Team

Barry S. Arbus is an experienced arbitrator, mediator and has acted as corporate counsel to Canadian and international businesses with an emphasis on international transactions. He has extensive experience as a lawyer and in alternative dispute resolution in various industries including finance, manufacturing, entertainment, hospitality, communications and health care.

He earned his LL.B. and LL.M. (in corporate finance) at Osgoode Hall Law School and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1981.

He is a member of the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Canadian Tax Foundation, and has served as President of the International Alliance of Law Firms.

Barry Bresner is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. He is also a mediator and arbitrator with ADR Chambers. Recently retired after 38 years of practicing commercial and insurance litigation with a major national law firm, he has handled and resolved a wide variety of disputes in the financial services industry.

Bernard Morrow is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office (ADRBO).

He is a non-practising lawyer, chartered mediator and arbitrator. He is the principal of Morrow Mediation, a full-service dispute resolution firm. Bernard has conducted more than 1500 mediations over 25 years of practice. His areas of focus as a mediator include commercial, employment, partnership and insurance disputes. He recently served for four years as the Law Society of Ontario’s Complaints Resolution Commissioner, performing an ombuds role, independently reviewing professional conduct complaints against lawyers and paralegals. As Commissioner, he conducted in excess of 600 complainant-initiated reviews, each concluded with the issuance of a written decision. Bernard has also served as a mediator and adjudicator with the office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, addressing complex access to information appeals and highly sensitive privacy breaches. In his role as an adjudicator with the IPC, Bernard adjudicated more than 300 appeals, each concluded with the issuance of a binding written decision.

Bernard obtained his B.A. in 1982 and LL.B. in 1985, both from Western University.  In 1988, he was awarded his LL.M. by the London School of Economics and Political Science in London, England, in the areas of labour, employment law and human rights. In 2013, Bernard was awarded the Chartered Mediator (C. Med) designation by the ADR Institute of Canada, Canada’s only professional designation for practising mediators.

Bernard is active with the Ontario Bar Association’s ADR Section, and currently serves on the ADR Section’s Executive. He is also a member of the ADR Institute of Ontario and the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman.

Bill is a mediator and investigator with ADR Chambers. 

His areas of expertise include personal injury, labour relations, coaching and mentorship, and workplace and partnership disputes. He financed and started up his own printing business so he is very familiar with the issues and challenges that face small business owners. Bill has mediated hundreds of disputes in areas such as wrongful/constructive dismissals, personal injury, collective bargaining and expedited arbitration.

Bill has over 40 years of experience in labour relations and human resources and has conducted a number of seminars on mutual gains bargaining. In his role as a human resources executive, Bill was responsible for thousands of employees and all HR related activities at several Fortune 500 organizations in both Canada and the US.

Bill earned his B.A. (Economics) from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and his certificate in Dispute Resolution from York University. He is available to conduct mediations and investigations in-person, by video conference and teleconference.

Bryan Desautels is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office.  He has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry having held various positions in personal banking, small business banking, corporate banking, risk management, including in-house counsel for several Canadian financial institutions.  Bryan has a law degree from the University of Ottawa. He is bilingual (English and French) and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Barreau du Québec and also volunteers with Pro Bono Ontario.

Cindy is a mediator and investigator with ADR Chambers.

Cindy mediates long term disability, personal injury, employment, property and casualty and reinsurance disputes. Her areas of expertise include insurance, employment, workplace, franchise and commercial disputes. Cindy has considerable background in claims management, people management, career coaching and consulting experience, to help people successfully resolve their disputes.

During her corporate career, Cindy held the position of Vice President, Life and Health Claims for a major insurer and has extensive knowledge of LTD and other insurance issues and processes. While leading the claims department, she developed escalated complaints and appeals processes and procedures, ensuring any received were handled accordingly. In addition, Cindy has extensive claims auditing experience.

From 2008 to 2014, she served as a chair for the Insurance Section of the ADR Institute of Ontario and volunteered as a community mediator for Scarborough Conflict Resolution Service.

Cindy has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Certificate in Advanced Dispute Resolution from York University. She also has a certificate from the ADR Institute of Ontario in Civil Procedure and training from St. Stephen’s Community House in Interpersonal Mediation. Cindy serves on the Board of the Women’s Centre of York Region.

Dana Hirsh is an independent investigator for ADRBO.  She was called to the Ontario bar in 2001 and the New York bar in 2007.  She has worked in private practice, as in-house litigation counsel, as a mediator and arbitrator at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and now privately.  She is known for her knowledge, experience, creativity and persistence in assisting parties towards achieving solutions to even the most complex disputes.  

She has successfully mediated over 3,000 disputes.  Her experience ranges from insurance, commercial disputes, landlord and tenant, labour and employment and banking.  She has developed and taught courses pertaining to Conflict Resolution, Dealing with Difficult Parties and Best Practices.  She is the author of published articles.  She is a member of the Canadian Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.  

On her free time, she enjoys downhill skiing, swimming and travelling.  

David Israelson is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office and a member of the Law Society of Ontario. He is a writer, editor, communications and strategic consultant and co-founder and Principal of Eon Communications and Research. David conducts training programs across Canada and internationally and has served as a senior writer for the Premier of Ontario. His published work includes two books, academic and corporate writing and many articles and commentaries he has contributed as a foreign correspondent, communications executive and business journalist.

Deborah Anschell is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. She is also a mediator and arbitrator with ADR Chambers. In her mediation practice, Deborah has facilitated the settlement of hundreds of complex civil cases in a variety of subject matters including insurance, real estate, employment and corporate/commercial matters.

Deborah has a Master of Laws in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School (1998) and is a member of the Law Societies of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Deborah has a special interest in ombuds work, and is the author of The Role of the Ombudsman as an Alternative Dispute Resolution Process in the Financial Services Industry (1998).

Deborah has extensive experience in the financial services sector. Prior to establishing her dispute resolution practice, Deborah was Assistant Vice-President and Senior Counsel with Manulife Financial in Toronto. In this role, she supervised a team of several lawyers and administrative staff, and provided litigation services to both head office and several regional offices across Canada. While at Manulife, Deborah developed a dispute resolution model for resolving and evaluating litigation cases.

Derek is a 37-year veteran of the insurance industry in Ontario and is retired from his position as VP, Claims for a large Public Sector insurance provider. He now mediates out of London, Ontario.

His years of experience in investigating and resolving large liability and first party claims coupled with his experience and training in dispute resolution, have led him to be an excellent mediator and investigator.
Having successfully completed over 90 hours of ADR training, including advanced mediation skills and cross-cultural dispute resolution Derek has been accredited as a Qualified Mediator by the ADR Institute of Ontario.
 
Derek is a past member of the Ontario Insurance Adjusters Association and a past member of The Canadian Insurance Claims Managers Association. He is also a past Director of the Insurance Institute of Southwestern Ontario, instructed CIP courses for over 10 years and is a past Vice-Chair of the IBC Claims Committee.

Eban Bayefsky is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. He is also a mediator, arbitrator and investigator with ADR Chambers. Eban has over thirty years of experience in alternative dispute resolution, conducting arbitrations and mediations in a wide variety of insurance, personal injury and workplace disputes. Eban earned his LL.B. at the University of Toronto Law School, and his LL.M. in Administrative Law at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Ellen Fry is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. She is also a mediator and arbitrator with ADR Chambers and is a former Ombudsman for the National Capital Commission, a former Member of the Ontario Energy Board and a former Member of the Canadian International Trade Tribunal.

Ellen is a highly experienced dispute resolution professional and has made presentations to  the private and  public sectors on fair process. She brings over 15 years of experience in dispute resolution. She has resolved hundreds of disputes, involving banks and other businesses, federal and municipal government operations, customer service, regulations, procurement, customs and international trade.

Prior to becoming a dispute resolution professional, Ellen was  Director of the Legal Departments of Industry Canada and Environment Canada. She has been a member of the Ontario Bar since 1979 and has an LLB from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from Queen’s University.

Emile Ramlochan is an experienced investigator, adjudicator, mediator, and dispute resolution professional with an extensive professional and academic portfolio. Drawing on these experiences he has developed the expertise and aptitude for conducting thorough and accurate investigations.  In addition to his Bachelor of Science Degree, Emile holds a Master of Laws degree in ADR and a Master of Laws degree in the field of Health Law, both of which were earned through Osgoode Hall Law School.

Gareth Oliver is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombudsman Office. Gareth has recently returned to Canada after spending a number of years in London, England, where he worked as a bankruptcy examiner for the Insolvency Service, a legal department within the British Government. There he conducted investigations into both personal bankruptcies and company insolvencies. Gareth dealt with a broad cross-section of clientele encompassing major financial institutions, businesses of various sizes and individuals. He has extensive experience in interviewing, and mediating disputes between creditors and insolvent parties. Whilst in London, Gareth also completed a diploma in insolvency administration and took numerous courses in both interviewing skills and mediating client disputes.

Since his return to Canada, Gareth has completed the Canadian Securities Course and is currently in the process of becoming a Certified Financial Planner.

Georges Dessaulles is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. Georges is a lawyer who recently retired after spending over thirty years working in the financial services sector. He has acted in a wide variety of legal matters relating to personal and branch banking, personal and commercial lending, privacy, trade finance and international banking. In the latter part of his career he was responsible for overseeing compliance with Federal consumer banking laws and regulations and dealing with the relevant Federal government regulators on behalf of a major Canadian financial institution.

Georges is bilingual and is a member of the Quebec Bar. He has frequently spoken on compliance matters both in Canada and internationally. He is currently chairman of the Canadian Centre for Ethics and Corporate Policy.

Glen Grunwald is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office.  He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois and is licensed to practice in the State of Colorado.  He also has an MBA and Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

After graduation from law school, Glen practiced corporate law with Winston and Strawn in Chicago before embarking on a career in professional sports management, having worked as an executive for the Denver Nuggets, the Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks.  Glen also has served as the President & CEO of the Toronto Board of Trade and the Director of Athletics & Recreation at McMaster University.  He is presently the President & CEO of Canada Basketball and an advisor with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Heather Bird is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. She is also a criminal lawyer with a practice in Hamilton, Ontario. Heather Bird has law degrees from both Canada and the U.S. and is licensed to practice law in Ontario, New York and Connecticut. She is a former journalist and an author of two books on criminal trials.

Jonathan Jacobs is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. He is also a lawyer and is admitted to practice law in the Province of Ontario, the State of New York and the United States Court of International Trade. Jonathan is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto Law School where he teaches a course on Negotiation.

Jonathan is also a past instructor with the Stitt Feld Handy Group. He has provided alternative dispute resolution training across North American and the Caribbean to governments, national banks and industry specific companies and organizations. Jonathan is also a member of the ADR Institute of Ontario.

Kelly Toughill is an investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. Prof. Toughill is also an award-winning journalist and journalism educator who has held leadership positions in both Canadian media and Canadian post-secondary education. She was a political correspondent and investigative reporter at The Toronto Star before taking on the role of deputy executive editor in charge of newsroom personnel at Canada’s largest newspaper.
She joined the faculty of the University of King’s College School of Journalism in 2006. As a tenured associate professor, she focused her research on the evolving business of journalism and, later, on Canadian immigration policy. As director of the School from 2010 to 2016, Prof. Toughill helped King’s move into graduate education and helped establish two unique graduate writing programs. Prof. Toughill has served on many boards, including the board of the Canadian Journalism Foundation and the Board of Governors of the University of King’s College. She has an MBA from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from San Francisco State University.

Kimberly Cork is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. She is also a mediator with ADR Chambers. In her mediation practice, Kimberly has facilitated the resolution of hundreds of disputes and civil litigation cases, mostly in the area of insurance and commercial matters.With a degree in Conflict Resolution Studies, over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 16 years managing litigation for a large Canadian insurer, Kimberly brings a wealth of experience to her role. Management roles throughout her career have also provided her with extensive knowledge in the areas of group conflict, human rights, harassment, workplace disputes, wrongful dismissals and workplace safety and health.

Committed to the development of the practice of law to include effective advocacy in the mediation environment, Kimberly has dedicated significant time as a judge for the International Competition for Mediation Advocacy (ICMA), the Canadian National Mediation Advocacy Competition (CNMAC) and the ABA Representation in Mediation National Competition. In addition to her role and involvement with these competitions, she has also acted as a coach for Mediation Advocacy Skills, a judge for Negotiation Skills for the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba, and guest lecturer for the Faculty of Conflict Resolution Studies at the University of Winnipeg and the LLM in Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Lorraine Howard is an Investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office.  Prior to joining our organization, Lorraine worked as a lawyer for a provincial government ombudsman’s office.  She subsequently joined a bank’s legal department and assisted the branch banking network with legal inquiries involving many aspects of branch banking.

Louise is a Fellow and Chartered Arbitrator (CIArb) and accredited mediator with extensive international experience in the areas of commercial/corporate law, employment and insurance law. She has arbitrated cases under ICC, HKIAC and UNCITRAL Rules including wrongful dismissal, sales, banking, construction and shareholder disputes in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Canada.

Lynne Vicars is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office whose extensive experience in both consumer banking services and commercial litigation has fostered a passion for bringing technology to the legal profession, and to conflict resolution in particular. As in-house counsel to a multinational financial institution for over 18 years, Lynne developed a deep expertise providing practical solutions on a wide variety of legal matters. Lynne is a practicing lawyer in New York State and a non-practicing member of the Law Societies of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

As president of the Ontario Bar Association for the 2018-19 term, Lynne spearheaded initiatives to advance gender equality, legal innovation, and technology in the profession – causes she continues to champion. Lynne is committed to access to justice for all and views emerging technologies supporting ADR, as a means of making conflict resolution more accessible and affordable.

With an M.B.A. in International Business, and a law degree from the University of Alberta, a Masters in e-Business Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt from the University of Toronto, Lynne brings a broad tool kit and unique perspective to her work

Marc Bhalla (he/him) [biracial] is an Investigator at the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office.

