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in its US$6.5-billion acquisition of Chevron's Alberta assets, including the Athabasca Oil Sands Project and Duvernay shale assets

in defence of four civil claims brought by family members of two workers that tragically died from a derailment in 2019

in relation to a drug and alcohol termination grievance

in its stalking-horse bid with Macquarie Equipment Finance for four Ontario natural-gas-fired generating facilities from Validus Power

in their majority interest sale of the company to TowerBrook Delta Fund

in its acquisition of a portfolio of base metal assets in Sudbury Basin, Ontario, from a subsidiary of KGHM International

successfully defended an application seeking a stay of injunction decision

supporting PTW in the full range of its labour and employment matters in Western Canada

in its acquisition from ABRY Partners of Blue Mantis and its subsidiaries in the United States, Canada and India

in its asset sale of the Jasper SkyTram with Pursuit

in defence of this civil claim for damages relating to alleged sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace

on the purchase of the Palliser Block assets in Alberta from Cenovus Energy for cash consideration of $1.3 billion

in its C$200-million plan-of-arrangement acquisition of Givex

defending a claim alleging breach of non-competition clause, breach of non-solicitation clause, breach of fiduciary duties and intentional interference in economic relations

brought appeal of employment standards decision which had found that an employee who refused to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination or undergo regular testing was constructively dismissed

in defence of a labour grievance relating to the termination of a worker for cause for repeated breach of safety protocols

in respect of the planned highspeed and/or high frequency passenger rail line that will span almost 1,000 kilometres of dedicated and electrified rail line serving 7 stations between Quebec City and Toronto

in its labour arbitration matters in Alberta

in its acquisition of Vumetric Cybersecurity


in an arbitration involving its mandatory Workplace Vaccination COVID-19 Standard, the first arbitration in Alberta involving a union grievance over a mandatory COVID vaccine policy

in the employment and labour aspects of their modernization and operation of a resilient 30,000-km electricity transmission and distribution system for Puerto Rico

in the sale of its entire Canadian fossil fuel-based electricity generation portfolio for approximately $835 million, which was completed in three stages, through the sale of its interest in the Cory project in Saskatchewan to SaskPower International

in a union certification drive in Alberta and in arbitration arising out of the new collective agreement

in its labour and employment matters, including Canada- and United States–based executive compensation matters; union and non-union labour and employment litigation; and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives

in the employment aspects of its wind-up of its Canadian operations on an accelerated timeline

in various labour and employment matters in Ontario and Alberta

in the successful navigation of a contractor cease-of-service matter, resulting in continuity of service

in the employment and labour aspects of its acquisitions of Thompson Construction Group and Midlite Construction

in its acquisition of Kyndryl's Securities Industry Services' wealth and capital markets technology platform

in its approximately US$300-million acquisition of RPM Technologies

in a range of employment matters, including occupational health and safety issues and public market issuer legal issues

in its defence of an action brought by former owner alleging breach of post-sale non-compete obligations, and a separate matter against former employee for theft and misuse of confidential information

in matters related to ownership and operations of assisting living housing projects

in its formation and the formation and capitalization of POI Holdings by a syndicate of private Canadian investors led by Cody Church, on behalf of Clear North Capital

in its acquisition of the business of Advanced Presentation Products

in its acquisition of Nachurs Alpine Solutions

an independent industrial supply company offering both traditional and non-traditional MRO products and related services, in its sale to affiliates of Side Management

in their approx. $3.8-billion sale of substantially all of their assets to Canadian Natural Resources Limited

in the sale of its software and automation businesses to affiliates of Emerson Electric

as Canadian counsel, in its acquisition of People 2.0

completed its acquisition of NSC Minerals from an investor group led by Altas Partners

in its $10-9 billion acquisition of Pinnacle Foods

in its acquisition of the Dash 8 program from Bombardier

completes US$320-million acquisition of Primero and enters into new stream agreement at San Dimas Mine

defended employer in 4 employment-related claims (3 wrongful dismissal, 1 claim for disability benefits), 3 of which resolved through settlement

in its acquisition of ConocoPhillips' Deep Basin conventional assets in Alberta and British Columbia and 50% interest in the FCCL Partnership

in the redevelopment and 30 year operation of Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport

in the sale of its Alberta oilsands assets to Athabasca Oil Corporation for the consideration of $435 million cash, 100 million common shares and contingent value payments triggered at oil prices above US$65/bbl WTI

in its acquisition of drilling technologies companies Warrior Rig, Warrior Manufacturing Services and certain related subsidiaries

in its acquisition of Plitron Manufacturing

in its reorganization pursuant to a plan of arrangement and concurrent refinancing

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Private Equity & Investment Funds

Property Development & Real Estate

Susan G. Seller

Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner 

We help employers and plan administrators design, manage and govern pension and benefit plans, ensuring compliance, cost-efficiency and security for employees&rsquo; futures.

Pensions & Benefits

Ranked Band 1, Employment & Labour: Alberta

Recognition

Ranked, Labour and Employment

David M. Price

Employment Services Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner

Cameron Penn

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Associate

In Alberta Union of Provincial Employees v Alberta Health Services, 2025 ABKB 465 (AUPE v AHS), the Alberta Court of King's Bench upheld the Alberta Labour Relations Board's (Board) decision to penalize the Alberta Union of Provincial Employes (AUPE) by suspending its union dues for one month as a consequence for AUPE's support of an illegal "wildcat" strike during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Declawing a Wildcat Strike Alberta Court

Declawing a Wildcat Strike: Alberta Court Upholds Suspension of Union Dues for Illegal  Strike by AUPE

Carl Cunningham

Management-side Employment Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Katelyn Weller

Counsel at Bennett Jones Toronto

Counsel

David Cassin

Employment Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s recent decision in Wigdor v Facebook Canada Ltd, 2025 ONSC 4051 provides helpful clarity for employers on two key issues: the enforceability of restricted stock unit (RSU) forfeiture provisions, and the legal threshold for awarding punitive damages in employment disputes.

Forfeiture Clause Upheld

Forfeiture Clause Upheld, Punitive Damages Denied: Favourable Takeaways for Employers

In the recent decision of <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcca/doc/2025/2025bcca261/2025bcca261.html">Aspen Technology, Inc. v. Wiederhold</a>, 2025 BCCA 261 (<a href="https://canlii.ca/t/kdhjj">Wiederhold</a>), the British Columbia Court of Appeal enforced an arbitration/forum selection clause in an employee incentive plan, overturning a lower court decision and staying the employee's civil claim in favour of arbitration in Massachusetts

BC Court of Appeal Upholds Arbitration and Foreign Law Clauses in Employee Incentive Plan

Madison Stemmler

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

The recent decision of Bougiotis v Manji, <a href="https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2025/2025onsc2365/2025onsc2365.html?resultId=868f9af2a48b494885fee1022efcaf6a&searchId=2025-06-25T14:46:31:541/8603dfeb845f4601ba52456b49e31ae0">2025 ONSC 2365</a>, is a cautionary tale for departed employees thinking of misbehaving; and serves as an example of the relief available to employers where former employees engage in damaging conduct post-departure.

Misbehaving Employees Beware

Misbehaving Employees Beware: Ontario Court Cracks Down on Post-Termination Misconduct 

In Taylor v Salytics Inc., <a href="https://canlii.ca/t/kckgn">2025 ONSC 3461</a> (Taylor), the Ontario Superior Court of Justice emphasized the importance of a substance-over-form analysis in the interpretation of employment agreements, concluding that a temporary lay-off provision in an employment agreement was not a termination provision and so, the validity of the lay-off provision is independent of the validity of the termination provision.

Lay Off Provision Termination Provision Rules Ontario Court

Ontario Court Confirms Temporary Lay-Off Clause Is Distinct From Termination Clause

The Employment and Labour Law Reporter featured David M. Price and Cameron Penn’s article, “Not So Dependable? BC Court Says Employers May Not Expect Dependent Contractors to Get Less Reasonable Notice Than Employees,”

Employment Services

Overview

Key Contacts


Bennett Jones Employment Services We help employers navigate complex employment, labour and benefits issues with practical, strategic advice that mitigates risk and supports workforce success. Key Contacts Carl CunninghamPartner Aldona C.L. GudasPartner Laura InglisPartner Christine PlantePartner Overview Key Contacts Carl Cunningham, Partner • Co-Head of Employment Services Practice Toronto • 416.777.4847 • cunninghamc@bennettjones.com Aldona C.L. Gudas, Partner Montréal • 514.985.4538 • gudasa@bennettjones.com Laura Inglis, Partner Edmonton • 780.969.2644 • inglisl@bennettjones.com Christine Plante, Partner • Co-Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department Calgary • 403.298.3242 • plantec@bennettjones.com