Registration and Breakfast

Opening Remarks

Opening Plenary (0.67 hour of substantive law)
Administrative Law Year in Review with Professor Paul Daly

Professor Paul Daly returns with his annual update on the most significant and interesting administrative law decisions from the past year.

Speaker:
Paul Daly, Chair in Administrative Law and Governance, University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)

Morning Plenary (1 hour of ethics)
Self- Governance vs Self-Administration, the Crossover for Administrative Law, Employment Law with Truth & Reconciliation

Truth and reconciliation continue to inform all areas of law. This panel will consider self-governance vs self-administration, as well as truth and reconciliation and how these concepts arise in both administrative and employment law contexts.

Speakers: 
David Taylor, Partner, Conway Baxter Wilson LLP/s.r.l. (Ottawa, ON)
Julian N. Falconer, Founding Partner, Falconers LLP (Toronto, ON)
Prof.Nicole O'Byrne, Associate Professor, University of New Brunswick (Fredericton, NB)

Moderator: Michael Macdonald, Associate, McKercher LLP (Saskatoon, SK)

Break

Concurrent Sessions (Labour) (1.5 hours of substantive law)
Cross-Country Roundup

This session will focus on a variety of significant changes across the country. A few topics on our agenda include:

• Reasonable notice;
• Ban on replacement workers;
• Termination clauses;
• Legislative updates in Employment and Labour law; and
• Pay transparency.

Our panel will review these and other legislative and case law developments that have occurred since 2023.

Speakers:
Marc Mancini, Marc Mancini arbitrage & mediation inc (Montreal - Nord, QC)
John MacCormick, Associate, Prink larkin Lawyers (Frederiction, NB)
Diane Laranja, Partner, Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP (Toronto, ON)
Erin Brandt, Co-Founder, Portalaw (Vancouver, BC) 

Moderator: Nancy Paradis, Director and General Counsel, Justice Canada (Ottawa, ON)

Concurrent Sessions (Admin) (1.5 hours of substantive law)
Happy 25^th Birthday Baker!

A discussion on current and potential future approaches to procedural fairness, including the application and limitations of trauma informed processes.

Speakers:
Sania Chaundhry, Lawyer, Forte Workplace Law (Calgary, AB)
David P. Jacobs, Partner, Watson Jacobs Bosnick LLP (Toronto, ON)
Prof. Sharry Aiken, Professor; Academic Director, GDipICL, Queen's University (Kingston, ON)
Sheena Scott, Counsel, Office of the Children's Lawyer(Toronto, ON)

Moderator: Léa Bou Karam, Manager and Senior Counsel, Correctional Service Canada's Legal Services, Justice Canada (Ottawa, ON)

Networking Lunch

Concurrent Sessions (Labour) (1.5 hours of substantive law)
Hot Topics Post-employment: Cross-border perspectives

This session will explore the post-employment landscape in North America, including NDAs, restrictive covenants, and settlement agreements from both Canadian and US perspectives.

Speakers:
Raphaël Levy, Senior Partner, Levy Tsotsis (Montreal, QC)
Eric Akira Tate, Co-Chair, Global Employement and Labour Practice, Morrison Foerster (San Francisco, CA)
Joseph Ahmad, Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing (Houston, TX)
Allyson Fischer, Partner, Mathews Dinsdale (Toronto, ON)

Moderator: Caroline Spindler, Partner, Mathews Dinsdale (Halifax, NS)

Concurrent Sessions (Admin) (1.5 hours of substantive law)
Administrative Law and the Charter - Commission Scolaire and the Dore duty: Is deference imperilled?
This session will examine whether administrative decision makers now need to be experts on the Charter with a view to the implications of the Commission Scolaire decision.

Speakers:
Mark Mancini, Marc Mancini arbitrage & mediation inc (Montreal - Nord, QC)
Ewa Krajewska, Parnter, Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP (Toronto, ON)
Alyssa Tomkins, Partner, Gowlings WLG (Ottawa, ON)

Moderator: Jean-Simon Schoenholtz, Senior Associate, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP (Ottawa, ON)

Break

Plenary Session (1.5 hours of substantive law)
The Limits of Freedom of Expression for Employees and Professionals- Implications for Employment Law and Professional Regulation

With controversial global issues on the rise, greater information sharing, including through social media, publicly expressing one’s opinions and thoughts has never been easier. Where is the proverbial line when it comes to expressing views in the workplace? When and how what someone says outside of the workplace have an impact on their employment? How do regulated professionals balance personal views and professional obligations? This session will explore these issues and more.

Speakers: 
Zimra Yetnikoff, Director, Investigations and Hearings at The College of Psychologists of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
Jill Houlihan, Partner, Pink Larkin (Halifax, NS)
Julius Grey, Senior Attorney, Grey Casgrain s.e.n.c. (Montreal, QC)

Moderator: Patricia Harper, Partner, Keel Cottrelle LLP (Toronto, ON)

Networking Reception

Breakfast

Fireside Chat with The Honourable Justice Mary T. Moreau (1.33 hours of substantive law)

We are very pleased to welcome the Honourable Justice Mary T. Moreau for another conference favourite - the annual fireside chat with a Supreme Court of Canada Justice. This year’s conversation will be hosted by Audrey Boctor of IMK Advocates.

Speaker: The Honourable Justice Mary T. Moreau, Supreme Court of Canada (Ottawa, ON)

Moderator: Justice Audrey Boctor, Superior Court fo Quebec (Montréal, QC)

Break

Hot Topics in Admin Law (1.5 hours of substantive law)

Join us for a candid conversation about where administrative law has been, and where it is going. Our panelists will discuss the hottest topics in administrative law, and offer their views on where the next battlegrounds may lie, including judicial review of delegated legislation.

Speakers:
David P. Jones, K.C., Lawyer, de Villars Jones (Edmonton, AB)
Pam Hrick, Executive Director & General Counsel, LEAF (Toronto, ON)

Essay Contest Award Presentation and Closing Remarks