Biographies – Canada Industrial Relations Board Appointments

Part-time Vice-Chair – Paul Love

A lawyer since 1985, Paul Love has been active full-time in adjudicative work since 2003. He has been a member of legal committees and associations for more than 20 years. He has participated in policy conferences on key decisions as a tribunal member. Recently appointed to adjudicate grievances for the Yukon Teachers Labour Relations Board, he has also adjudicated Indian Residential School abuse claims and federal public service grievances. He also works as a labour and commercial arbitrator.

Mr. Love has been appointed for a term of three years, effective December 1, 2017.

Part-time Vice-Chair – Lynne Poirier

As part-time Vice-Chair of the Nova Scotia Labour Board, Lynne J. Poirier has experience in the effective resolution and adjudication of workplace matters. Certified as a Qualified Arbitrator by the ADR Institute of Canada, she founded a labour and employment mediation and arbitration firm in 2015. Prior to these roles, she practised labour law in various organizations, including with Nova Scotia Power Inc., Ogilvy Renault and the Royal Canadian Mint. She is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and the Law Society of Upper Canada and has been an active member of many volunteer associations through the years.

Ms. Poirier has been appointed for a term of three years, effective November 29, 2017.

Full-Time Member (Employees) – Daniel Thimineur

Daniel Thimineur has been a lawyer since 1987, representing injured workers in hearing before various provincial and federal administrative tribunals as well as judiciary tribunals. A member of the Occupational Health and Safety Training Committee of the Barreau du Québec, and acting on the Board of Directors of the Centre d'intégration à la vie active, he also participated in corporate health and safety committees as legal counsel.  He spoke at several conferences and wrote articles in the Développements récents en droit de la santé et de la sécurité au travail publication.

Mr. Thimineur has been appointed for a term of three years, effective January 29, 2018.

Biographies – Reappointments

Full-time Vice-Chair – Louise Fecteau

Ms. Louise Fecteau has held the position of Vice-Chairperson at the Canada Industrial Relations Board since 2003. She holds a Bachelor of Law from the Université Laval and a Master of Public and Private International Law from the Paris-Sorbonne University. Ms. Fecteau has been a lawyer since 1982 and is a member of the Barreau du Québec. Prior to assuming her role with the Canada Industrial Relations Board, she worked as a lawyer in administrative and labour rights. She also served as Secretary General to the committee reviewing the Court of Quebec judges’ salaries, pension plans and other benefits. Ms. Fecteau was also Vice-President and General Manager of the Canadian Manufacturers’ Association. She has extensive experience in collective bargaining and grievance arbitration. She has been an active member of several committees, such as the Task Force on Professional Training for the Cultural Sector in Canada and different foundations.

Ms. Fecteau has been reappointed for a term of three years, effective December 1, 2017.

Full-time Member (Employers) – Richard Brabander

Richard Brabander has a broad professional experience in labour matters and administrative law which he practised with Heenan Blaikie from 1997 to 2011. Prior to that, he had established and led a labour, employment and human rights group within the corporate law department of Bell Canada. Mr. Brabander studied both Arts and Law at the University of New Brunswick. Throughout his career, he has participated actively in the Canadian Bar Association and other conferences on labour law and related subjects as a speaker, panel chair or conference chair.

Mr. Brabander has been reappointed for a term of three years, effective December 22, 2017.

Part-time Member (Employers) – Barbara Mittleman

Prior to her CIRB appointment, Ms. Mittleman held the positions of Legal Counsel, and subsequently, Director Employee Relations & Chief Privacy Officer at Canadian Pacific (CP), where she played a key role in employment-related policy and legislative initiatives with various organizations including FETCO (Federally Regulated Employers - Transportation and Communications), the Conference Board of Canada’s Council of Chief Privacy Officers and the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Prior to joining CP, she practiced in the fields of labour and employment law with the Canadian Air Lines Pilots’ Association and the law firm of Ogilvy Renault. She obtained her B.A. from McGill University, where she graduated with Distinction, and was awarded the Brian Dixon Award for the highest marks in the combined Civil and Common Law Program at the University of Ottawa. Ms. Mittleman has also received a Human Rights Leader Award from the Canadian Human Rights Commission, as well as a Platinum Award for Government Relations from CP.

Ms. Mittleman has been reappointed for three years, effective December 21, 2017.

Full-time Member (Employees) – Gaétan Ménard

Mr. Ménard has close to 30 years of experience as a prominent union representative for the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) and in 2006 became the youngest national officer in the CEP’s history. As Co-Chair of the Proposal Committee, he oversaw the merger between the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union and the CEP to form Unifor, Canada’s largest private‑sector union, on August 31, 2013. Mr. Ménard had his first appointment as an employee representative Member of the CIRB in 2014.

Mr. Ménard has been reappointed for a term of three years, effective December 14, 2017.

Part-time Member (Employees) – Paul Moist

Paul Moist was elected President Emeritus of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in 2003, and served until 2015. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Shareholder Association for Research and Education and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He has previously held numerous positions including: Treasurer of United Way of Winnipeg, Vice-Chair of the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation, Co-Chair of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council, and Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress.  In 2012, Paul was awarded the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Arts Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2015, the Public Policy Forum awarded him the Peter Lougheed Award.

Mr. Moist has been reappointed for a term of three years, effective December 21, 2017.