mary’s University and is an honorary Doctors of Laws recipient from that institution.
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Judy M. Beranger, is a mediator, author, International Trainer, and Employee Assistance and Wellness Coordinator for the Teachers of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Judy twice represented Canada in assisting in the design of international standards for dementia care and has chaired eight World Summits on Mediation with Age-Related Issues. Judy is Chair of the FMC Certification program and Past Chair of the Elder Mediation International Network. She is a Past President of Family Mediation Canada and has been a recipient of leadership awards from Family Service Canada, Family Mediation Canada and the Elder Mediation International Network. She was honoured with the Queen’s Jubilee Medal by the Government of Canada.
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Laura is a fluently bilingual adjudicator, mediator, arbitrator and former ombudsman with over 20 years professional experience.
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Trudy Burge, M.Sc., MFT is a registered Psychotherapist with the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapist Association. She graduated from Loma Linda University (Canadian Campus) in Alberta with a Master of Science Degree in Clinical Psychology and Couples and Family Therapy. Prior to that, she graduated from Concordia University (Alberta) with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. Trudy has received certification in a variety of therapies such as Family Systems Therapy, Child Play Therapy, as well as Family Mediation.

Trudy has worked with diverse populations in settings from Northern Labrador, rural/urban Newfoundland, and in Edmonton, Alberta where she worked in positions in Forensic Psychology, Mediation and Counselling for children and parents experiencing separation and divorce, and is dedicated to helping families through child interviews, parental capacity assessments and re-unification therapy. She has extensive experience in the supervision of Mental Health Therapists, Family Mediators, and Child and Family Counsellors.

Trudy has owned and operated her own Private Practice for over 10 years and has extensive skills and experience in providing therapy to Individuals, Couples, Families, Adolescents, and Children and providing Professional Assessment Services. She excels in providing caring and empathic intervention and uses her knowledge of Systems Therapy, Narrative, Cognitive Behaviour, and Solution Focused techniques to assist clients in reaching their therapy goals. Trudy specializes in Individual, Relationship and Family Therapy and Assessments in the areas of Re-Connections, Separation/Divorce, Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Grief/Loss, Sexual Abuse, , Addictions and Physical/Emotional Abuse.
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As part of Defence Construction Canada’s (DCC) Senior Management Team, Dave leads the Contract Management Service Line which manages activities on all DCC contracts including quality, financial and change management, dispute resolution and risk mitigation. Dave is also responsible for leadership of DCC’s Real Property Management service line, which provides support services to assist DND in strategic planning and operational support to ensure efficient operation of DND’s infrastructure.

DCC is a Crown corporation that provides innovative and cost-effective contracting, contract management, infrastructure and environmental services, and lifecycle support for Canada's defence requirements. DCC’s Client-Partners are the Assistant Deputy Minister Infrastructure and Environment (ADM IE) Group at the Department of National Defence and the Communications Security Establishment.

Dave has 30 years of combined public and private experience in the development, procurement and management of contracts using a full spectrum of project delivery methods including design bid build, design build, construction management, P3s and other delivery methods. Dave is Gold Seal Certified through the Canadian Construction Association as both an Owner’s Construction Manager and Owner’s Project Manager.

Dave is an Owner’s representative on the CCDC Surety and Insurance subcommittees reviewing and updating standard documents in support of the Canadian Construction Documents Committee. He is a Director of the Real Property Institute of Canada and a past Council member of the recently established Lean Construction Institute of Canada. He is also DCC’s representative on the Government-Industry Prompt Payment Working Group with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and the Canadian Construction Association.
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Andy is a highly trained and skilled workplace mediator, labour arbitrator, investigator, facilitator and conflict management coach with significant training in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes through the University of Windsor Law School Project (having achieved their Executive Certificate in Conflict Management) with Stitt Feld Handy Group and he has supplemented that training with various other professional training to specialize in the management of workplace issues. Andy has also completed the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) Approved National Arbitration Course as well as a labour arbitration course.

Andy is a trained CINERGY Conflict Coach and he is trained in Workplace Harassment investigations through Hill Advisory Services. He is a Genuine Contact Professional haven taken their training in Cross Cultural Conflict Resolution, Whole Person Process Facilitation, Diagnosing and Achieving Organizational Health and Balance. He has trained as a Workplace Fairness Analyst through the Workplace Fairness Institute, in Transformative Mediation with Joseph P. Folger, with Mike Lomax in Conducting Mediation with High Conflict People. Andy keeps current through various other methods of professional development to enhance his ability to work effectively with the people affected by workplace issues. Andy is a member in good standing of ADR Atlantic Institute, President of the ADR Atlantic Institute (ADRAI), a Vice President and Board Member of the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC), approved for the Mediators Roster under Rule 37 of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. Based on his experience, training, recommendations, hours of practice and an independent assessment of skills, Andy has received accreditation through the ADR Institute of Canada to hold the Chartered Mediator (C. Med) designation which is recognized throughout Canada.

Andy’s employment background has been primarily in public and post-secondary Education where he has served in numerous senior executive positions, including Director/CEO for 16 years. He has worked for large organizations with staff numbers exceeding 1000, comprised of both unionized and non-unionized employees. He has successfully managed major transitions and negotiations during the downsizing and/or the mergers of organizations with differing complexities and histories.

Andy has operated TRIAD Conflict Management and Consulting Services since 2001 and he has many years of experience dealing directly and successfully with workplace conflict, labour conflict, community conflict, commercial conflict and inter- organizational conflict in Canada and in the Middle East. He has extensive experience as a coach and co-facilitator with the Stitt Feld Handy Group in their Introductory and Advanced Mediation Courses in Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, Ontario, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago.

Andy has extensive experience with labor and commercial arbitration panels (having served on more than 25 panels) and in April 2016, he was named to the Minister’s Roster of Labour Arbitrators in NL. He has completed more than 100 hours of training in the conduct of arbitrations for the resolution of commercial and labour disputes; he has conducted workplace and commercial mediations, workplace investigations/assessments, facilitated group processes for workplaces that were experiencing difficult issues, provided coaching services for managers and employees and he has participated in local and provincial collective agreement negotiations for the employer.

Andy specializes in conflict management of workplace issues – assisting individuals and teams to prevent and manage critical problems such as interpersonal conflict, team dysfunction, bullying, management of harassment and performance issues.
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Roger Campbell has more than 30 years of experience acting as lead legal counsel in resolving conflict and disputes in commercial and public law matters through negotiation or advocacy. He has also recently served in the role of General Counsel to one of the largest hospitals in Canada. As to electronic discovery and the effective use of technology in proceedings, Roger was a contributor to "The Sedona Canada Principles Addressing Electronic Discovery (Second Edition)" and to The Advocates' Society "Paperless Trials Manual" and has been a speaker or panelist at e-discovery conferences.

He is currently a member of the Sedona Canada Working Group 7 Steering Committee and the Ontario E-Discovery Implementation Committee. He has received certificates from the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, the Harvard University Negotiation Institute, the Georgetown University eDiscovery Training Academy, and The Sedona Conference Cooperation Training Program, as well as in litigation project management.
He is a member of the ADR Institute of Canada (Q.Arb designation) as a mediator and arbitrator and is a member of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society. He is also a member of the American College of e-Neutrals, whose members provide mediation and arbitration services for electronic discovery disputes.  
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Joan Cass, MSW, RSW, Q.Med, is a proud co-creator and the “J” in JADE Mediation Practice Group.  Joan started her journey as an ADR professional in 2015, completing the Certificate in Dispute Resolution at York University in Toronto, and then the Advanced Certificate in 2016.
At the June 2017 AGM, Joan was elected to the ADRIO Board of Directors and now sees herself as a strong voice for new Mediators like herself, building their careers in the ADR world. Currently she assists clients of the Family Law Information Centres in Toronto’s Family Courts as an Information and Referral Coordinator. She is also on the ADRIO roster for OACCAC as an Independent Complaint Facilitator.

