Melissa Atkins-Mahaney

The applicants, an employee and the employer, sought judicial review of decisions by the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the Minister of Labour regarding the negotiation of a first collective agreement.

The Board had ordered first agreement arbitration, and the Minister subsequently cancelled a scheduled final offer vote.

The Divisional Court dismissed the applications, finding that the Board did not breach its duty of fairness, the Vice-Chair was not biased, the decision to order arbitration was reasonable, and the Minister had the jurisdiction to cancel the vote.

Following the dismissal of the application, the court considered the parties' written submissions on costs.

The court fixed the costs payable by the applicant to the respondent union at $6,000.

The applicant employer sought judicial review of two Ontario Labour Relations Board decisions certifying the respondent union and refusing reconsideration.

The employer argued the union fraudulently misrepresented the delivery date of its certification application, causing the employer's response to be deemed late.

The Divisional Court dismissed the application, finding the Board's refusal to reconsider was reasonable because the employer had notice of the delivery date dispute prior to the initial decision and failed to raise it in a timely manner.

The applicant employee sought a stay of a first contract arbitration ordered by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, pending a judicial review of the Board's and Minister of Labour's decisions.

The applicant argued that the Board and Minister breached the employees' rights to natural justice and procedural fairness by not providing notice or an opportunity to participate.

The Divisional Court dismissed the motion for a stay, finding that the applicant failed to establish irreparable harm, as the mere imposition of a collective agreement pending the judicial review would not exacerbate the alleged harm.