Loretta Bouwmeester is a partner in Miller Thomson's Calgary office, practising in the areas of employment and labour law, occupational health and safety, human rights, and privacy law. Loretta also works with Aboriginal bands in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Alberta and assists them with their corporate commercial and other business needs.
Loretta's practice includes working with employers and employees in wrongful termination matters and human rights disputes. She drafts severance packages and employment agreements, conducts and advises on workplace investigations (including OHS post incident investigations), and assists employers to develop workplace policies to comply with occupational health and safety, employment standards, privacy and human rights legislation. Loretta has her H2S Alive and WHMIS training (valid until 2014), which enables her to rapidly access sour gas and other oil and gas facilities.
Prior to joining Miller Thomson, Loretta worked with another National law firm in addition to working in-house with a municipality on a broad range of issues. She brings the benefit of this experience to her clients when working with them to both resolve disputes and in proactive strategic planning and risk management initiatives. She also had the benefit of working with the Provincial Government of Alberta in the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations, as well as the Federal Department of Justice in the Aboriginal Law Group and the Federal Court while in law school.
Professional Achievements
Loretta is co-author of the Disability Management Compliance Manual published by Lexis Nexus in March 2010. She also wrote an article titled "Proposed Amendments to Saskatchewan OHS Legislation", for the Gowlings OHS Newsletter, May 2011.
In addition, Loretta has presented at a number of conferences and seminars, including:
· University of Calgary - Overview of Privacy Law, November 2011
· Miller Thomson Breakfast Seminar with Guest Speaker Frank Work (Privacy Commissioner); "Drug & Alcohol Testing in the Workplace", Calgary and Edmonton, October 2011
· B.C. Human Resources Management Association Roundtable - Social Media. HR & the Law, September, 2011
· Spectra Energy In House Safety Symposium, September 2011
- Bill C-45: Criminalization of OHS Offences
- Contractor Management: Legal Considerations in a multi-jurisdiction regulatory environment
- Fit for Duty? Addressing Impairment in the Workplace
- Post-Incident Investigations: Legal & Other Considerations
· Canadian Institute North American Pipeline Symposium - How to Plan for a Shortage of Skilled Labour on the Horizon, June 2011
· LEXPERT Social Media Law Program - Employment Issues, June 2011
· Keyera/Olds College Employment Relations Course Caselaw Update, Olds, Alberta, May 2011
· Lorman Education Services - Workplace Human Rights Conference. Presenter and Moderator (Drug and Alcohol Testing) March 2009
· PIPA Conference 2010, Getting Though the Privacy Jungle, How to See the Forest ... and the Trees. Co-Presenter for Presentation entitled "You Put That Online? Social Networking, and Workplace Privacy", October 2010
· Privacy Law Overview Guest Lecturer. University of Calgary Law School, October 2010
· Gowlings' Energy Seminar Series Co-Presenter at Aboriginal Consultation and Accommodation Update Seminar, November 2010
· Aboriginal Consultation and Accommodation Conference. Pacific Business and Law Institute, September 2010 (Panel Member for session titled "A Look at Federal and Provincial Approaches to Accommodation)
· Lancaster Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference, June 2010 (Panel Member for Workshop titled "Dealing with Attendance Management and Disability Issues - New Ideas, Practical Solutions")
· Faculty of Arts, March 2010 (Psychology) Guest Speaker. St. Mary's University, (Privacy Law Overview)
· Workplace Human Rights Conference Presenter and Moderator. Lorman Education Services, (Drug and Alcohol Testing) March 2009
· Employment and Labour Law Seminar. Gowlings, (Drug and Alcohol Testing) April 2009
· Faculty of Engineering Guest Speaker. University of Calgary, (Employment and Labour Law Concepts) November 2009
Representative Work
Loretta has appeared before the Provincial Court and Court of Queen's Bench in Alberta. She has appeared before the Territorial and Supreme Courts in the NWT in addition to the MacKenzie Valley Land and Water Board, among other regulatory bodies in the NWT.
She has experience with resolving complaints before the Alberta Human Rights Commission and applications with the Alberta Labour Relations Board. She also has trial experience in OHS matters.
Community Involvement
Loretta is a member of Council with the Alberta Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and is the Chair of the Sponsorship Committee for the 2012 Alberta Law Conference. She is a past-president of the NWT branch and was chair of the NWT Labour and Employment Law Section for four years.
Loretta is also a member of the following NWT Law Society Committees and Task Forces:
· Admissions Committee
· Discipline Committee
· Territorial Mobility Agreement Task Force
Loretta had the opportunity to act as legal counsel to the Yellowknife 2008 Arctic Winter Games, in addition to being co-chair of the Welcome and Send-Off Committee. She has also been an instructor for the Government of the NWT Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (School of Community Government) teaching municipal law.
Memberships
· Member, Canadian Bar Association
· Member, Calgary Bar Association
· Member, Law Society of Alberta
· Member, Law Society of NWT
· Member, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Industry Expertise
Construction and Infrastructure
Oil and Gas
Transportation
Areas of Focus
Workplace Health and Safety, Policy Investigations and Defence
News
October 5, 2011, Calgary, Loretta Bouwmeester, Veronica Choy and Mariana Hohman are quoted in the Calgary Herald regarding new foreign worker regulations.
Events
October 28, 2011, Edmonton, The Edmonton Labour & Employment Group Host a Breakfast Seminar on "Drug & Alcohol Testing in the Workplace"
October 21, 2011, Calgary, The Calgary Labour & Employment Group Host a Breakfast Seminar on "Drug & Alcohol Testing in the Workplace" October 21st, 2011
Publications
March 20, 2012, The Alberta Court of Appeal Weighs in on Restrictive Covenants, Labour and Employment Communiqué
Late in 2011, the Alberta Court of Appeal considered the enforceability of restrictive covenants. Unfortunately for employers, it further narrowed the scope of circumstances in which this will be the case, at least in Alberta. As...