Our Team

John was Counsel to the firm from 1998 to his retirement in 2020. Throughout his long career, John earned a strong reputation as a persuasive and effective advocate, consistently securing excellent results for employees and unions in mediation proceedings. In 2012 John was selected by his peers for inclusion in a list of the Best Lawyers in Canada in employment and labour law.

John achieved successful results in a wide range of cases: accommodation and human rights, job competitions, discharge and discipline cases, harassment and bullying violations, occupational health and safety matters, classification grievances, and on collective agreement interpretation issues. John also provided internal constitutional and public policy advice to unions and other organizations.

John appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999 as co-counsel for the B.C. Government Employees’ Union in the ground-breaking Meiorin accommodation/human rights case.

John co-authored with Derek Fudge of the National Union of Public and General Employees an insightful analysis of the erosion of public sector bargaining rights in Canada, Free Collective Bargaining: Human Right or Canadian Illusion.

John brought to the firm and to the service of union and individual clients a lifetime of experience in Canada. He served in Parliament as NDP M.P. for Victoria from 1988 to 1993. As an M.P. he chaired a parliamentary legislative committee — a rare appointment for an opposition M.P. — and was an outstanding critic for the NDP in defence, sport and the solicitor-general. He represented the Canadian Parliament and Canadian organizations at international and national conferences.

In British Columbia, John worked in the first NDP government as the equivalent of associate deputy attorney general and initiated innovative legal service programs, overseeing the opening of the Rentaisman’s office and was the first chair of the B.C. Rent Review Commission.