Tribunal Members
Associate Chair
David A. Wright
David A. Wright is the Associate Chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, part of the Social Justice Tribunals Ontario cluster of administrative tribunals, and a member of all tribunals in the cluster. He completed his B.A. in History at the University of Windsor in 1994 and his LL.B. and B.C.L. at the Faculty of Law of McGill University in 1998. At McGill, he received the Gold Medal for the highest average in the graduating class.
Mr. Wright articled as law clerk to Madame Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1998-99. He completed his LL.M. at New York University in 2000. From 2001-07, he practiced labour, administrative, human rights law, and civil litigation at a Toronto law firm. He was a Vice-Chair of the HRTO from 2007-09 and Interim Chair from 2009-11. He taught administrative law at Osgoode Hall Law School as an adjunct professor in 2002.
Mr. Wright is the author of several law journal articles on administrative, labour, and constitutional law and speaks frequently on issues of human rights, administrative, and labour law. He is a co-editor of the book, Public Law at the McLachlin Court: The First Decade, and the former Chair of the Constitutional, Civil Liberties and Human Rights section of the Ontario Bar Association.
Vice-chairs
Paul Aterman is a graduate of Oxford University and the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. He has been a member of the Ontario Bar since 1988.
Ken Bhattacharjee
Mr. 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
Mr. Brennenstuhl is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor and was called to the Bar of Ontario 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 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
Ms. 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 the Faculty of Law at the 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 involved human rights challenges before various administrative tribunals, trial and appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
Ms. Chadha is actively involved in legal education and writes on equality rights issues. She obtained her LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. Ms. Chadha is an Indo-Canadian lawyer.
Brian Cook
Mr. 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.
Geneviève Debané
Ms. Debané is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2002. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, specializing in Human Resources Management, from Concordia University in Montreal. Prior to her appointment to the Tribunal in 2011, Ms. Debané was a partner at Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP, practicing labour, employment and human rights law. Ms. Debané is fluent in both French and English.
Maureen Doyle
Ms. Doyle served as a part-time member of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario since 2008 and as a vice-chair at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal since 2004. Prior to that time, she was a partner at Ryder Wright Blair and Doyle, practicing labour and employment law. Before earning her Bachelor of Laws degree at
Brian Eyolfson
Mr. 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 an 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 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 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.
Mark Hart
Mr. 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. He 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 also 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 University.
Dawn Kershaw
Dawn Kershaw has a B.A. from Huron University College, an LL.B. from the University of Toronto and an LL.M. from Dalhousie University. Prior to her cross-appointment to the Human Rights Tribunal, she was a Member of the Social Benefits Tribunal for 7 years. Prior to joining the Social Benefits Tribunal, she worked as a lawyer in private practise for 15 years. She is a member of the L'Arche London Board of Directors. She is a former Board member of the Huron-Perth Community Legal Clinic, the Crest Centre, a community-based organization providing support to adults with mental health and/or developmental disabilities and the Huron Church News. She currently is a member of the Social Justice Tribunals of Ontario's Professional Development Committee.
Kathleen Martin
Ms. 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."
David Muir
Mr. Muir holds an LL.B. from Queen’s 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
Ms. 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 2003-2008. From 1989 to 2003, she was counsel to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and has litigated numerous human rights cases before the Tribunal, the Divisional Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
Jo-Anne Pickel
Ms. Pickel graduated with civil law and common law degrees from the Faculty of Law at McGill University. She holds a Masters of Social Work and a doctorate in law from the University of Toronto. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2000. Prior to her appointment to the Tribunal, Ms. Pickel was a partner at a Toronto law firm practicing in the areas of human rights, labour, constitutional, and administrative law. She has also taught law at Carleton University and was a Senior Advisor at the National Judicial Institute. Ms. Pickel is a co-author of Enforcing Human Rights in Ontario as well as numerous articles and case comments on constitutional and labour law, as well as social diversity issues.
Sheri Price
Ms. Price holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and an LL.M. from the University of Toronto. She also studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
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. Ms Price is a director of St. Christopher House, a multi-service neighbourhood agency in Toronto.
Leslie Reaume
Leslie Reaume specializes in human rights law and alternative dispute resolution. Ms. Reaume 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. Ms. Reaume has also taught at the University of Western Ontario and at Queen's University in the areas of women's equality rights and alternative dispute resolution. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario.
Alison Renton
Ms. 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.
Douglas Sanderson
Mr. Sanderson completed a LL.B. at Queen’s University in 1995 and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University in 1992.
Mr. Sanderson has practised labour and employment law in both private practise and in-house settings and worked for several years in an employment law / employee relations role in the financial industry. Mr. Sanderson has extensive experience in human rights matters, including developing policy, investigating internal complaints and formal human rights litigation. Mr. Sanderson has spoken on employment law issues on several occasions.
Mr. Sanderson is a regular volunteer at the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Lawyers Feed the Hungry Thursday breakfast and is a member of Amnesty International’s Urgent Action Network.
Jay Sengupta
Ms. 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.
Jennifer Scott
Ms. Scott is a graduate of the Faculty of Law from the University of Western and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1988.
From 2008 to 2010, Ms. Scott was a full-time Vice-chair of the Child and Family Services Review Board. Prior to taking on an adjudicative role, Ms. Scott practised administrative law for many years under the firm name Scott & Oleskiw. While in private practice, she was independent legal counsel to the Ontario Special Education (English) Tribunal and the Child and Family Services Review Board. She also represented professional regulatory bodies, the Ontario and Canadian Human Rights Commissions, public interest organizations and individuals, in their administrative law cases. Ms. Scott has litigated human rights issues before the Tribunal and all levels of the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Ms. Scott has been a part-time member of the Human Rights Tribunal since 2006 and became a full-time Vice-chair in 2012.
Mary Truemner
Ms. 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
Mr. 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 race relations officer and regional manager.
Mr. Whist 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.
Executive Chair
Michael Gottheil
Alternate Executive Chair
Lilian Ma
Part-Time Vice-chair
Mary Anne McKellar
Members
Catherine Bickley
Ruth Carey
Kevin Cleghorn
Andrew Diamond
Michelle Flaherty
Aida Gatfield
Suzanne Gilbert
Maurice Green
Mark Handelman
Beverly Harris
Dale Hewat
Judith Hinchman
Kaye Joachim
Janice Johnston
Michael Lerner
Ian Mackenzie
John Manwaring
Yasmeena Mohamed
Eva Nichols
Dan Randazzo
Caroline Rowan
Janice Sandomirsky
Brian Sheehan
Lorne Slotnick
Rosemary Walden-Stephan
Ailsa Wiggins