With over 30 years of experience as a hospital Social Worker and Field Instructor for MSW/BSW students, Joan is known for her exceptionally warm, empathic engagement style, her practical approach, and her passion for lifelong learning.  She is building her “Mutual Understandings” private practice focusing on her special interest in assisting older adults and their families by facilitating conversations regarding life transitions. Joan embraces a philosophy of abundance, believing that we all succeed when we cooperate, share with, and support each other. 
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Craig R Chiasson is a partner in BLG’s international arbitration group in its Vancouver office. He has extensive experience in investment treaty and international commercial arbitration matters. He has been involved in investment treaty arbitrations as counsel for both investors and states and as tribunal secretary, and he has acted as counsel in international commercial arbitrations seated in Europe, North America and Asia and governed by numerous substantive laws. Mr Chiasson practiced in the international arbitration group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Paris for almost six years before returning to BLG where he began his career in 2001. He is a Member of the Canadian Committee of the ICC, ICCA, the IBA Arbitration Committee, the ITA and the LCIA, and active in numerous other arbitration organizations. Mr Chiasson is qualified in British Columbia (practicing member) and England and Wales (non- practicing member). Mr. Chiasson has also acted as sole arbitrator in international and domestic commercial arbitration matters.

He has been recognized by: Global Arbitration Review in Who’s Who Legal Arbitration 2016 and Canada 2016; Benchmark Canada— The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys as a “Local Litigation Star: British Columbia” and a “Litigation Star: Arbitration” and as a “Future Star in British Columbia” in Arbitration in the 2014 and 2015 editions of Benchmark Canada; Expert Guides in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 editions as a “Rising Star in Commercial Arbitration”; Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory for international commercial arbitration for 2015 and 2016; Lexpert Special Edition on Litigation Lawyers as a leading Canadian Lawyer in the 2014 and 2015 editions; Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross- Border Litigators as a leading Canadian cross-border litigation lawyer for International Commercial Arbitration in the 2014 and 2015 editions; and by Martindale-Hubbell as AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated.
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The Honourable Thomas Albert Cromwell is counsel in Borden Ladner Gervais' Ottawa and Vancouver offices. As a member of the judiciary, Thomas sat on the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) from December 2008 to September 2016 and on the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal from 1997 to 2008. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Mr. Cromwell was executive legal officer to Chief Justice Antonio Lamer from 1992 to 1995. He began his career practising law in Kingston and Toronto, and has taught in the Faculty of Law at Dalhousie University.

During his time at Dalhousie, he was active as a labour arbitrator and served as Vice-chair of the Nova Scotia Labour Relations Board. He was the first recipient of the Louis St Laurent Award of Excellence from the Canadian Bar Association, is the recipient of four honorary doctorates in law and is an honorary fellow of Exeter College Oxford and the American College of Trial Lawyers.

An award in his name, The Honourable Thomas Cromwell Award for Public Service, has been established by the Queen's law faculty. He retired from the Supreme Court of Canada on September 1st, 2016.

He serves as the Chair of the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters and is a Trudeau Foundation mentor.
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Heather de Berdt Romilly is the Executive Director of The Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia – a charitable not for profit which has been providing legal information services to Nova Scotians for the past 35 years. LISNS recently was awarded the CBA-NS 2016 Law Day Award for innovation in promoting access to justice for Nova Scotians through the Public Navigator Program – “a nationally recognized, award winning program” which involves non-legal community members being trained to provide legal information support to self-represented individuals.

Heather is currently President of the Public Legal Association of Canada. She is a lawyer with a Master of Laws degree specializing in alternative dispute resolution.
Heather has extensive public sector and not for profit experience and is a former Chair of the Board of the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre and first female President of the ADR Institute of Canada.
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Cst Dillon completed her undergraduate degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUN) in 2004 and began the Police Studies Program at MUN the following semester, graduating with the first class of police officers from the program in 2005.

Since becoming a police officer, Cst Dillon has worked on Street Patrol, the Communications Center, the General Investigation Unit (GIU), the Intimate Partner Violence Unit (IPVU), and is currently working in the Major Crime Unit (MCU), which has encompassed the IPVU since October, 2016.
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Mike is the founding partner of Valent Legal in Halifax, Nova Scotia with a practice dedicated to helping victims of serious injuries, sexual abuses, medical negligence, and product liabilities. Over the past decade, he has built a reputation as a victim advocate and strong promoter of access to justice and restorative justice in civil litigation. Mike was named as a finalist for Public Justice’s North American 2015 Trial Lawyer of the Year and in 2017 was listed by the Lexpert Guide as a leading lawyer in the field of class actions.

While earning his Juris Doctorate degree from Dalhousie Law School, Mike volunteered at the university’s legal aid clinic and Pro Bono Students Canada. He continues to serve as legal representative for the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s Research Ethics Board and volunteers with ReachAbility , a non-profit organization whose mandate is to improve access to justice, equality, and human rights for people living with disabilities. Mike also serves as legal advisor to Nova Scotia’s Restorative Inquiry into the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children and issues of systemic racism within the province.

Mike is past chair of the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers Association’s Young Lawyers Division and currently sits on the Association’s Education Committee. He has lectured at the Nova Scotia Bar Admission Course, the Schulich School of Law and has been invited to speak at numerous conferences in Canada and the United States. He has been published in national publications and quoted in national media like the Globe and Mail and CBC.
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Today’s employers face a lot of daily challenges: dismissals, human rights, safety issues, privacy and union organizing drives are all common issues facing Rick’s clients. With in-depth knowledge of the law, Rick helps his clients address their human resource issues creatively, practically, cost effectively and, importantly, with a sharp eye on results. Rick has appeared before all levels of Court in the province and labour and employment related tribunals, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada.

Rick works with clients such as construction companies, radio companies, government, food services companies, international organizations, trucking companies, finance companies and power companies. Some of the ways in which he has assisted his clients include:

• Successfully represented an energy company in a complex construction industry labour relations matter before the Labour Board.
• Successfully represented an international organization in a wrongful dismissal suit before the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada.
• Successfully represented employers in upholding dismissal of employees for theft before arbitrators, the Labour Standards Tribunal and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.
• Successfully represented car dealerships before the Nova Scotia Labour Relations Board.
• Successfully represented a securities company before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court in a wrongful dismissal suit.

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Norm Emblem is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution group of Dentons’ Toronto office. Although his practice focuses on securities related class action litigation, Norm has a very broad-ranging commercial litigation and advocacy practice which includes class action defense, securities, auditor’s negligence, CCAA, banking and insolvency litigation, professional negligence, high-end disability income claims, insurance defense, shareholders’ disputes, Coroners’ inquests and human rights litigation.

Norm advises and represents accounting firms and, in particular, the “Big 4” Canadian accounting firms, primarily in securities related class actions often with cross Canada and/or cross border implications as well as in related regulatory proceedings involving the Ontario Securities Commission ("OSC"), the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC”), the Autorité des marchés financiers ("AMF"), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario ("ICAO") and the Department of Justice ("DOJ"). In addition to appearing regularly before the Superior Court of Ontario, particularly the Commercial List, Norm appears in the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Tax Court of Canada, the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench and the Superior Court of Quebec. He also appears before the Commercial List in Toronto as well as before numerous regulatory and administrative tribunals throughout the Province of Ontario, including the OSC, the ICAO, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal and the Ontario Pension Board.  

Norm has done a significant amount of pro bono work acting as duty counsel on behalf of lawyers and paralegals appearing before The Law Society of Upper Canada. He is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education conferences regarding Litigation, ADR and Class Actions. He is recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as one of Canada’s leading lawyers in the area of Corporate and Commercial Litigation. Norm moonlights playing electric guitar with his blues band Oui B. Jamon which regularly play events for CIBC’s Run For The Cure, March of Dimes Canada’s “Rock For Dimes”, Peacebuilders International’s “Spring For Peace”, Covenant House, The Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund, CANFAR’s “AIDSBEAT”, Lawyers International Food Enterprise’s “Rock For Life”, The Law Society of Upper Canada and The Advocates’ Society.
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Paul Fauteux is an attorney who practices public international law, environmental law and Aboriginal law.  He also acts as an accredited mediator and arbitrator to resolve civil and commercial disputes, both national and international.

Paul Fauteux is one of six Canadians to hold the Diploma of The Hague Academy of International Law, a very high-level diploma awarded to candidates who have a thorough knowledge of international law and who pass an extremely selective examination.  Before joining CMKZ, Me Fauteux worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, where he was posted to the Canadian Embassies in Nairobi, Paris and Washington, inter alia, and participated or headed Canadian participation in the negotiation of more than 50 international agreements.  He was a member of the Canadian teams in the Dispute Concerning Filleting in the Gulf of Saint-Lawrence (France vs. Canada) before an international arbitral tribunal and the Fisheries Jurisdiction Case(Spain vs. Canada) before the International Court of Justice.

Paul Fauteux was later Director General of Environment Canada’s Climate Change Bureau and Co-Head of the Canadian delegation in the international negotiations on the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.  He was also Director General of Lands at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and carried out a research project on Reserve Land and First Nations Development.

At CMKZ, today Paul Fauteux enables his clients to benefit from his expertise in public international law, environmental law and Aboriginal law, and acts as an expert witness before the Courts.  He also makes available his experience as a seasoned negotiator and mediator to companies and individuals to help them devise their own solutions in a climate of trust and respect.  He acts as an external mediator at the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board of Canada.

Moreover, he draws upon his broad experience and detailed knowledge of the workings of the Government of Canada to support companies by representing them before various departments, government agencies and Crown corporations. Paul Fauteux has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec since 2013.  In that capacity he actively contributes to making justice more accessible by supporting the increased use of mediation and arbitration, as well as to the change in legal culture signaled by the entry into force on January 1, 2016 of Quebec’ new Code of Civil Procedure

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Eileen Fortin, B.Sc., Dip. Career Counselling, is the "E" in JADE, and co-creator of the JADE Mediation Practice Group. She is a committed professional who works from a client-centered perspective to assist her clients in achieving their goals.

As a volunteer support worker with a women’s shelter, Eileen accompanied women to Family Court, and it was there she learned the value of mediation; so she obtained a Graduate Certificate in Mediation/ADR from Durham College. She is also trained in Restorative Justice. Her special interest in Elder Mediation led her to acquire training in the Montessori Way for clients with dementia.

Following this, Eileen trained as an Essential Conversations Project facilitator which focuses on guiding families through the process of making plans for retirement and other life transition issues. Throughout her career, Eileen has learned the value of empowering people to overcome barriers and communicate their needs. She plans to continue utilizing her communication skills to assist others, and is developing her own private practice, Conversations with Eileen. Eileen’s personal values are reflected in JADE’s commitment to learning, growth, and community.

Eileen can be contacted at [email protected]
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With her deep experience in both litigation support and fraud investigation, Jennifer Fiddian-Green regularly works for external counsel, supporting clients on their behalf, in a range of legal situations.
She also works directly with companies that have been fraud victims, often on the referral of that company’s external counsel. Clients find Jennifer’s services invaluable for the way she understands their concerns and their need for experts who quickly get up to speed and deliver real value. Jennifer remains front and centre when it comes to legal and professional developments, including ongoing regulatory updates and peer best practices in the area of anti-money-laundering, as well as increasing expectations on the part of government, regulators and the public around investigative detail and precision. Jennifer gives law firms assurance that they’re working with an independent, forward-thinking, innovative expert—and firm—who understands their challenges and will work through them together.
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Bruce Gilbert is a creative, dynamic, and experienced professional with a reputation for high-quality and innovative work. His lifelong commitment to democracy, justice, social change, community development, and environmental sustainability have produced concrete results in many communities across Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and beyond. Over his career Bruce has worked with and for varied organizations and institutions - locally and internationally - from the non-profit, government, business, labour, and academic sectors. He has extensive experience with the design, implementation and evaluation of multi-stakeholder and cross-sector partnerships including those established in development, research, and conflict settings.

Bruce is recognized locally and nationally as a public engagement and collaboration expert. He is the current President of the International Association of Public Participation (Canada). He is a Qualified Mediator as designated by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada. He is an Associate with the UK-based non-profit organization The Partnering Initiative, an entity dedicated to developing high-quality cross-sector partnerships across sectors.

Bruce is also currently serving as a volunteer Policy Expert with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (attached to the Youth Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Access, and Development Project in Cross River State Nigeria). He is a Steering Committee member with the Carleton University-based Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement initiative: a 7-year action research project aimed at strengthening Canadian communities through campus-community partnerships that maximize value for community-based organizations. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the NL branch of the Canadian Evaluation Society.

Bruce has an Interdisciplinary PhD from Dalhousie University (2008). His doctoral research explored the determinants of ‘collaborative synergy’ as experienced by community, industry, government, and academic leaders involved with complex or 'wicked' resource and environmental management challenges. He also undertook postdoctoral research at Memorial University where he examined success-factors in academic-community-government partnerships addressing rural sustainability and population health issues.

From 2008-16 Bruce served as a senior executive member (Assistant Deputy Minister) within the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador where he led the Rural Secretariat, and later the Office of Public Engagement. During this period, Bruce and his team designed, implemented, and evaluated numerous complex citizen and stakeholder consultation and engagement activities and processes related to rural sustainability, health, environment, fisheries, forestry, municipal governance, and other themes, in an effort to ensure citizen voices better informed government policy and decision-making.

Bruce lives in St. John’s with his wife Camille Fouillard and their two children Esmée and Léo.
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Barbara is a partner in Dentons Canada LLP’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group. Barbara graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1979 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1981. She started her litigation career as a Clerk to the Chief Justice of the High Court of Ontario. Since 1990 she has been certified by The Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in civil litigation. Barbara is recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as one of Canada’s leading lawyers in the area of Corporate and Commercial Litigation (2013-2018).

Barbara has appeared as lead counsel on mediations, arbitrations, before administrative tribunals and in leading cases at all levels of trial and appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Barbara practises in all areas of commercial litigation, including class actions, with an emphasis on insolvency, financial services, and real estate litigation. Barbara is experienced in cross-border and complex multi-party litigation and has extensive experience in the areas of professional liability, intellectual property litigation, estate, trust and pension litigation, and injunctions and other extraordinary remedies.

Barbara is a past member of The Civil Litigation Specialty Committee of The Law Society of Upper Canada's Specialist Certification Programme. She is a past director of The Advocates' Society and past chair of its Standing Committee on Advocacy and Practice. She is a frequent author and speaker on various aspects of commercial litigation, leasing and real estate law, and has been a member of the teaching team for the trial advocacy programme at Osgoode Hall Law School.
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William Hartnett retired as Vice-President and General Counsel of Imperial Oil Limited after practicing law for over 38 years. He has served in positions with responsibility for the management of Imperial Oil and ExxonMobil Canada litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution. Previously, he held the position of General Counsel at Imperial Oil subsidiary organizations: Esso Chemical Canada in Toronto and Esso Resources Canada Limited in Calgary.

Imperial Oil is one of Canada’s largest corporations and a leading member of the country’s petroleum industry. The company is a major producer of crude oil and natural gas, Canada’s largest petroleum refiner, a key petrochemical producer and a leading marketer with coast-to-coast supply and retail service station networks.

