Jo-Ann Kolmes was with the firm from 1990 until her retirement from the firm in 2010, first as an associate then as partner, working primarily in research, written advocacy, and litigation / arbitration support. Cases on which she was involved included on discrimination in the workplace and other contexts, union representation rights, collective agreement interpretation, occupational health and safety, labour arbitrations. She was a member of the legal team that represented Delwin Vriend and the 2SLGBTQ+ community up to the Supreme Court of Canada in the Charter challenge to Alberta’s human rights legislation, which omitted sexual orientation as a ground of prohibited discrimination. She has written submissions to or appeared before various levels of court including the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, the Alberta Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada; and boards and tribunals including the Alberta Labour Relations Board, the Workers’ Compensation Board, and the Alberta Human Rights Panel.
Jo-Ann obtained her LL.B. from the University of Alberta in 1987, receiving prizes in Criminal Law small section (1985) and in Trusts (1987), and participating on The Alberta Law Review. She volunteered with Student Legal Services (1984-87), serving as Chair in 1986. She was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1988, articling and then working as an associate at the firm of Witten Binder. She has a B.A. (With Great Distinction) from Stanford University (1969), with a major in economics. Before entering law, she worked as a journalist / writer, editor, and photographer, including at the Alberta Teachers’ Association, Alberta Hansard, and CBC Toronto. She has had articles published in The Globe and Mail, the Edmonton Journal, The Lawyers Weekly, NeWest Review, Heritage Magazine, Education Digest, This Magazine, NACLA Report on the Americas, and in the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Jo-Ann’s professional involvement has included:
- Law Society of Alberta, member of the Equality, Equity and Diversity Committee 2007-08
- Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Administrative Law (Northern) Co-Chair 2004-06; executive member 2007-09
- Alberta Law Reform Institute Judicial Review Rules Committee 2003-07
- Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers / Association canadienne des avocats du mouvement syndical (CALL / ACAMS), life member; Alberta Vice-President 2002-04; member of the International Labour Rights Committee, including representation at conferences / meetings of labour lawyers in Chile, Mexico, Venezuela, and Argentina
Her presentations have included at the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre; the CBA, Alberta Branch, and at a national CBA annual conference; conferences of CALL / ACAMS; various union women’s committees and education sessions; and University of Alberta human rights classes.
She is currently a member and volunteer with the Alberta Labour History Institute and has been active as a member and volunteer, including as Chair, of the Edmonton branch of the Women’s Legal and Education Action Fund (LEAF) and as counsel or co-counsel for LEAF National on cases on hate speech limitations in human rights legislation. She appeared on behalf of LEAF at hearings on the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights.