The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario

David A. Wright

David A. Wright completed his LL.B. and B.C.L. at the Faculty of Law of McGill University in 1998, where he was the Gold Medal winner for the highest average in the graduating class. He received his LL.M. at New York University in 2000. Mr. Wright articled as law clerk to Madame Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1998-99.

Mr. Wright practiced labour, administrative, human rights law, and civil litigation at a Toronto law firm from 2001-07. He appeared as counsel before various administrative tribunals and all levels of courts. He taught administrative law at Osgoode Hall Law School as an adjunct professor in 2002 and is the author of several law journal articles on administrative, labour, and constitutional law.

Mr. Wright is a frequent speaker on human rights, administrative law, and labour law. He is the past chair of the Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights section of the Ontario Bar Association.

Faisal Bhabha holds a law degree from Queen’s University Faculty of Law and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.

As a law student, Faisal worked for human rights organizations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. He also researched comparative discrimination law in South Africa. Faisal was called to the Ontario Bar in 2003.

As a lawyer, Faisal focused on human rights and constitutional law, representing clients in issues related to employment, education, public safety and health. He appeared before a variety of administrative boards and agencies and at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Faisal also advised or represented numerous public interest organizations and NGOs in matters related to constitutional law and human rights.

Faisal has served as a member of the Equity Advisory Group of the Law Society of Upper Canada and as a volunteer with an international development organization. He has spoken publicly on human rights and constitutional law, and taught Discrimination Law as an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. He has published law review articles on equality, access to justice, multiculturalism and national security policy.

Ken Bhattacharjee holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and a B.A. (Honours) from the University of Western Ontario. Since 2003, he has served as a human rights officer with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Bhattacharjee brings to the Tribunal extensive international human rights advocacy experience from work with ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression in the United Kingdom and the Coordinating Committee of Human Rights Organizations of Thailand. He is the author or co-author of numerous reports and articles on discrimination, freedom of expression and human rights systems.

Mr. Bhattarcharjee’s community work includes serving on the Board of Directors of the South Asian Legal Clinic, and volunteering with the Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights, Asian Heritage Month Group and Asian Network for Free Elections.

Keith Brennenstuhl is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1976. He clerked to Mr. Justice Estey, Chief Justice of Ontario.

Mr. Brennenstuhl practiced corporate, entertainment and labour law before his appointment to the Immigration and Refugee Board in 2002. He remained with the Board to 2007, serving as a senior adjudicator, adjudicator team leader and acting Assistant Deputy Chair.

Mr. Brennenstuhl's community work has earned him the Outstanding Canadian Foundation Award and two citations from the Canadian Red Cross for commitment and voluntary service to assist those who are most vulnerable in the community.

Ena Chadha is a graduate of the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan (1992) and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994. She holds Certificates in Advanced Alternate Dispute Resolution and Mediation (1999) from Faculty of Law, University of Windsor.

Ms. Chadha was Director of Litigation with ARCH: Disability Law Centre from May 2000 to July 2007. Ms. Chadha's litigation background has involved human rights challenges before various administrative tribunals, trial and appellate courts, including Supreme Court of Canada.

Ms. Chadha is actively involved in legal education and writes on equality rights issues. Ms. Chadha obtained her LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. Ms. Chadha is an Indo-Canadian lawyer.

Brian Cook holds an LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. He previously served as an investigator at the Office of the Ombudsman.

Mr. Cook has extensive adjudicative experience. He was first appointed to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal in 1985 as a member representative of workers and was appointed a full-time Vice Chair in 1990. In that capacity he had significant exposure to issues involving disability and accommodation. >

He has designed and delivered training programs for the staff of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and has been a member of the Mandatory Mediation Program since it was established in 1999.