Mr. Hartnett has been active with the Canadian Bar Association, serving over 25 years on various committees, task forces, and on the CBA National Council, Ontario Council, Alberta Council, and the CBA-Ontario Executive Committee. He was the Chair of an Inquiry into Legal Aid in Ontario; this was 18-month province-wide inquiry which dealt with issues directly affecting the public’s access to justice in Ontario, which published a 106-page report in September 1986. He was a member of the National Advisory Committee for the Canadian Bar Association Systems of Justice Task Force, with a mandate to inquire into the state of the civil justice system in Canada and to develop strategies and mechanisms to facilitate the modernization of the civil justice system.

Further, he was the president of the Canadian Foundation for Dispute Resolution, a non-profit alliance of over 60 corporations and law firms working together to promote the early and creative resolution of business disputes; in July 2000, the organization merged with the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Canada to become the ADR Institute of Canada, and Mr. Hartnett has served as a director of this new organization since September 2011.

He was a founder and member of the management committee of the Volunteer Lawyers Service in Alberta which is now part of Pro Bono Alberta. He served for eight years on the Canadian Bar Association’s Communications Committee and for seven years on the Canadian Bar Review Editorial Board. He also serves as a judge at the annual Jessup International Law Moot.

Mr. Hartnett served as the president of the Association of General Counsel of Alberta (1993-1995) and as a director of the Canadian Petroleum Law Foundation (1996-2000). He is the recipient of several awards in recognition of his contributions to the profession – the Canadian Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award (1990); the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association’s Robert V.A. Jones Award (1992); and the ADR Institute of Canada’s Lionel J. McGowan Award (2001).

He obtained a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1976 and completed an Executive Program at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in 1996.
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Thomas G. Heintzman practices as an independent mediator and arbitrator in Toronto. He has arbitrated and mediated disputes relating to a wide variety of subject matters including insurance, construction law, corporate law remedies, class actions and franchises.

Between 1968 and 2012, Mr. Heintzman practiced as trial and appellate counsel with the law firm McCarthy Tetrault. He appeared as counsel in trials, appeals and arbitrations in Ontario, Newfoundland, Manitoba, British Columbia and New Brunswick, and many times before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mr. Heintzman was president of the Canadian Bar Association from 1994 to 1995, president of the Ontario Bar Association from 1989 to 1990 and a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada for 8 years (2003-2011). Mr. Heintzman is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and past Chair of its Toronto Chapter. Mr. Heintzman is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. In 1980, Mr. Heintzman was appointed Queen’s Counsel, and in 1998, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2008, Mr. Heintzman received the Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in Civil Litigation. In 2017, the Law Society of Upper Canada conferred an honorary Doctorate of Laws on Mr. Heintzman.

Mr. Heintzman is the author of Heintzman & Goldsmith on Canadian Building Contracts (5th edition), which provides an analysis of the law of building contracts in Canada.
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William G Horton practices as an arbitrator in international and Canadian business disputes. Prior to establishing his current practice, he served as head of litigation at two major Canadian law firms. He has been appointed tribunal chair, sole arbitrator and party nominee in over 120 substantial disputes. His arbitration appointments include cases involving oil and gas and alternative energy disputes, nuclear facilities, telecom, satellite and wireless industry disputes, government privatisation contracts, national advertising campaigns, cross-border distribution agreements, software licensing and other intellectual property and shareholder agreements.
Mr Horton is former chair of the international litigation committee of the International Bar Association, the former co-chair of ADR Chambers' international and commercial panels, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a former executive member of ICC Canada and is on the arbitration rosters of numerous international arbitration institutions including ICDR, CPR Institute, CIETAC, and ADR Institute of Canada. Until recently he served as a member of the NAFTA 2022 committee. He is Editor in Chief of the Canadian Arbitration and Mediation Journal and Course Director and principal instructor of the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society Gold Standard© Course on Commercial Arbitration. He chairs the Arbitration Act Reform Committee of TCAS.
Mr Horton is widely recognised in Canadian and international surveys as a leading arbitrator of commercial disputes. His recognitions include: the Lionel J McGowan Award for Excellence in Dispute Resolution; Who’s Who Legal Arbitration; Euromoney 2014 shortlist for Canadian Arbitrator of the Year; Chambers Canada, Arbitration, Leading Individuals, (Band 1); Best Lawyers: 2012 Best Toronto International Arbitration Lawyer; Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: International Commercial Arbitration (Most Frequently Recommended category); Lexpert Leading Cross-Border Lawyers; and inclusion in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2007, Ten Most Highly Regarded Individuals (Global) in the field of commercial litigation.
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The Honourable Justice Roger T. Hughes (Ret.) joined JAMS as a full-time mediator and arbitrator in 2016 after over a decade of experience as a judge on the Federal Court (Canada).
A recognized expert in intellectual property and a registered patent agent, Hughes brings the perspective of a longtime federal practitioner—as advocate, judge and neutral—to each of his matters. He is a Past President of the Intellectual Property Association of Canada and a Fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Justice Hughes is widely published in the area of Canadian federal practice and is a certified specialist in civil litigation (Law Society of Upper Canada).

Full biography available at www.jamsadr.com.

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Debbie Kassirer is an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practitioner and is the Principal of Beyond Conflict, a consultancy dedicated to resolving and preventing conflict in the workplace. Using conflict management coaching and mediation, as well as pre-mediation coaching and facilitation, Debbie helps employees, managers and executives build their conflict competence, turning negative disputes into more productive opportunities for a positive outcome. Among the bottom line benefits of Debbie’s work are improved organizational productivity, reduced absenteeism and disability costs, as well as a reduced risk of litigation.

Debbie has her Qualified Mediator (Q.Med) designation from the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario, a designation that recognizes practitioners who have completed sufficient mediations and recognized dispute resolution training to be qualified to practice. She obtained her ADR training at York University in the Certificate in Dispute Resolution program and the Advanced Certificate in Dispute Resolution program.

Debbie brings to her practice a depth of understanding about a broad range of organizations, from non-profit to large multi-nationals, gained from her extensive work experience across a wide span of industries and companies. This is coupled with her exceptional relationship and communication skills honed over more than 30 years working within the fields of social work, marketing and ADR.

In addition to her ADR training, Debbie holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from York University (now Schulich School of Business).


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Chris is a Partner in McInnes Cooper’s St. John’s office who practices exclusively labour and employment law. He advises corporate, government, institutional and non-profit entities on effectively managing their workforce, from pre-employment screening to maintaining a safe, healthy and respectful work environment, conducting workplace investigations, and imposing disciplinary measures. He also has considerable experience in accommodating disabilities, workplace privacy, human rights issues, union avoidance, and management of strikes and lockouts.

Chris believes in a close working relationship with clients, aimed at solving labour and employment problems creatively and avoiding adjudication wherever possible. Where adjudication is unavoidable, however, Chris has significant experience and a record of success representing employers in human rights complaints, wrongful dismissal suits, grievance arbitration, judicial review and labour board applications.

Chris is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Canadian Bar Association, for which he is the past Chair of the Labour & Employment Law Section for the NL Branch.
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Allison Kuntz’s practice encompasses corporate and commercial litigation, transnational proceedings, oil and gas litigation, product liability as well as securities and financial services disputes.

Prior to joining our Calgary office (then Macleod Dixon LLP), Ms. Kuntz practised civil and commercial litigation for six years in Toronto at our other predecessor firm, Ogilvy Renault LLP.
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Trisha LeBlanc specializes in providing expert opinions on auditing or accounting issues, including buyer-seller transaction disputes and claims against accounting firms not complying with professional standards. She has a particular focus on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) reporting issues and has developed and facilitated in-depth training seminars on both sets of accounting frameworks. Beyond her own areas of specialization, Trisha can quickly and effectively source and collaborate with a range of subject matter specialists, depending on the issue at hand (for example, financial instruments or valuation issues) depending upon the relevant legal matter. In legal and arbitration cases, it’s critical that experts employed by counsel stand up on both the quality of work done and experience in the specific areas of dispute, and Trisha inspires confidence on both counts.

