BC Labour Relations Board

Adjudication Division

Brent Mullin - Chair
Michael Fleming - Associate Chair - Adjudication
Mark Brown - Associate Chair - Mediation
Lisa Southern - Registrar

Vice Chairs

Michael Adam	Beverley Burns	Ritu Mahil
Allison Matacheskie	Greg Mullaly	Bruce Wilkins
Ken Saunders	Philip Topalian

Members

EMPLOYER REPRESENTATIVES		UNION REPRESENTATIVES
Don Adams		John Bowman
Paula Boddie		Neil Bradbury
Denise Buchanan		Raj Chouhan
Paula Butler		Diane MacDonald
Geoffrey Howes		Gail Martin
Taj Kassam		Neil Roos
Peter Kulyk		Maureen Shaw
Mark Leffler		Colin Snell
Kathy Sanderson

Special Investigating Officers

Pat Driscoll
Patricia Garland
Wayne Mullins

Mediators

Mark Atkinson	Grant McArthur	Jim Kelly
Debbie Cameron	Jim Breckenridge	Steve Rinfret

Biographical Information

Brent Mullin, Chair
Brent Mullin was appointed as Chair of the Labour Relations Board effective January 6, 2002. Mr. Mullin had been practicing with a Vancouver law firm in the areas of labour, employment and human rights law. He was previously a Vice-Chair with the Board from 1992 to 1998.

Michael Fleming, Associate Chair - Adjudication
Michael Fleming obtained a B.A. from Simon Fraser University in 1978 and worked with the Ministry of Human Resources as a social worker until 1983. He then worked for the Canadian Farmworkers Union appearing before a number of tribunals and courts on behalf of the members. He received a LL.B. in 1988 from the University of British Columbia and then articled and practised law with the firm of Rush, Crane & Guenther until 1990. From 1990 to his appointment to the Labour Relations Board as Vice Chair in 1997, he was employed by the BCGEU holding several positions and appearing before various tribunals and arbitrators on behalf of the Union and its members.

Mark J. Brown, Associate Chair - Mediation
Mark Brown was appointed to the Board as Vice Chair commencing February 1, 1996. Mark graduated from Ryerson in Toronto in 1977 with a Bachelor of Business Management Degree. He joined the Canadian Red Cross as an Administrator of one of its centers in Toronto. In 1981 he joined Versa Services Ltd. as its Industrial Relations Manager responsible for collective bargaining and labour relations for Canada. From 1985 to 1995 he was employed by the Health Employers Association of B.C., and one of its predecessor associations. As the Director of Consulting Services, he was responsible for collective bargaining, third party hearings and resource management for the community care sector. In 1995 he briefly held a similar position for the Community Social Services Employers' Association before joining the Board.

Vice Chairs

Michael Adam, Vice-Chair
Unavailable

Beverley Burns, Vice Chair
Unavailable

Ritu Mahil, Vice Chair
Unavailable

Alison Matecheski, Vice Chair
Unavailable

Greg Mullaly, Vice Chair
Greg Mullaly is an experienced labour lawyer who represented unions. He became a vice chair on May 5, 2000.

Bruce Wilkins, Vice Chair
Unavailable

Ken Saunders, Vice Chair
Ken Saunders was appointed as a Vice-Chair for a three-year term commencing October 11, 2000. Mr. Saunders held the position of senior consultant with the Community Social Services’ Employers’ Association from October 1996. Prior to that he worked with Hospitality Industrial Relations as Assistant Director for six years. He has a degree in law.

Lisa Southern, Registrar
Unavailable

Philip Topalian, Vice Chair
Philip Topalian received a law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1977 and practiced law from 1978 to 1980. Mr. Topalian was appointed to the position of Labour Relations Officer in the Provincial Government in 1989, holding the position of Senior Labour Relations Officer with the Public Service Association since 1995. For the past thirteen years Mr. Topalian has been designated as the Public Service Employee Relations Commission contact for ministries.

Members

Don Adams, Employer Representative
Unavailable

Paula Boddie, Employer Representative
Paula Boddie has worked in the human resources/labour relations field for over 15 years. She has held senior management positions in the federal and provincial sectors, most recently as Vice President of Human Resources at B.C. Transit. Ms. Boddie held a similar position at the Vancouver Port Corporation and at the Vancouver Stock Exchange. Ms. Boddie has extensive experience in labour relations, human resources, and with employment equity and human rights matters and legislation. Currently, Ms. Boddie is a practising consultant in the broad human resources field.

John Bowman, Union Representative
Unavailable

Neil Bradbury, Union Representative
Neil Bradbury is a National Representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Mr. Bradbury has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Medical Services Association since 1985, serving as Vice Chairman since 1989 as well as Chairman in 1993 and 1994. He is a past member of the Workers’ Compensation Boards of Review and has held positions on the executives of CUPE Local 498, CUPE’s Fraser Valley District Council, and the CUPE B.C. Executive Board. He has instructed courses for the Canadian Labour Congress, the B.C. Federation of Labour and CUPE’s six-level program. He regularly represents unions and locals before tribunals.

Denise Buchanan, Employer Representative
Unavailable

Paula Butler, Employer Representative
Unavailable

Raj Chouhan, Union Representative
Unavailable

Geoffrey Howes, Employer Representative
Geoffrey Howes has 35 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry. He has worked in virtually all aspects of the industry, from waiter to chef to owner. As Director of Operations for Toseki Entertainment Ltd. he is responsible for the day-to-day operation of three fine dining restaurants - Salmon House on the Hill, Aqua Riva and Horizons. He also has considerable experience in labour policy issues, as an executive member of the Coalition of B.C. Businesses and as the Vice-President of Government Affairs for the B.C. Restaurant & Food Services Association.

Taj Kassam, Employer Representative
Unavailable

Peter Kulyk, Employer Representative
Unavailable

Mark Leffler, Employer Representative
Mark Leffler is Manager, Personnel and Labour Relations for the Greater Vancouver Regional District. In that capacity he is responsible for collective bargaining on behalf of 16 municipalities and the Regional District in a voluntary bargaining association. His department negotiates some 60 collective agreements covering more than 13,000 employees, including inside/outside employees, police, firefighters, nurses, museum and public library staff. The department also provides job evaluation, workers’ compensation and employment equity services throughout the Region. Mr. Leffler is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and, prior to joining the GVRD in early 1986, held a variety of labour relations and personnel positions with Ontario Hydro, Liquid Carbonic Canada Ltd. and B.C. Hydro.

Diane MacDonald, Union Representative
Unavailable

Gail Martin, Union Representative
Gail Martin has worked for B.C. Telephone since 1967. For most of that time she has been involved with the Telecommunications Workers’ Union as a Local Executive member. She has served on several joint committees with company representatives including contracting out and technological change, work jurisdiction and job sharing. Since 1995 she has worked full-time for the TWU. She is also active in her community. In 1990 she was a candidate for Councillor in Delta, currently serves on the Delta Police Board, and is an executive member of the Canadian Association of Police Boards. She is married with two adult children.

Neil Roos, Union Representative
Unavailable

Kathy Sanderson, Employer Representative
Kathy Sanderson previously served the small business community of B.C. as the Chair of the Coalition of B.C. Businesses and as Director of Provincial Affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Currently, Ms. Sanderson works as a consultant and in addition to serving on the Labour Relations Board also sits as a member of the B.C. Labour Force Development Board.

Maureen Shaw, Union Representative
Unavailable.

Colin Snell, Union Representative
Colin Snell is the former President and Secretary Treasurer of the British Columbia Provincial Council of Carpenters. Prior to his election in 1985 to the Provincial Council, he was Business Agent of Carpenters’ Vancouver Local Union 452 for 15 years. Mr. Snell has held Executive Council positions with the B.C. Federation of Labour, the B.C. and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council and the Vancouver and District Labour Council.

Mediators

Mark Atkinson, Mediator
Mark Atkinson has been involved with labour relations since 1981. He is a former Staff Representative and Director with the Hospital Employees' Union. His duties included education, negotiations, arbitration, general collective agreement administration and the co-ordination of essential services.

Jim Breckenridge, Mediator
Jim Breckenridge is a former Senior Conciliation Officer with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service of Labour Canada. He was with FMCS from 1980 to 1992 and in that capacity dealt with numerous collective bargaining disputes in British Columbia, Alberta, and both Territories. His prior experience includes five years with the Public Service Alliance of Canada as a Regional Representative negotiating a variety of collective agreements. His other experience includes ten years as a meteorological technician with the Federal Government.

Debbie Cameron, Mediator
Debbie Cameron graduated from the Cariboo College Nursing program in 1976 and worked as a registered nurse for the next four years. In 1981 she was employed by the B.C. Nurses’ Union, initially as a Labour Relations Officer, then as Negotiations Officer and in 1992 became the Co-ordinator of Hospitals and Organizing. As Hospitals Co-ordinator she was responsible for negotiations and contract administration of all hospital sector collective agreements, covering more than 17,000 employees.

Jim Kelly, Mediator
Jim Kelly joined the Board in early 1992 following a long career in the union movement. After 13 years with Ford Motor Company, Mr. Kelly resigned his position at Ford and as Vice President of Local 707 United Automobile Workers and assumed a position with the Canadian Union of Public Employees as a National Representative, working for 15 years out of the Kelowna office. He has served on numerous arbitration boards and was responsible for administering a variety of collective agreements. Prior to joining the Board, Mr. Kelly worked as a private mediator.

Grant McArthur, Mediator
Grant McArthur graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1973. He worked for the Hospital Employees’ Union for approximately five years. He then joined the Labour Relations Board as a Special Investigating Officer in 1980 and left to work for Canada Post in late 1984. Mr. McArthur joined B.C. Rail in 1986 where he worked in labour relations and as Manager of Personnel Services for three years prior to returning to the Board.

Stephen Rinfret, Mediator
Stephen Rinfret has worked in both labour relations and human resources in B.C. for over 20 years. Immediately prior to joining the Board, he was Director of Labour Relations Services for the Continuing Care Employee Relations Association (now HEABC). During this time, Mr. Rinfret also taught an undergraduate course in collective bargaining at Simon Fraser University, and a similar course at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Montreal (Loyola College) and a Masters degree in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University.