John B. West

Biography

John West practises exclusively employment and labour law.  He advises and represents employers in both federal and provincial jurisdictions. He regularly represents clients in connection with collective bargaining, union certification matters, labour board proceedings, grievance arbitration, wrongful dismissal claims, human rights issues, and occupational health and safety matters. He also advises employers in executive employment matters.

Mr. West represents large public and private sector clients across Canada before various labour tribunals. He is also a frequent speaker in employment and labour matters in both Canada and the United States. Mr. West has contributed frequently to major publications in both Canada and the US on employment and labour law issues.

Mr. West is Toronto Chair of our Employment and Labour Law Group. He is also the Managing Partner of our Toronto office.

Year of Call

• Ontario Bar 1978

Law School

• LL.B., University of Manitoba, 1976

EDUCATION

• B.A. (Hons.), York University, 1973

Publications

• John West and John Mastoras, "Belief and Practice in Canada: Ontario Judgment Signals New Approach to Accommodating Religion, Bureau of National Affairs, Analysis & Perspective, Employment Discrimination Report, Vol. 17, No. 5", August 1, 2001, p. 162
• John West and John Mastoras, "From Firefighters to Wheelchairs: Bar Raised for Accommodating Disabilities, Bureau of National Affairs, Analysis & Perspective, Employment Discrimination Report, Vol. 16, No. 26", June 27, 2001, p. 882
• John West and John Mastoras, "Is Heavy Smoking a Disability? Canadian Arbitrator Stubs Out Discipline for Violating Workplace Smoking Ban, Bureau of National Affairs, Analysis & Perspective, Employment Discrimination Report, Vol. 146, No. 246", June 14, 2000, p. 837
• John West and Stephanie Parkin, "Workplace Violence. Not your problem? Think again. Canadian Retailer, Volume 9, Issue 6", December, 1999, p. 39
• John West and John Mastoras, "Workplace Standards Put to Test in Female Firefighter Case, Bureau of National Affairs, Analysis & Perspective, Employment Discrimination Report, Vol. 13, No. 18", November 19, 1999, p. 732
• John West and John Mastoras, "Will Accommodation Trump Safety in the Canadian Workplace?, Bureau of National Affairs, Analysis & Perspective, Employment Discrimination Report, Vol. 13, No. 6", August 11, 1999, p. 250
• John West and John Mastoras, "Accommodation in Canada: The Struggle to Define the Duties of Employers, Bureau of  National Affairs, Analysis & Perspective, Employment Discrimination Report, Vol. 12, No. 11", March 17, 1999,  p. 414
• John West and Michael McFadden, "Arbitrators' Jurisdiction is Encroaching on Judicial Domain, The Lawyers Weekly, Vol. 18, No. 21", October 9, 1998, p. 9
• John West and Douglas Sanderson, "Monitoring Employee Communications Can Be a Risky Move, The Lawyers Weekly, Vol. 17, No. 44", April 3, 1998, p. 9
• John West, "Workplace Effect of Domestic Violence Overlooked, The Lawyers Weekly, Vol. 17, No. 21", October 10, 1997, p. 9
• John West and Kirsten Watson, "Post-Discharge Evidence: The Varied Response to Québec Cartier, Labour Arbitration Yearbook, 1999-2000, Volume II", p. 61
• John West and John Coleman, "U.S. Union Organizing Tactics Migrate North, Lexpert, December 1999/January 2000, Volume 1, Issue 3", pp. 120-122

Speaking Engagements

• Frequent speaker on employment and labour matters in both Canada and the United States
• Has spoken on several occasions before the Conference Board of Canada on issues such as attendance management and the duty of accommodation in the workplace
• Regular speaker before the Electricity Distributors Association of Ontario on employment and labour law matters in the broader public sector
• Has spoken at the Annual Conference on Labour Arbitration sponsored by the University of Toronto's Centre for Industrial Relations.
• Regular speaker at the U.S. National Retail Federation
• Regular speaker at the New York based Labor/Industrial Relations Advisory Group and the National Academy of Arbitrators

Media Highlights

• The Globe and Mail
• The Law Times
• Lawyers' Weekly
• The Workplace News

Rankings and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in Canada 2007
• LEXPERT/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada

Memberships and Activities

• Law Society of Upper Canada
• Labour Law Specialty Committee
• Canadian Bar Association
• Labour Law Subsection
• American Bar Association
• Labour Law Subsection
• The Advocates' Society
• Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario
• U.S. Labor Policy Association
• Toronto Board of Trade
• U.S. National Retail Federation
• Retail Council of Canada
• Labor/Industrial Relations Advisory Group