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Jennifer Llewellyn is the Viscount Bennett Professor of Law at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. She is currently the Scholar in Residence with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. Her teaching and research is focused in the areas of relational theory, restorative justice, truth commissions, peacebuilding, international and domestic human rights law. She has published extensively on the theory and practice of a restorative approach in both transitional contexts and established democracies. She was the Director of the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Community University Research Alliance. She is currently leading an International Learning Community on a Restorative Approach involving seven jurisdictions. Professor Llewellyn has advised and supported governments and NGO’s including the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Jamaican government, the government of New Zealand and the United Nations. She facilitated the design process for a restorative public inquiry into the Home for Colored Children and now serves on its governing Council of Parties. She previously advised the Assembly of First Nations and Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the response to Residential School abuse. She was one of the facilitators of the Restorative Justice Process at the Dalhousie Faculty of Dentistry in 2015. She has co-edited two books in the area: Being Relational: Reflections on Relational Theory and Health Law (UBC Press) and Restorative Justice, Reconciliation and Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press). She was awarded the National Ron Wiebe Restorative Justice Award in 2016.

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Naomi Loewith is an Investment Manager in Bentham IMF's Toronto office.  Naomi has extensive experience with complex commercial matters, acting for corporations, universities, boards of directors, senior executive management and public institutions. 

Prior to joining IMF, Naomi was a litigator at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP.  In that role, Naomi conducted trials and appeals before all levels of courts and regulatory bodies, and advised on sensitive, contentious and high-profile matters.   

Naomi provides claimants and counsel with thoughtful analysis and strategic advice at all stages of their cases. 

Naomi obtained a B.A. from Western University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Prior to her call to the bar, Naomi clerked for Justice Morris Fish at the Supreme Court of Canada.   
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Sue Loomer is a Partner with KPMG in Halifax, and is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators. She specializes in business valuation and quantification of economic losses and has testified as a financial expert in the Ontario Superior Court, Federal Court of Canada, and in many mediations and arbitrations.
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In her 2.5 years called to the Nova Scotia Bar, Andrea has practiced primarily in the areas of labour and employment law, as well as working as a labour relations specialist within a special construction project environment. In addition, Andrea’s practice includes some criminal law, and human rights law. Prior to attaining a law degree, Andrea practiced ADR, primarily as a restorative justice facilitator, and mediator. During her time at UNB Law School, Andrea spearheaded the Restorative Justice Law Student Society, and worked with Canadian Lawyers Abroad to present a conference on transformative justice.

Andrea is currently working towards attaining her qualified mediator status. She is currently serving as Secretary for the Board of the Cunard Street Children’s Centre, and was recently was a Board Member for the Community Justice Society (CJS). For many years, Andrea volunteered as a Restorative Justice Facilitator with CJS.
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Carey Majid is the Executive Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission is an independent at-arm’s length government agency that is responsible for promoting an understanding of, acceptance of, and compliance with the provisions of the Human Rights Act.

Ms. Majid holds a Bachelor of Arts (1994) from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Laws (1999) from the University of New Brunswick.  She is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador since 2001.  Ms. Majid teaches the Law Society’s bar admission course on human rights and regularly presents on human rights issues to employers, government agencies, community groups and at conferences. She is also a member of the provincial Access to Justice Committee.

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Michelle Maniago is a partner in Borden Ladner Gervais’ Vancouver Corporate Commercial Litigation Department, and is a member of the firm’s class action group, international and domestic arbitration group, and appellate advocacy group. Ms. Maniago practices primarily in the area of corporate and commercial dispute resolution. She has extensive experience with class action litigation in Canada, particularly with product liability claims, consumer protection claims, competition claims, and banking-related claims. She has acted as arbitral counsel in several large domestic and international commercial disputes, including commercial lease disputes and complex contractual disputes, in a wide range of industries, such as energy, manufacturing, insurance, and oil and gas. She has dealt with a variety of contractual and statutory interpretation issues in her appeals practice, primarily before the British Columbia Court of Appeal.

Ms. Maniago is very active in both the litigation and arbitration communities. She is currently a director on the Board of Directors for the ADR Institute of Canada, and is a member of several arbitration-focused associations, including the Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP) and the Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG). Ms. Maniago serves on the executive committee for the Civil Litigation BC Branch Subsection of the Canadian Bar Association. She regularly publishes and presents at conferences on the topics of class actions, arbitration, and corporate law.

Ms. Maniago is recognized as a litigation “Future Star” by Benchmark Canada – The Definitive Guide to Canada's Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys in its 2017 edition and was also named in 2017 to its "Under 40 Hotlist" of Canadian litigators under the age of 40. She has also been ranked as a “Rising Star” in the field of commercial arbitration by Expert Guide’s Rising Stars in its 2015, 2016, and 2017 editions.
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Jim McCartney has mediated or arbitrated more than 700 disputes involving commercial, industrial, public sector and residential construction, architectural services, franchise agreements, fatalities, vehicle accidents, employment, corporate dissolution, debt, shareholder agreements, trusts, tenancy, disability, insurance, industrial land sales, government contracts, fires, pipelines, petroleum versus coal exploration & development rights, environmental monitoring agreements and other matters.

He is a Chartered Mediator and Chartered Arbitrator, Past President of the Alberta Arbitration and Mediation Society, and a Director of the ADR Institute of Canada. He is on the mediation rosters of the Provincial and Queen’s Bench courts, the General Insurance OmbudService, the Alberta Land Surveyors Association, and the Energy Resources Conservation Board. He is on the arbitration rosters of the Canadian Transportation Agency, the Better Business Bureau and the Alberta New Home Warranty Program, and Chair of three NEB Pipeline Arbitration Committees.

Appointments have included three terms on the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta discipline and appeal tribunals and sanction agreement panels and to the Bid Protest Panel pursuant to the Alberta Agreement on Internal Trade.

He is a frequent presenter to lawyers, students, and others on arbitration, mediation, and negotiation.
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David practices as a commercial litigator and ADR specialist, focusing on real estate, environmental law, construction, corporate/commercial and shareholder rights.

David is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading practitioner in the areas of litigation and arbitration. In particular, David is recognized in Chambers Global: The Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers for Business published by Chambers & Partners, and Experts in Commercial Arbitration, published by Euromoney.

David has achieved an “AV” Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, one of the leading authorities on the legal profession. The AV rating demonstrates that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence.
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Michael Mooney is the Vice President & General Manager of GCG-Canada, a Crawford Company specializing in legal settlement and program administration. Michael has more than three decades of investigation and litigation management experience, in the public sector, the insurance industry and now in the legal settlement and program administration sector. Professional experience encompasses law enforcement, P&C insurance, extra-contractual litigation management, class proceedings settlement & government subsidy program administration at both the regional and national level.

Michael has also had the privilege as serving as the Court appointed Monitor over Canada’s largest ever class action settlement. Michael is a Global Officer of Crawford and Company and also serves as a board member for a not-for-profit public housing corporation.
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Jim Oakley is an arbitrator and mediator with the firm Oakley Dispute Resolution in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He hears grievance and interest arbitrations in labour management disputes in various locations in Atlantic Canada. He serves as mediator in labour, employment and commercial disputes. He has served as Chairperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board. He has been appointed by Government as neutral labour relations consultant on project labour agreements in the construction industry and on employment standards legislation. He has been appointed as Conciliation Board Chairperson to resolve collective bargaining disputes by Provincial Governments in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Jim holds arbitrator designations of CArb from the ADR Institute of Canada and MCIArb from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and has served as Chairperson of the Canadian Region of the Academy. He is a Queen’s Counsel and Master of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is on the roster for arbitrators and mediators of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada.

