Background

Melanie is a partner in our Toronto office. She articled at the firm and following her admission to the Ontario Bar, joined the firm’s Labour and Employment Law Group.

B.A., The University of Western Ontario, 1994

LL.B., The University of Western Ontario, 1997

Called to the Ontario Bar, 1999

Areas of Practice

• Labour Relations and Employment Law
• Education Law

Professional Experience

• Melanie advises private and public sector employers in employment and labour relations matters, including employment contracts, employee discipline, employee termination, human rights, workers’ compensation, employment standards, restrictive covenants, pre-employment testing, occupational health and safety, and sale of a business issues.
• Melanie represents both employers and employees in the courts and various administrative tribunal hearings.
• Melanie acts for boards of education and independent schools in education-related matters, including student discipline, negligence, special education, social media, governance, excursions, parental harassment, human rights issues in schools, and labour and employment issues in schools.

Professional and Community Activities

• Past Chair, Ontario Bar Association (Education Law Section)
• Member, Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education (CAPSLE)
• Melanie has spoken at various employment and education law conferences, including at CAPSLE, Strategy Institute, Lancaster House, and the Human Resources Professional Association

Publications

• Co-Author, Ontario Employment Standards Act: Quick Reference (Carswell, 2000++)
• Contributor, An Educator’s Guide to Violence in Schools (Canada Law Book, 1997)
• Contributor, Employment Law: Solutions for the Canadian Workplace (Specialty Technical Publishers, 2002++)
• Melanie has written articles for a number of legal publications, including Legal Alert, CAPSLE Comments, Hiring & Firing, ORBIT, Hospital News, Ontario Bar Association Education Law Newsletter, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Labour and Employment Law Newsletter, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Education Law Newsletter