Catherine Milne

Partner

Catherine Milne is a founding partner of Turnpenney Milne LLP.  She has been a member of the Law Society of Ontario since 1993. In 2018, she was called to the Bar in British Columbia. She obtained her law degree from Osgoode Hall and received a General Diploma in Law from the London School of Economics.  In 2001, she was granted an Honours Certificate in Human Resource Management from Humber College and in 2018, she received her AWI-CH from the Association of Workplace Investigators.

Catherine represents both employers and employees and has appeared before the Ontario courts, Canadian and Ontario Human Rights Tribunals and federal and provincial labour and employment boards, as well as other administrative bodies. Catherine is regularly retained to act as an independent workplace investigator and has worked in a variety of private and public sector settings, including School Boards, Universities, Municipalities, Government and Quasi-Government environments. Her investigation practice includes allegations of workplace harassment and bullying, sexual harassment, Code of Conduct violations, conflicts of interest, fraud, discrimination (personal and systemic), dishonesty and theft, hostile work environment and health and safety violations. In addition Catherine is often retained to provide in-house training and workplace facilitation and remediation to clients on a variety of workplace issues. Catherine has an interest in corporate governance issues honed from her having held several Board positions in the not-for-profit and public sectors.

Catherine is the author of the LexisNexis publication Canadian Forms and Precedents – Employment. Catherine’s work is a collection of state-of-the-art precedents and forms along with practical commentary on all issues facing employment practitioners.  She is a contributing author to Canadian Employment Law Today and the Canadian HR Reporter, as well as other publications.

Catherine is a regular speaker at continuing legal education presentations for lawyers and human resource specialists. She is the current co-Chair of the Law Society of Ontario’s Six-Minute Employment Lawyer programme. Catherine has taught law and employment law courses at Seneca College and George Brown College.

Catherine is a former long-time member of the Executive of the Labour and Employment Section of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), where she held a variety of executive positions. Catherine is a current member of the Executive of the national (CBA) Labour and Employment Section. She is a member of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA Ontario), the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia and Yukon and the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI).

When not busy at work, Catherine tries to spend as much time as possible outside – and ideally outside of Toronto – travelling, hiking, cycling, gardening, boating and snowboarding.

Contact
Memberships

Member, Law Society of Ontario, 1993
Member, Law Society of British Columbia, 2018
Member, Association of Workplace Investigators
Member, Human Resource Professionals Association
Director, Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre Corporation, 2017 to present

  • “Catherine – Working with you has been an excellent experience for me. As you know, we are your biggest fans – your quick assessment of the situation, ability to articulate the employment legislation in a language we understand, valuable input and professional advice have always allowed us to address employment concerns with confidence. It is because of you we earn credibility with our management team. I cannot help but think we will have the opportunity to work together again in the future, as your support in my role has been invaluable. I have enjoyed working with you, thank you so much. All the best to you and your team.”

  • “Catherine’s work on my behalf at a very difficult time was exceptional. She is a gifted professional who handled my file compassionately, with honesty and integrity. I highly recommend her.”

  • I am most grateful for the service I received from Turnpenney Milne. Their very professional yet personable approach served me very well with a workplace predicament while I was in a vulnerable health situation myself. Catherine’s strategic approach, her knowledge of the legal system, her understanding of my situation, her advocacy and tenacity on my behalf and her expeditious approach resulted in a favourable solution for me. I would definitely recommend Turnpenney Milne to anyone who is in need of a labour lawyer.”

  • “In my experience lawyers often recommend action that while possible, is often less than practical – and sometimes in their own best interest. That has never been the case with Catherine. In contrast, Catherine looks for the best realistic and overall outcome, and helps her clients conduct themselves in the way most likely to achieve that.”