Alison is a partner in the Calgary office practicing exclusively in the area of labour and employment law. Alison regularly represents employers in labour arbitrations, wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights complaints, employment standards complaints, non-competition and non-solicitation litigation, workers’ compensation issues and privacy matters. Alison provides strategic advice to human resources and labour relations practitioners on all aspects of workplace law including employee discipline and termination, employer duties and best practices in accommodation and return to work, workplace investigations, and drafting employment contracts and policies.

Alison draws on her diverse background and long standing passion for labour and employment issues to assist clients. Fluently bilingual in English and French, Alison studied at McGill University where she obtained degrees in both common law and civil law, worked as a research assistant for a prominent labour professor on issues in international labour law, and spent a semester studying business and competition law at the Institut D’Etudes Politiques in Paris. While articling with a large national firm in Toronto, Alison completed a secondment to the Ontario Labour Relations Board gaining important insights on the Board’s decision making process and developing strategic thinking on labour relations disputes. Prior to joining McLennan Ross in 2013, Alison practiced management-side labour and employment law in Toronto assisting a cross section of employers in industries such as banking, manufacturing, and news media.

Alison is focused on client service. Committed to providing an immediate response to urgent matters, Alison considers her clients’ problems her own and loses countless hours of sleep over the issues that matter to them.

The mother of two small children, in her spare time Alison builds duplo towers, watches episodes of Paw Patrol on repeat, avoids parenting blogs, and drinks red wine with her husband.

Follow Alison on twitter @alison_a

Education:

• LL.B. & B.C.L., McGill University (with Distinction)
• B.A., University of Guelph (with Distinction)

Professional Associations,  Affiliations and Community Activities:

• Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Executive Member, Labour & Employment Subsection – Alberta South
• Member, Calgary Bar Association
• Member, Advocates’ Society
• Member, Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers

Alison is a strong advocate for employers with experience in Alberta and Ontario in wrongful dismissal actions, labour board proceedings, grievance arbitrations, human rights complaints, and workplace safety appeals. Alison has appeared before the Courts of Alberta and Ontario, the Federal Court, labour relations boards, labour arbitrators, human rights tribunals and the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal.

Some highlights of Alison’s recent experience include:

• Representing a major oil and gas company in a consolidated wrongful dismissal action brought by four employees and involving complex issues relating to payments under various share and stock option bonus plans during the reasonable notice period.
• Acting for a health and social services authority in a labour arbitration involving the interpretation of the collective agreement with respect to sick leave.
• Representing a major construction company in proceedings before the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board and an adjudicator appointed under the Saskatchewan Employment Act relating to allegations by an employee that his employment was terminated for raising safety violations.
• Conducting independent workplace investigations involving allegations of discrimination and harassment.
• Representing a health care institution in an investigation under the Protection for Persons in Care Act.
• Assisting a maintenance contractor in interest arbitration proceedings.
• Defending an education institution against a termination complaint raised by a senior member of administration involving serious allegations of personal and sexual harassment.
• Assisting an airline in its defence of unfair labour practice complaints.

• “2019 Labour & Employment Year in Review”, McLennan Ross Seminar, 2020
• "Understanding Union Organizing & Certification", McLennan Ross Webinar, 2018
• "2017 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar, 2018
• "New Employment Standards Regulations", McLennan Ross Webinar, 2017
• "2016 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar, 2017
• "Accommodating Mental Illness", McLennan Ross Duty to Accommodate Seminar and Mock Arbitration, 2016
• "Decisions and Developments on the Horizon", Closing Panel Human Resources Institute of Alberta HR Law Conference, 2016
• "Administration of a Collective Agreement", McLennan Ross Webinar, 2016
• "Bill 6: Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act",  Presentation to the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association, 2016
• "2015 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar, 2016
• "Labour & Employment Law Update", Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers Alberta Chapter, 2015
• "Gender Identity in the Workplace", Presentation to the Canadian Bar Association Labour & Employment Subsection - Alberta South, 2015
• "2014 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar, 2015
• "Accommodating Family Status", Presentation to the Canadian Bar Association Labour & Employment Subsection – Alberta South, 2014
• "Disability Management and the Duty to Accommodate", Merit Contractors Association, 2014
• "2013 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar, 2014
• "OLRB Lacks Jurisdiction to Monitor Workplace Harassment Investigations", Labour and Employment Law Perspective, CBA National Labour and Employment Law Section Newsletter, 2012
• "AODA Update: What’s Next for Ontario Employers", HR Professional Magazine, 2012
• “Preventing Overtime Class Actions”, co-authored with Meighan Ferris-Miles, HR Professional Magazine, 2011