Jim received the degrees of Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta, Bachelor of Education from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario and Master of Laws specializing in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School.
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John is a Partner in the St. John’s office of McInnes Cooper whose practice is primarily focused on the construction industry. In addition, his practice includes corporate and commercial litigation and insurance defence. He is a member of McInnes Cooper’s Business Dispute Resolution, Litigation, Insurance and Construction Industry groups.

He represents consulting engineers, architects, owners and contractors on contract matters concerning civil construction, municipal works, offshore projects, commercial and residential developments, and equipment and technology acquisitions and installations. His work has included advising on front end terms for tenders, drafting construction contracts and evaluating construction claims, design issues, change order disputes, extras, delay, contractual interference, and termination. The nature of the matters range from complex construction issues, multi-contractor claims dealing with large scale structures, bridges, water treatment plants, food manufacturing and road, railway and airport construction.

He is appointed counsel to a number of professional groups and has acted on a number of professional disciplinary matters. John also has an interest in business start-ups and has served as legal counsel on several film and television productions.  

John has been recognized by his peers in Best Lawyers ® Canada for his practice in Construction Law, Corporate Governance, and Corporate and Commercial Litigation, and features in Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory. He is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland, Canadian Bar Association, American Bar Association, ADR Institute of Canada, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (mediation), Canadian Association of University Solicitors and the Newfoundland Construction Association. John received his Queen’s Counsel appointment in 2014.  

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Charmaine Panko enjoys challenging other practitioners to step outside of their comfort zone and consider alternative and innovative approaches to assisting their clients in problem solving disputes for common sense solutions.

She has over a decade experience as settlement counsel and neutral professional in all substantive areas of law including, though not limited to, insurance matters, estate disputes, separation and divorce, and physical injury claims, both as a private practitioner and as a contract service provider with the Government of Saskatchewan.

Charmaine has served as arbitrator and case manager in disputes arising out of not-for-profit and family matters and is currently on the national roster for the Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada as a mediator and arbitrator. She is a facilitator and trainer in negotiation, conflict resolution, collaborative law process, and mediation skills and a sessional lecturer at the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan.
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A Chartered Mediator, Alain Paulin has operated Sphera Facilitation Inc. since 2013, providing mediation, facilitation and training services to governmental organizations (municipal, provincial and federal) as well as to non-governmental organizations and community groups.

Previously, he worked for the Government of Canada for 24 years successively in communications, human resources and conflict resolution, including eight years as a mediator with the Department of National Defence. Within Canada, he has served as trainer, facilitator and mediator from coast to coast in both official languages. Abroad, he worked in the Central African Republic, the Dominican Republic, Uganda and Kenya for the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution, the Danish Refugee Council, the Danish Demining Group and the United Nations.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Communication) and a certificate in conflict management. He has completed a program of introduction to common law and pursued graduate studies in peace and conflict. He has taken numerous professional workshops in Canada and the United States. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Alternate Dispute Resolution Atlantic Institute (ADR Atlantic).
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Larry Pittman, born and raised in St. John’s, NL, is currently the owner and President of BlueSky Business Consulting. A 1985 graduate of Memorial University, he has significant work experience in Human Resources, Labour Relations, Crisis Management, Business Consulting, Aviation Management, Marketing, Public Relations, Economic Development and Event Planning. In 2009, he earned the professional designation of Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP). In July 2017, Larry was appointed to the Newfoundland Labrador Labour Relations Board as an Alternate Employer Representative.

Larry has provided human resources/labour relations services to two of the largest mining companies in the world (Vale/formerly Voisey’s Bay Nickel and Anglo American/DeBeers Canada, Victor Diamond Mine). Larry was Human Resources/Labour Relations Manager at the Muskrat Falls Project (2014-15) for one of the prime contractors at the construction site. Currently he provides Human Resource and Business advisory services to a client in Ottawa, Ontario who supports indigenous financial lending to organizations throughout the country.

He is very proud to have served his country, as a uniformed military reserve officer at the military base in Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada; for a three-year posting in the early 1990’s.

Larry really enjoyed the people and lifestyle in Labrador where he lived and worked for nearly 25 years. An avid community volunteer, he was involved with Minor Hockey, Rotary Club and Air Cadets. In recognition of his impact, Larry was awarded the 2004 Happy Valley Goose Bay Volunteer of the Year. On Remembrance Day 2009, Larry fulfilled a dream of his to carry the Olympic Torch for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Happy Valley- Goose Bay.

On September 11, 2001, as Chief Executive Officer of the Goose Bay Airport Corporation Larry was responsible for all civil aviation including the landing requirements for an anticipated 80 aircrafts and managing the processing and housing of some 1,000 stranded passengers and aircrew.
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Steve Porter has been active in the field of Employee/Employer Relations for 25 years including the last 10 as Labour Relations Officer for the Association of Allied Health Professionals.

He has an extensive experience in negotiating and interpreting collective agreements,preparing and participating in arbitration and Labour Relation Board application hearings, performing investigative and mediation work,providing workplace consultative coaching services,while developing and maintaining effective working relationships with union members, managers and human resource professionals.

He is keenly interested in promoting and fostering a positive and psychologically safe workplace culture.
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Janis Pritchard draws on her more than 40 years of expertise with divorce and complex Family Law matters to help clients find solutions that preserve their relationships with their children and protect their financial interests. She is adept at understanding the intricate financial and relational issues of high net worth divorce including blended families, second marriages and multi-generation families. Whether developing a marital agreement, determining parenting arrangements or negotiating a divorce settlement, Janis will customize a solution for each client’s unique family situation.

A sympathetic listener, Janis appreciates the emotional strain and conflict that complicated family issues can cause. She meets clients on their own terms, providing a safe environment where they can feel empowered to make wise decisions. Janis’ deep knowledge of tax, finance and property matters helps clients reach settlements that bring peace of mind and financial security for the future.

Janis practices Family Law exclusively with a practice dedicated to Collaborative Law Negotiation and Mediation. Janis keeps all of her cases private and out of court.

Beginning in 1999, Janis educated lawyers, mental health professionals and financial professionals about Collaborative Divorce. She worked with several training teams to bring Collaborative Law and Collaborative Divorce education and skills to Alberta, Saskatchewan, North West Territories, Yukon, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, New Brunswick, Minnesota, Maryland, Virginia, Austria & Australia. The Medicine Hat Collaborative Divorce group revolutionized the divorce process for clients and the practice of Family Law in Medicine Hat.

Admitted to the Bar of the Law Society of Alberta in 1977, Janis joined Pritchard & Co. Law Firm LLP as an associate in 1978 and became a partner in 1980. Janis is proud of her leadership role in bringing the New Ways for Families Program to Medicine Hat, to assist families who are not able to afford legal representation or choose not to be represented by a lawyer, to solve their parenting problems with much less conflict. Away from the office, Janis enjoys swimming, bicycling, and practicing yoga.

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As an arbitrator, adjudicator, and mediator, Kathryn Raymond resolves workplace disputes. Her ADR practice includes labour relations arbitration as a member of the Nova Scotia Minister of Labour’s List of Arbitrators, adjudication of labour standards, labour relations, and occupational health & safety disputes as a Vice-Chair of the Nova Scotia Labour Board and adjudication complaints of alleged discrimination through appointment as a Nova Scotia Human Rights Board of Inquiry. Kathryn’s experience includes the arbitration of insurance disputes, as well as tax assessment adjudication as a member of the Nova Scotia Assessment Appeal Tribunal. Her mediation practice focuses on the resolution of interpersonal conflict, harassment, and bullying complaints in the workplace.

