Recognizing invisible disabilities during Mental Illness Awareness Week

By: James Cameron and Morgan Rowe “You look fine!” “It’s all in your head.” For individuals with invisible disabilities, comments like these are a fundamental reality. As Pain Awareness Month draws to a close and we look ahead to the beginning of Mental Illness Awareness Week on October 2, it is important to take time to recognize the specific societal and attitudinal barriers that individuals with invisible disabilities experience in... Read More

Wilson v Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd: The victory for workers that almost wasn’t

Last month, the Supreme Court of Canada delivered the latest in a recent line of landmark victories for workers’ rights. In Wilson v Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, the Court restored the decision of a Canada Labour Code adjudicator that non-unionized employees under federal jurisdiction cannot be dismissed from their employment without just cause. After the opposite conclusion was reached by both lower courts, and by a minority of the... Read More

Morgan Rowe Presented on Employment Rights at U of O

On October 12, 2016, Morgan Rowe spoke to University of Ottawa students as part of the "Introduction to the Study of Law" class. She presented on issues related to the life of an employment contract, from formation to termination, as well as workers’ rights during employment.   Read More

James Cameron to Present at Disability Insurance Conference

On September 14, 2016, James Cameron will present at the Canadian Institute’s Disability Insurance Conference. James will be discussing litigation strategies in LTD benefit claims, specifically addressing how to prove your case with medical evidence and best practices for settlement discussions. Read More

RavenLaw Supports Annual LEAF Persons Day Breakfast

RavenLaw was proud to support the Annual Ottawa Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (“LEAF”) Persons Day Breakfast. This year’s breakfast focused on the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada. LEAF is a charitable non-profit organization that works to advance the equality rights of women and girls in Canada. The annual fundraising breakfast commemorates the Persons Case – the October 18, 1929 decision of the Judicial Committee... Read More

David Yazbeck to Present at Labour Advocacy Program

On September 16, 2016, David Yazbeck will present at the Canadian Bar Association’s Critical Advocacy Strategies for Labour and Employment Lawyers program. The program will provide updates and practical strategies for advocating before labour boards, human rights tribunals, arbitrators and the courts. Read More

Federal Court Overturns Classification Decision for a Second Time

In a recent court decision, the Federal Court overturned the decision of the Canada Border Service Agency to reject the classification grievances of over 45 management employees. The Court found that CBSA’s decision was unreasonable because it failed to consider portions of the employees’ job description which strongly supported their request for an upward reclassification. Furthermore, the Court found that CBSA had not explained its reasons for reaching a decision... Read More

Wassim Garzouzi Elected as Vice-President for the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers

Wassim Garzouzi was elected as Vice-President (Ontario) for the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers at CALL’s annual conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland from June 2 to 5, 2016. Wassim is thankful for the support he received and looks forward to representing CALL’s Ontario members. CALL’s mission is to connect union-side labour lawyers across Canada and to advocate for the legal interests of Canadian workers and labour organizations before provincial and... Read More

Morgan Rowe Presented on Human Rights at U of O

On November 4, 2016, Morgan Rowe spoke to the University of Ottawa – Faculty of Common Law’s “Human Rights” class, as part of the class on emerging topics in human rights. This is the fifth year that Morgan has been invited to speak as part of this class. Her presentation focused on topics related to sexual orientation, asexuality, and the regulation of personal relationships. Read More

Wassim Garzouzi Presented on Stopping Sexual Harassment

On June 16, 2016, Wassim Garzouzi spoke as part of Lancaster House’s audio conference on Stopping Sexual Harassers Cold: Optimal practices for complaint procedures, investigations, and survivor support. The program addressed how to identify sexual harassment, best practices for investigating complaints, and internal procedures and outside resources that can help fractured workplaces. The audio conference also covered the factors that arbitrators and human rights tribunals consider when assessing damage awards... Read More