Remembering Ritu
Ritu Khullar. The Honourable Chief Justice of Alberta. Brilliant jurist. Inspirational leader. These are just some of the words the legal community is using to describe this remarkable woman. Ritu Khullar’s passing in early September has led to a flood of well-earned praise and fond memories. Ritu was part of our Chivers family. She was […]
WCB Appeals Commission Confirms Coverage for Firefighters Injured During On-Duty Fitness Activities
The Edmonton Fire Fighters’ Union, represented by Kara O’Halloran, successfully appealed WCB decisions that denied compensation for injuries sustained during on-duty fitness activities. In one case, a firefighter injured his back while playing wallyball with his crew at the fire hall in August 2023. The WCB initially denied the claim, concluding that the injury occurred […]
Alberta Human Rights Commission Orders Reinstatement Eight Years After Discriminatory Termination
The Complainant, represented by James Diebert, successfully argued before the Tribunal of the Alberta Human Rights Commission that reinstatement was the appropriate remedy after the Complainant had been terminated in a discriminatory manner due to disability. The Complainant had already proven that the Employer discriminated against her on the basis of physical and mental disability […]
Employee Reinstated – Poor Judgment and Lapse of Judgement did not Warrant Termination
The United Steelworkers, represented by James Diebert and Lee Klippenstein, successfully argued for the reinstatement of a grievor who was terminated after an incident at a bar mill in a steel manufacturing plant. The grievor was a pulpit operator. During her shift, a cobble occurred which required the mill to be stopped for clean-up and […]
Alberta Court of Appeal affirms that there is no difference between “participation in” or “study of” social activism for the purposes of disclosure and academic freedom protections
The Faculty Association of the University Calgary, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, and the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, recently had a significant win while intervening in Governors of the University of Calgary v Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2025 ABCA 350, at the Alberta Court of Appeal. Kelly Nychka and Camila Franco of […]
Appeals Commission for Alberta Workers’ Compensation rules that pandemic-related stressors gave rise to a compensable claim for a nurse’s psychological injury
Kara O’Halloran and Michelle Westgeest successfully challenged a decision from the Dispute Resolution and Decision Review Body (DRDRB) in Decision No.: 2025-0667 (2025 CanLII 112291). In that case, an emergency department nurse working during the COVID-19 pandemic received a diagnosis of adjustment disorder with anxiety from her family physician in 2022 and filed a claim […]
Arbitrator Reinstated Grocery Store Worker who was Terminated for Breach of Policy and “Sweethearting” for Assisting Customer in Accessing Discount
The Union of Calgary Co-op Employees successfully challenged the termination of one of their members in the Union of Calgary Co-op Employees in Calgary Co-operative Association v Union of Calgary Co-op Employees, 2026 CanLII 2712 (AB GAA). In that case, the Employer had terminated the grievor, a 64-year-old woman who had been employed at Co-op […]