The Society has assigned veteran Labour Relations Staff Officer Blaine Donais to work with Legal Aid Ontario staff lawyers to achieve their first collective agreement.

Having served Society members since 1995, Donais has worked with many locals to negotiate collective agreements, administer grievances, develop local leadership skills, and build and maintain healthy relationships with management.

Donais has specific experience in transitioning new locals into The Society, including negotiating the first agreement for the Ontario Energy Board Local and transitioning the Ontario Power Authority Local into the Independent Electricity System Operator Local during that merger.

In addition to his work with The Society, Donais has written four books and hundreds of articles on workplace conflict management. Some of these include:

  • Workplaces That Work (2006);
  • Engaging Unionized Employees (2010); and
  • The Art and Science of Workplace Mediation (2014)

In his spare time, Donais is an instructor of workplace conflict management at York University and University of Toronto (Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources) and acts as Visiting Lecturer at universities around the world. He is also a prolific musician and song writer.

If you have any urgent workplace issues or questions that require immediate attention, you can reach Blaine Donais at donaisb@thesociety.ca.