Course Chairs
Sandra F. Guarascio — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver
Lindsay M. Lyster — Moore Edgar Lyster, Vancouver
About the Course Chairs
Sandra F. Guarascio is a partner with Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver who has been recognized by Lexpert, Best Lawyers Canada, and Who’s Who Legal for her work in employment and labour law. She assists public and private sector employers by providing balanced, strategic and proactive advice for unionized and non-unionized environments. Sandra practices in all areas of employment and labour law, with a particular interest in human rights and respectful workplace issues. She is an experienced investigator, facilitator and speaker, and has conducted numerous workshops dealing with management issues, discrimination, accommodation, and workplace harassment and bullying. Sandra clerked with the BC Supreme Court and was called in 2002. She has been the co-chair of CLEBC’s award winning annual two-day Human Rights Conference since 2007.
Lindsay M. Lyster joined Moore Edgar Lyster in April 2010 and became a partner in 2011. She served as a Member of the BC Human Rights Tribunal between 2002 and 2010. Immediately prior to that, she was the Policy Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association. Before that, Lindsay practiced labour, employment and public law with a major national law firm for seven years. Lindsay's practice focuses on acting for employees and trade unions in labour, employment and human rights matters. She has a particular interest in administrative and constitutional law, and has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in a number of leading constitutional and human rights cases. Lindsay graduated from UBC Law School in 1991 as the gold medalist, following which she clerked for Madam Justice McLachlin at the Supreme Court of Canada, before being called to the Bar in 1993. Lindsay is the President of the BC Civil Liberties Association. She is the co-chair of the CLEBC Annual Human Rights Conference, and is a frequent lecturer and author in labour, human rights, employment and administrative law, as well as advocacy and legal ethics. She has taught Administrative Law, Federalism, Charter Litigation, and Human Rights in the Workplace at UBC Law School.
About the Featured Speaker
Commissioner Sheila M. MacPherson is partner and the most senior civil litigator at Lawson Lundell LLP in Yellowknife.
She has been practicing law since 1988 and has experience at all levels of court throughout Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. Some of her specific areas of expertise include administrative law, constitutional law and human rights law. She also has extensive litigation experience in child protection law, family law, adoption cases and cases involving same-sex rights.
In addition to her legal work in the private sector, Ms. MacPherson serves as Law Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. In this role she is responsible for reviewing all legislation before the Assembly to ensure it is constitutional and for providing advice to the Speaker and Members of the Assembly.
She has served as counsel for the Government of the Northwest Territories on child protection cases and is currently responsible for the legal conduct of child protection matters in Nunavut. As such, she appears before the courts of both jurisdictions on these and other civil litigation matters on a regular basis.
Ms. MacPherson is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and a Council Member with the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. She is also a Fellow with the Litigation Counsel of America and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada for her litigation in both family law and personal injury. She generously donates much of her personal time to various organizations in her community.
Planning Committee
Jonathan Chapnick — Senior Advisor, Workplace Mental Health, University of British Columbia
Devyn Cousineau — BC Human Rights Tribunal, Vancouver
Robyn Durling — Co-Director, BC Human Rights Clinic, Vancouver
Diana Juricevic — BC Human Rights Tribunal, Vancouver
Christopher M. McHardy — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Catherine A. Sullivan — Barrister & Solicitor, Burnaby
Laura Track — British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Vancouver
Featured Speaker
Sheila M. MacPherson — Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Ottawa
Faculty: Day 1
Ray Baker, MD, FCFP, FASAM — Associate Clinical Professor, UBC Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver
G. James Baugh — McGrady & Company, Vancouver
Devyn Cousineau — BC Human Rights Tribunal, Vancouver
Robyn Durling — Co-Director, BC Human Rights Clinic, Vancouver
Sandra F. Guarascio — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver
Katherine A. Hardie — BC Human Rights Tribunal, Vancouver
Greg Heywood — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver
Stephanie Low — Hamilton Howell Bain & Gould, Vancouver
Lindsay M. Lyster — Moore Edgar Lyster, Vancouver
Carolyn M. MacEachern — Young Anderson, Vancouver
Sheila M. MacPherson — Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Ottawa
Shanti P. Reda — Hamilton Howell Bain & Gould, Vancouver
Michael A. Watt — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
David G. Wong — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver
Faculty: Day 2
The Honourable Madam Justice Linda A. Loo — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
The Honourable Madam Justice Heather M. MacNaughton — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Devyn Cousineau — BC Human Rights Tribunal, Vancouver
Rosalind Currie — Director, BC's Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General, Vancouver
Laura DeVries — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Natalie Drolet — Executive Director/Staff Lawyer, West Coast Domestic Workers' Association, Vancouver
Sandra F. Guarascio — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver
Bethany Hastie — Lecturer, Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Heather D. Hoiness — Moore Edgar Lyster, Vancouver
Donald J. Jordan, QC — Harris & Company LLP, Vancouver
Lindsay M. Lyster — Moore Edgar Lyster, Vancouver
Larissa Maxwell — Manager, Anti-Human Trafficking Programs, The Salvation Army, Vancouver
Christopher M. McHardy — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Julie Menten — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver
Shona A. Moore, QC — Moore Edgar Lyster, Vancouver
Jennifer S. Russell — Roper Greyell LLP, Vancouver
Gabriel M.A. Somjen — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Lindsay Waddell — Moore Edgar Lyster, Vancouver