Brian Eyolfson is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Queen's University and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994. He holds a LL.M., specializing in administrative law, from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Mr. Eyolfson has practiced human rights, Aboriginal rights and administrative law, before a variety of tribunals and the courts, and participated in test-case litigation and interventions, in matters involving Aboriginal and equality rights. He was a senior staff lawyer with Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto and has also served as counsel to the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Eyolfson served as an appeals officer with the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario from 1994 to 1996. He has taught public law for the Law Society Bar Admission Course and served for several years as a member and co-chair of the Rotiio> taties, an Aboriginal advisory group to the Law Society of Upper Canada and other bodies. He has been an editor of the Journal of Law and Social Policy since 2000 and has taught human rights law and practice to Ontario community legal clinics across the province. Mr. Eyolfson is a member of the Metis Nation of Ontario.

Michelle Flaherty is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. She has extensive experience in administrative, labour, human rights and employment law and has represented both employers and employees. She articled as law clerk to Madame Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999 -2000.

Ms. Flaherty also taught for a number of years at the University of Ottawa in the areas of equality, human rights and labour law. Her community work includes volunteering for several community organizations in the Ottawa area. She is fluent in French and English.

Mark Hart is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1988.

Mr. Hart has practised law in the areas of human rights, employment and labour law for many years. His practice has included acting as an external neutral for employers and other organizations, conducting internal investigations and mediations on discrimination and harassment issues. Mr. Hart has acted as counsel on many leading human rights cases before tribunals and all levels of the Courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Mr. Hart formerly was counsel to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and to the Employment Equity Commission.

Mr. Hart has spoken extensively on human rights and employment equity issues, and has taught discrimination law at Osgoode Hall Law School, at the Ontario Law Society Bar Admission Course, and at Ryerson Polytechnic University.

Kaye Joachim is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987. She earned a LL.M. in labour and human rights law from the University of Toronto in 1997.

Ms. Joachim has been a part-time member of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario since 2005. Previously, she served as a Vice-Chair at the Ontario Labour Relations Board, as an arbitrator and mediator at the Ontario Financial Services Commission and as a member of the Academic Appeals Board of the University of Toronto. Ms. Joachim has acted as in-house counsel to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal and to the Ontario Human Rights Commission. She has also practiced as a labour arbitrator and mediator.

In 2000, Ms. Joachim joined the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto as Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies, responsible for the graduate law program. She taught Labour and Employment Law for five years.

Judith Keene was called to the Ontario bar in 1981. Prior to joining the HRTO, she was Director of the Clinic Resource Office of Legal Aid Ontario, where she had a lengthy career providing legal advice and litigation support to Community Legal Clinics and Student Legal Aid Societies. She also served extensively in the public sector, primarily within provincial Commissions and administrative tribunals.

Keene has served as a volunteer with numerous organizations, including the Joint Action Committee on Gender Equity, (OBA/ LSUC), review panel, Women in the Legal Profession Committee (LSUC), Metropolitan Toronto Council on Race Relations and Policing, Ontario Pro Bono Initiative Round Table, Alliance for Employment Equity, Discretionary Justice & Social Welfare Working Group.

She also served as Non-Bencher member and Co-Chair, Treasurer's Equity Advisory Committee, (Law Society of Upper Canada), and as Chair, Civil Liberties Section, Ontario Bar Association.

Keene is author of Human Rights in Ontario, 2d ed. (Toronto: Carswell, 1992), as well as numerous articles and Continuing Legal Education presentations on human rights law and s.15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Sherry Liang is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987. She received a LL.M from the University of Toronto in 1998 in administrative law.

Ms. Liang commenced practice in labour, employment and related areas of law before being appointed as Vice-Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board from 1991 to 1997. After 1997, Ms. Liang established an arbitration and mediation practice, and has served as legal counsel and appeals adjudicator with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario. In 2004-2006, she served as Expert Advisor to the Federal Labour Standards Review reporting to the federal Minister of Labour.

Ms. Liang's community involvement includes longstanding service on the board of a non-profit agency providing services to homeless and marginalized women in Toronto, as well as Co-Chair of the University of Toronto's academic discipline tribunal.

Kathleen Martin is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at University of Toronto and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987.

Ms. Martin has been a part-time member of the Human Rights Tribunal since 2006 and until her full-time appointment in September 2007 had a practice as a mediator and arbitrator of employment and labour disputes. Prior to commencing her mediation/arbitration practice, Ms. Martin had been a partner in a law firm for many years where she practiced labour, employment and human rights law.

Ms. Martin was Co-Chair of the 2007 Ontario Bar Association (OBA) Continuing Legal Education session on "Human Rights and Labour Law: New Challenges and New Directions". She is an Executive Member of the OBA Labour Section and a member of the OBA Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights Section.

David Muir holds an LL.B. from Queens University and an LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. He has extensive adjudicative experience from the Financial Services Commission, the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Office of Adjudication, where he was adjudicator and mediator of personal injury, occupational health and safety and other employment law disputes. Mr. Muir also worked as a policy advisor and prosecutor with the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

Naomi Overend holds an LL.B. from the University of Toronto. Prior to her appointment to the Tribunal Ms Overend was discipline counsel at the Law Society of Upper Canada. From 1989 to 2003, she was counsel to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and has litigated and mediated numerous human rights complaints before the Tribunal and the courts. the LSUC. Between 1989 and 2003 counsel to the Human Rights Commission. Litigated and mediated numerous complaints before the Tribunal and the courts.

Sheri Price holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and an LL.M. from the University of Toronto.

Ms. Price has been in private practice since 1996, working primarily on behalf of trade unions and employees in the areas of labour, human rights and employment law. She has appeared before numerous administrative tribunals. Her community involvement includes volunteering for the Open Door Centre and St. Christopher House.

Leslie Reaume is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1997.

Ms. Reaume has specialized in human rights law and alternative dispute resolution for a number of years. She has experience litigating cases before a variety of administrative tribunals and every level of the Canadian courts, including provincial appeal courts, the Federal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada. For the past 6 years, she has acted as Counsel to the Canadian Human Rights Commission where she conducted litigation, acted as a mediator and conciliator.

Ms. Reaume has also taught for a number of years at the University of Western Ontario in London and at Queen's University in Kingston in the areas of women's equality rights and alternative dispute resolution. Ms. Reaume is the co-author of Human Rights Law in Canada, forthcoming from Irwin Law Inc.

Alison Renton holds an LL.B. from the University of Windsor. She was previously in-house counsel for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario in the area of labour and employment law.

Ms. Renton has extensive experience before various administrative tribunals, including the Grievance Settlement Board and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Her practice involved a variety of issues including discrimination, harassment, accommodation of disabilities, discharge and discipline.

Jay Sengupta holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. She has worked extensively in Ontario's community legal clinic system, providing advice and representation to members of low-income communities on matters involving social assistance, housing, criminal injuries compensation, immigration, workers' compensation, human rights, and employment law.

Ms. Sengupta has also engaged in community development, law reform and public legal education initiatives on behalf of the communities for whom she has worked. Her community involvement has included serving on the boards of the Hamilton Social Planning and Research Council and the Threshold School of Building.

Mary Truemner holds an LL.B. from the University of Ottawa. She has 20 years experience practicing both administrative and human rights law.

Prior to her appointment to the Tribunal, Ms. Truemner was acting director of Legal Services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. Prior positions include academic director at Parkdale Community Legal Services, professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and lawyer at the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation. She gained international human rights work experience in Nicaragua. Ms. Truemner is fluent in both French and English

Eric Whist has extensive experience in Ontario’s human rights system. From 1979 to 1991, he worked with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Ontario Race Relations Directorate in a variety of positions including as a race relations officer and regional manager.

Mr. Whilst then joined the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as a manager working on strategies to improve the quality of life in public housing communities. He was appointed a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board in 1996, most recently serving as the acting Assistant Deputy Chairperson of the Board’s Immigration Appeal Division.

Updated March 2, 2010.