Kathryn has practiced as an advocate in Toronto and Halifax. She is a senior partner with BOYNECLARKE LLP, where her legal practice has focused on workplace disputes, health law and administrative law. This includes extensive experience as neutral advisory counsel to adjudicative and investigative tribunals involved in professional regulation.  Additionally, she has advised government, professional associations and regulatory colleges with respect to the development of statutes, regulations and policy in relation to dispute resolution in professional regulation contexts.
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Amelia Reimer is a Cultural Support Coordinator for the St. John’s Native Friendship Centre.  She is a proud Métis woman originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has made her home in St. John’s for the past 5 years.  For the past 24 years, she has worked with and served a wide variety of Indigenous communities across North America.  With the Native Friendship Centre, she has taken on the national Faceless Dolls project – tracking and honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women of Newfoundland and Labrador while increasing public awareness through media, speaking, and events.  She also focuses on providing emotional and cultural support to Residential School Survivors and their families so that they can heal from the multi-generational and institutional traumas experienced by entire populations.  She volunteers her time with a variety of community organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors for the St. John’s Status of Women Council. 
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Rick Romkema joined EllisDon in 2000.  As Vice President of Legal Services, Rick provides support to other EllisDon departments across Canada and Internationally through the entire construction process with matters such as contract negotiations, labour relations, insurance claims and dispute resolution through Mediation, Arbitration and Litigation.
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Linda Ross is the President and CEO of the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women. She has over 30 years of experience in program planning and implementation in the fields of community development and women’s social and economic equality locally, nationally and internationally.
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Justice Rowe was born in 1953 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to parents from small fishing communities.

He attended Memorial University from 1970 to 1975 where he earned a B.Sc., and a B.A. in political science. He then attended Osgoode Hall Law School from 1975 to 1978, where he earned his LL.B. He was called to the Bar of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1978 and became a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1986.

Justice Rowe first worked as Clerk Assistant in the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, where he served as procedural advisor to the Speaker. In 1980, he joined the Department of External Affairs as a Foreign Service Officer. In 1984, he joined the Ottawa office of Gowling and Henderson, first as an associate and then as a partner. While in private practice, he was part of the teams that handled disputes over the determination of Canada’s Atlantic maritime boundaries and overfishing on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. He was also involved in the negotiation of a new United Nations convention on high seas fisheries, in initiatives of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization -- as well as in negotiations with the European Union. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1992. In 1996, he became Clerk of the Executive Council and Secretary to Cabinet in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. He continued to advise Canada’s litigation team in regards to the fisheries case initiated by Spain before the International Court of Justice. He was also instrumental in securing a constitutional amendment to replace Newfoundland and Labrador’s denominational school system in favour of a secular one. Justice Rowe was appointed to the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court, Trial Division in 1999 and was elevated to the Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001.

Justice Rowe was a lecturer in public and constitutional law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, for two years in the early 1990. He served as a member of the Council of the Canadian Superior Courts Judges’ Association. He was Chair of the Advisory Committee on Federal Judicial Appointments for Newfoundland and Labrador from 2006 to 2012. He is the author of “What is the Constitution of a Province”, a chapter in Provinces, edited by Prof. C. Dunn and published in 2015. From 2002 to 2016, he was involved with Action Canada, a youth leadership development program, as an advisor, mentor and member of the National Selection Committee. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on October 28, 2016.
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A member of the Canada Region National Board, Mike Schafler co-leads Dentons’ Litigation and Dispute Resolution group in Canada while also serving as practice leader for the global Litigation and Dispute Resolution group. His practice focuses on sophisticated commercial litigation and arbitration, emphasizing securities litigation, including class actions, auditor's liability, regulatory and appellate energy cases, and insider trading and proxy contests.

Mike has experience in a number of industry segments, notably banking and finance, energy, mining, transportation and forestry. He has appeared before all levels of Ontario courts, the Supreme Court of Canada, a number of public regulatory tribunals and numerous private arbitration tribunals. Mike spearheaded Dentons' commitment to become the first law firm to partner with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) Mentorship Program. This, in part, led to Dentons being named one of Canada’s Best Employers for New Canadians in 2011.

Michael enjoyed a stellar career as a Canadian Naval Officer from 1983-1992.
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Viki Scott is the President and Principal Consultant & Chief Lobbyist of Scott & Associates Inc. Viki currently manages a successful National Consulting Firm of which provides solutions to Canadian based companies with at concentration in Labour Management Relations, Conflict Risk Management, Occupational Health and Safety compliance, Human Rights, Disability Program Management, Organizational Development and Effectiveness, Board Governance and General Business Advisory Services. Her firm also provides lobbying and advocacy services to their not for profit and broader public service clients.

Viki has an extensive history with both the public and private sectors, primarily in unionized environments. She has lead significant change management initiatives for major public, non for profit and private sector organizations. Her presentation today, profiles one of the change management initiatives she recently led.

Viki’s particular expertise in labour management relations, with both employer and union sided experience, has led to the success in introducing workplace interest based consensus models for managing identified areas of conflict, specifically in the areas of workplace accommodation; occupational health and safety; and cultural diversity. She has established a reputation for the effective work she has lead resulting from her Transformational Mediation skills she brings to the parties for resolving conflict. As a Registered Rehabilitation Specialist, Viki has been very successful with supporting workplace parties in developing strategies for meeting their return to work and workplace accommodation obligations.

Viki has worked with a wide range of Bargaining Agents such as CAW, OPSEU, CUPE, AMAPCEO, CEP, USWA, OPSSU, ASU, UFCW, PSAC, LIUNA, PAO, AJC, ONA, OLBEU, SEIU, UNIFOR and the Teamsters Union.
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Tammy is an HR Advisor with the City of St. John’s where she currently leads the development and implementation of early conflict resolution policies and practices as part of their new respectful workplace program. She provides coaching and mediation services on a part time basis and holds a Masters of Employment Relations and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Memorial University, an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from the University of Windsor Law School, and a Qualified Mediator designation from the ADR Institute of Canada. She also recently became a per-course Instructor with the Faculty of Business Administration at Memorial University.

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Suzanne is President and Chief Presentation Officer of Highborn Communications. A Qualified Mediator, Certified Facilitator and Conflict Coach, she has been working with national teams and leaders in the areas of Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution for more than 25 years.

Her expertise is in working with organizations experiencing conflict, harassment and stigma, with a particular focus on gender equity issues as the mother of a transgender son. Suzanne has spoken at numerous conferences on this topic and is the author of the upcoming book, “TRANScending Gender – A Guide Understanding Transgender Identity”.

She provides support for a host of national organizations including Homewood Health, Morneau Shepell, Ceridian LifeWorks, St. Stephen’s Community House and the Canadian Mental Health Association, and is a frequent lecturer at Humber College. You can find out more about Suzanne on her website at www.highborncommunications.com
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Dr. Nicole Sherren is the Scientific Director and Senior Program Officer with the Palix Foundation. She has a PhD in Neuroscience from Carleton University and moved to Alberta in 2003 to hold an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research/Neuroscience Canada research fellowship at the University of Lethbridge. Her research focus includes experience-based brain development, neurodevelopmental disorders, and brain plasticity.

Nicole joined the Palix Foundation in 2007 to focus on mobilizing scientific knowledge into policy and clinical practice. She both designs and delivers professional development opportunities across the health, education, human services and justice sectors, providing numerous in-person workshops and presentations each year, and lends her expertise to a number of committees, community-based projects, research studies, and non-profits across Alberta. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Calgary Alpha House Society.
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Ian Shortall is the Director of the Employee Assistance and Respectful Workplace Division of the Public Service Commission. In this role, Ian and his team provides respectful workplace training, conflict coaching, mediation, and workplace resolution services to public service employees, agencies, and departments in order to help create psychologically healthy and respectful workplace cultures.