An experienced mediator and arbitrator/adjudicator, Marc holds the senior Chartered Mediator (C.Med) and Chartered Arbitrator (C.Arb) designations of the ADR Institute of Canada. Since 2005, he has had a private dispute resolution practice, complemented with longstanding community commitment and service of Ontario’s public justice system since 2017.

Marc earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Dispute Resolution from Osgoode Hall Law School (2019) and an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law (2012).

Marc has written extensively about conflict resolution. He has contributed to peer-reviewed academic journals, authored books and had over 100 articles published in a variety of periodicals.  

Marc has spoken from coast-to-coast across Canada and in the United States, including keynote addresses at conferences in Regina, Saskatchewan (2019) and for “The Americas” constituent of International Mediation Awareness Week (2022).

Marc is Dispute Resolution Faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School’s Professional LL.M. program and is a Curriculum Developer and Instructor of the Certificate in Dispute Resolution Program offered by York University’s School of Continuing Studies. He has lectured at the Faculty of Law of Queen’s University, the University of Calgary and the University of Saskatchewan, the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of Ontario. Marc is an Academic Partner of the Authentic Allyship Project, where he contributes as a non-Indigenous ally.

Recognized for his leadership, dedication and support of the field, Marc was presented with a STAR Award by the ADR Institute of Ontario in 2020. He is a member of the Diversified Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada and the South Asian Bar Association.

In 2022, Marc was elected to represent Ontario on the Board of Directors of the ADR Institute of Canada.

Marcel Mongeon is a bilingual investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. He has served as a deputy judge in Ontario’s small claims court system for more than 20 years where he has heard dozens of cases involving Canadian chartered banks.Marcel is an independent mediator and arbitrator in commercial matters and is an internationally recognized teacher in commercial transactions and negotiations, intellectual property and corporate governance. Marcel is a lawyer qualified to practice in Ontario, Quebec and New York State and holds masters degrees in Business, Science and Law.

Michael L. Maynard is an Investigator with the ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. He is also a Mediator and Facilitator with ADR Chambers.

Michael mediates a variety of litigated and other interpersonal disputes. His areas of practice include administrative, code of conduct/disciplinary, contract, insurance, landlord/tenant, and workplace matters. He has experience in public policy and civic issues, and has consulted on organizational framework and ADR systems design. Michael has acted as a mediation coach and ADR trainer, and as a neutral he has mediated more than 2000 cases. He also developed and taught several courses in alternative dispute resolution at Durham College.

Michael is a co-author of Choices in Approaching Conflict: Understanding the Practice of Alternative Dispute Resolution (Emond Publishing, 2010)

Patrice Brunet is an investigator with ADR Chambers Banking Ombuds Office. After completing a year at York University in Toronto, he received his law degree from the Université de Montréal and is a member of the Quebec Bar since 1992. He also completed The Directors College’s full program in 2010, earning the title of Chartered Director (C. Dir.).

For the vast majority of his professional career, Patrice has been managing a team of lawyers in his own law firm, with a short detour quarterbacking a large international transaction in Dubai from 2012 to 2014. Perfectly bilingual, Patrice is also a renowned international arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Sports Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and ADR Chambers. Throughout his career, he has rendered over a hundred decisions and recommendations both as an arbitrator and an investigator.

Paul is an investigator, mediator, and arbitrator who comes to ADR from a litigation background. He was called to the bar in 1972 and practiced in partnership until 1990 when he established his own firm. He was the founding principle of York Street Dispute Resolution Group Inc. in 2003 when he became a full-time third-party neutral. During that time frame. he was also a Deputy Judge of the Ontario Small Claims Court for 25 years.

He has lectured at the Bar Admission Course, he has given presentations to the Advocates Society of Ontario where he was also a director during the 1980s. He has lectured for the American Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association and many other organizations. He is the author of more than 75 published articles.

He Is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators and received the president’s award in 2013. In 2014 the Academy made him a “Knight “which is the highest honour a member can receive.

He is currently on the advisory board of the Winkler Institute of Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School and is responsible for the annual Winkler/IAM program.

He is an honorary director of the Foundation Board for the Michael Garron Hospital and currently serves
as a Director of Para Sport Ontario.

ROSLYN J. LEVINE, QC

From 2007 to 2018, Roslyn Levine was Executive Legal Officer for the Ontario Superior Court, after an extensive career at the Department of Justice. In her role with the court, she served as chief legal counsel to the Chief Justice and the court’s executive members on judicial administrative matters. She was the formal liaison between the judicial and executive branches of government for all court-related issues, managing and resolving those issues between the branches. 

Ms. Levine is currently an adjunct professor at University of Toronto Faculty of Law where she teaches courses on legal research and writing. She is active in not-for-profit board work and volunteers her services for organizations serving the legal profession. She holds law degrees from McGill University and a Masters in law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.

She was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2006. During her legal career she received numerous awards for her public service and service to the legal profession.