Catherine Milne Founding Partner
Catherine Milne is a founding partner of Turnpenney Milne LLP and a trusted advisor with more than 30 years of experience in employment, labour and workplace law. Called to the Ontario bar in 1993 and the British Columbia bar in 2018, Catherine combines her legal expertise with a strong background in governance and human resources management. She holds an Honours Certificate in Human Resource Management from Humber College, is certified by the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI-CH), and in 2023 earned the designation of Certified Director (C-Dir.) from McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business.
Catherine represents both employers and senior-level employees and has appeared before courts in Ontario and British Columbia, the Canadian and Ontario Human Rights Tribunals, and a wide range of labour and employment boards and administrative bodies. She is regularly retained as an independent workplace investigator and has conducted close to 100 investigations across the private and public sectors – including high-profile matters in municipalities, school boards, universities, and government settings. Her investigation practice covers workplace harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, systemic and individual discrimination, fraud, conflicts of interest, code of conduct breaches, and health and safety concerns.
Catherine also provides facilitation, remediation and customized training to organizations seeking to address workplace challenges proactively. She has a particular interest in corporate governance issues honed from her having held several Board positions in the not-for-profit and public sectors. In 2023 Catherine completed her C-Dir from the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, and is regularly retained by Boards of Directors to advise on complex human resource and governance issues. She has a particular interest in the municipal sector, where she works closely with CAOs and elected members of council.
A recognized thought leader, Catherine is the author of Canadian Forms and Precedents – Employment (LexisNexis), a leading resource for employment practitioners. She is also a contributor to Canadian Employment Law Today and the Canadian HR Reporter. Catherine regularly speaks at continuing legal education programs for lawyers and HR professionals and has taught employment law courses at Seneca College and George Brown College. She is the past co-Chair of the Law Society of Ontario’s Six-Minute Employment Lawyer program.
Catherine has held executive positions with both the Ontario Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association’s Labour and Employment Sections. She is also a member of the Human Resources Professional Association (Ontario), the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia and Yukon, and the Association of Workplace Investigators.
When not working, Catherine spends as much time as possible outdoors on and around Georgian Bay, where she enjoys boating, hiking, cycling, gardening, and snowboarding.