Ian has over 30 years’ experience in the field of mental health as a front line social worker, manager, and director. Prior to joining government in 2009, Ian worked with the provinces Regional Health Authority as a program manager in the areas of child and adolescent mental health, and adult mental health, both in the community and hospital sectors. During his employment with the authority, Ian also worked as the Professional Practice Consultant for Social Workers.  He spent twelve years in private practice with a local company specializing in couple and family relationships, as well as workplace stress and conflict coaching.

Ian received his master’s degree in social work from the University of Toronto in 1991 and a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Memorial University in 1986. He has served as the NL representative on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Social Workers from 2009 to 2015 and President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Social Workers from 2006-2008. He is a current board member with the Canadian Employee Assistance Program Association. This past year, he received the Canadian Association of Social Workers Distinguished Service Award in recognition for his contribution to the profession of social work.
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Martha Simmons is the Director of Osgoode’s Mediation Intensive Program and Mediation Clinic and the Academic Co-Director of the Winkler Institute. She also serves as the Winkler Professor in Dispute Resolution.

Professor Simmons, who has JD, LLM and PhD degrees from Osgoode, was the recipient of an Osgoode Hall Law School Teaching Award in 2013 for her work in both the JD and Graduate Programs. Her primary areas of research and teaching are dispute resolution, legal education, innovation and access to justice.

She is also active in the community and currently serves as Academic and Policy Committee Co-Chair of the Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario and as a Vice-President of the Association of Canadian Clinical Legal Education (ACCLE).
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Greg is a litigator and advocate. His main practice areas are commercial, construction and insurance litigation, including contract, negligence, product liability and mechanics' lien claims. He handles complex cases including class actions and commercial arbitrations. He represents individuals, corporations, organizations and governments.  Greg has a "BV Distinguished" Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, a widely respected mark of achievement.  Greg has been selected by his peers for inclusion in the Twelfth Edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada for 2018 in the practice areas of: Class Action Litigation, Construction Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law.

Greg is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Canadian Bar Association. He received his law degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1988, was called to the Bar in 1989 and made Partner in 1995. He also received B.A., B.Ed. and M.Ed. degrees from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1981 and 1984. 

Greg is Chair of the Civil Litigation Section of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador Bar Admission Course and an annual lecturer. He is also is a volunteer director of the Murphy Centre, a local charitable organization providing academic, career, employment and lifestyle education opportunities to participants.
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Kelly Smith is a Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP) and a Certified Professional Manager (CPM) with extensive experience in workplace conflict resolution in the areas of labour relations, employee relations and disability management.

For the past 10 years, Kelly has held positions in Human Resource Management in both the private and public industries. Positions include:

• HR Advisor
• Benefits & Disability Management
• HR Manager, Health & Benefits
• HR Manager.

Kelly has a passion for assisting employers to improve moral and the overall health of the organization. A healthier organization leads to higher productivity and lower turnover rates.
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Errol is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Business Valuator, Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Managing Director in Duff & Phelps Disputes and Investigations practice. Errol has over 25 years of experience quantifying losses and fair market value and has consulted on over 1,000 cases in matters involving intellectual property, transaction disputes, shareholder disputes, estate litigation, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, insurance claims (including professional negligence), international trade and investment disputes, product liability, class actions, tax disputes, and franchising. Errol has testified approximately 50 times in courts, quasi-judicial hearings and arbitrations (including in international arbitration proceedings).

Errol’s expertise is also sought in non-litigious matters to prepare fairness opinions to special committees of public companies and expert reports submitted to regulatory boards, professional associations, and government ministries and agencies on matters involving value in the context of policy, regulatory compliance and pricing. Errol has also acted as a court appointed business valuator and Inspector.

Errol has worked in a wide range of industries with particularly deep experience in oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, transportation, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure development, heavy industry manufacturing, consumer products, agriculture, fisheries and tax shelters.

Errol has received the honorary designation of Fellow from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators and also from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants in recognition of his extensive contributions and overall leadership in the profession. Errol has been voted amongst the most highly regarded arbitration expert witness in Canada (2015, 2016, 2017) and is one of five damages experts in Canada currently named to the International Who’s Who of Commercial Arbitration (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) based on a survey of lawyers.
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Karim Sunderji is the President of KRS Hospitality Group that manages a number of hospitality businesses in various parts of Ontario. He has an MBA in International Business from University of Toronto and a BA Honors in Economics and Business from York University. He is a Certified Hotel Administrator and a Family and Commercial Mediator.

He is the Current Chairman of the Aga Khan Ismaili National Conciliation and Arbitration Board for Canada and the past President of the Ismaili Council for Ontario and a past Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada.
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Matt Thorpe, Senior Director & Conflict Resolution Specialist of M. Thorpe & Associates Inc. is an Aboriginal man. Matt specializes in workplace Conflict Resolution, Learning Circles relating to “Resolving Conflict from the Inside Out”. With a focus on authentic conversation, Matt is gifted with the ability to create a safe place which inspires people to talk about tough things.  His own personal story is remarkable and through his past experiences brings his audience on a journey of authentic resolution. His Indian name which translates to ‘tornado’ in English, is a true sign of the experience that all audiences gain from his teachings.
His most powerful lessons come from the non-traditional experiences acquired over the years during a childhood of conflict, violence and addictions.  Being educated from the school of “Hard Knocks” to Harvard Law, Matt helps individuals understand why they do the work they do and assists them in cleaning up their own past conflicts from the Inside Out. Matt’s journey towards mastering detachment from Conflict, started over 29 years ago with his commitment to sobriety and he lives his life holding true to his word.

Matt’s most recent accomplishment was being invited to share his experiences and approach on the world stage in Madrid Spain in June 2017 and since has been nominated for an academy award for guest speaking.
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Mi’kmaw, and born and raised in Flat Bay, N.L., Calvin White is one of the founders of the Aboriginal revival in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In the 1960s, he helped organize Aboriginal families in the province, including those in Conne River and Labrador, to form the Native Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, which later became the Federation of Newfoundland Indians (FNI).

Mr. White is one of the original petitioners in the 1989 legal action brought by the FNI against the federal government, which eventually resulted in the agreement to form the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation.

He also owned and operated a hunting and fishing lodge and continued to manage the lodge until retirement in 2011. A former chief of the Flat Bay band and president of the FNI, Mr. White has also served on many national boards, including the Native Council of Canada, the National Indian Brotherhood, the Aboriginal Liberal Commission and the National Council of Welfare.

In the province, he has served on the boards of the Newfoundland and Labrador Friendship Centre, the Rural Secretariat, the Regional Economic Development Board, the Community Business Development Corporation and the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association. Mr. White helped organize the first Aboriginal powwow in Bay St. George, today one of the largest powwows in Atlantic Canada, hosted in his home community of Flat Bay. He has helped mentor Indigenous youth, as an elder advisor for skills linking programs mentoring some 40 young adults. He still serves as an advisor with the Native Association Woman’s Network, as well as to the Flat Bay Band Council.

Mr. White has also served the Memorial University community through his collaborations at Grenfell Campus. For nearly a decade, he has assisted in research projects and community engagement initiatives pursued by Grenfell faculty and staff. He has facilitated a number of Aboriginal talking circles on campus, has worked with faculty on research and participated in the successful 2013 symposium, Maroon and Mi’kmaq: An International Indigenous Exchange, held at Grenfell Campus.

Mr. White received the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in 1993 and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2015.

He was honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from Ulnooweg Development Group, presented to Aboriginal business owners with a longtime commitment to business and business development in 2008. For his pivotal role in achieving recognition for Newfoundland Mi’kmaq and his longstanding commitment to the rights of his people, Elder Calvin White received an honorary doctor of laws degree on Thursday, May 18, from Memorial University, and in July of 2017 he also received the Canada 150 Sesquicentennial Pin.
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