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Heather Ann McConnell

Heather Ann McConnell

Partner

Biography

Heather Ann McConnell is an attentive listener, which makes her a great lawyer. She asks the questions needed to understand her clients’ goals and takes the time required to understand the issues, culture, and language of the specialized workplaces of her clients.

Heather Ann works closely with teachers, first responders, municipal employees and other workers on every issue they face in the workplace. A labour lawyer through and through, Heather Ann litigates before grievance arbitrators, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. She also regularly represents educators in child protection investigations and professional discipline matters. Her work reflects her deep and long-standing commitment to the protection of public services and public education and her clients seek her assistance on cases that have a broad impact for their members and workers across Ontario.

A seasoned negotiator—in mediation/arbitration, in settlement discussions with a professional regulator, and at the bargaining table — Heather Ann brings creativity and tenacity to deliver results. She understands how vital collective bargaining is in sustaining and improving the lives of workers and their families. She is exhilarated by the exhausting hours at the negotiating table and the nitty-gritty details of interest arbitration.

Heather Ann also works as a neutral. She holds a certificate in Adjudication for Administrative Agencies, Boards and Tribunals from Osgoode Hall Law School and the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators, has training in Restorative Practices from the International Institute for Restorative Practices, and performs workplace harassment and discrimination investigations.

Heather Ann’s commitment to social justice and cultural diversity reaches beyond her practice of law. She is an active member of the Nelson Mandela Park Public School Parent Counsel and was the co-chair of COBA, the Collective of Black Artists’ – Parent Action Committee.. She is a member of the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers, and is a current member, and former chair, of the Ontario Bar Association’s Education Law section.

When she’s not working, you can find Heather Ann taxiing her children to their various arts and sports activities and cheering on her favourite Toronto sports teams – the Toronto Raptors and the Blue Jays.

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