Jennifer Ronalds

Associate

• Queen’s Marque
  600-1741 Lower Water Street
  Halifax, N.S.
  B3J 0J2
• +1.902.420.3355
• +1.902.420.1417
• jronalds@stewartmckelvey.com

Language(s) spoken: English, French

Bar Admission(s): Nova Scotia, 2007; New Brunswick, 2010; Alberta, 2014

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Legal Assistant(s): Crystal Palmer

Jennifer’s 17 years of practice experience include ten years as internal legal counsel, with three years as acting General Counsel for a major public sector employer. In both private practice and in-house roles, she has acted for some of Canada’s largest employers, including national corporations, provincial health authorities, and a major municipal police service. Jennifer acts as a trusted advisor to executive leadership teams and her experience gives her a unique perspective to understand a client’s needs, provide proactive and responsive service and strategic advice.  Jennifer has helped employers navigate numerous complex issues related to workplace investigations, harassment and discrimination complaints, accommodation-related challenges and their related legislative obligations under human rights and occupational health and safety legislation. Her expertise spans governance, government relations, privacy matters, and all aspects of labour and employment law, including discipline and terminations, employment contracts, employment-related litigation, labour relations matters, and policy development and review.

Jennifer represents clients across multiple provinces, appearing before various levels of court and in numerous administrative law proceedings, including human rights, labour arbitration, interest arbitration, wrongful and constructive dismissal cases, occupational health and safety matters, and labour relations boards.

Her representative experience includes:

• Successfully representing an employer in upholding the termination of an employee for workplace harassment and discrimination in a labour arbitration.
• Representing employers in variety of grievance arbitrations including discipline, termination, classification and policy issues.
• Acting for a client in interest arbitration and mediation process to secure new service agreement with health care providers.
• Representing employers in a variety of matters before the Alberta Labour Relations Board including a reconsideration application, judicial reviews, inclusion of employees in the bargaining unit, and unfair labour practice complaints.
• Representing a client in making representations to a provincial government on overhaul of legislative framework that regulated the client’s organization.
• Successfully representing employer in matters pursuant to the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
• Successfully representing employers in matters pursuant to Alberta Human Rights Act.