For a printable copy of the agenda please click here.
Friday, May 1, 2026
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm - CACE Sponsored Networking Event – Top of the Inn, Sheraton Cavalier Hotel
Saturday, May 2, 2026
9:30 am – 10:30 am - Registration – Conference Foyer
10:30 am – 11:30 am - Workshop: Workplace Yoga – Flexibility in Complex Accommodation Cases – Center Room
Attendees will be provided with a complex accommodation case scenario to review before the Conference. In this facilitated workshop, come ready to discuss the employer’s options under employment, labour and human rights law and explore potential paths forward with your peers.
Speakers: Caroline Richard, Bird Richard & Amanda Sarginson, NAV Canada
11:50 am – 12:50 pm - Attendee Networking Lunch – Southwest Room
15 Minute Q&A with 2025 Bursary Winner Michael Prysunka & Bursary Chair, Calen Nixon, McDougall Gauley LLP
12:55 – 1:05 pm - Welcome Remarks – Center Room
Speakers: Jill Wilkie, Miller Thomson LLP & Amy Tibble, Hicks Morley
1:05 – 2:05 pm - Prepared Beyond a Reasonable Doubt – Effective and Efficient Hearing Preparation – Center Room
Preparing for a labour arbitration may seem like a daunting task. With mounds of documents, witnesses who are non-responsive, union counsel who prepare the week before the hearing and clients who demand efficiency, labour practitioners must be able to be nimble. Learn from seasoned pros regarding document disclosure, witness preparation, research tips and how to win over labour arbitrators, all while meeting your client’s expectations.
Speakers: Monica Bokenfohr, Neuman Thompson & Erin Ludwig, Health Shared Services
2:05 – 3:05 pm - Control, Alt, Oops …. – Responding to Employee Privacy Breaches – Center Room
When a privacy breach occurs, employers contact their trusted advisor: their labour and employment counsel. Learn how to advise your client over those initial hours, days and weeks. This presentation will cover the best practices for responding to privacy breaches in the workplace and will identify common mistakes made that can cause risks for employers.
Speakers: Meghan Cowan, Aird & Berlis LLP & Gordon Hamilton, McDougall Gauley LLP
3:05 – 3:30 pm - Networking Break – Conference Foyer
3:30 – 4:30 pm - This Contract is Enforceable Today – Employment Contract Drafting in Transactions – Center Room
Experienced transactional employment lawyers will review the common employment contracts that employment practitioners are called upon to draft on the purchaser side and vendor side of share purchase and asset purchase transactions. Learn the nuances that M&A counsel may overlook and how to add extra value as an advisory member of the transactional team.
Speakers: Steven Dickie, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP & Tim Lawson, McCarthy Tetrault LLP
6:15 – 9:00 pm - Mentoring Reception & Dinner – rRemai Modern Art Gallery - 102 Spadina Cres E, Saskatoon
Mentors:
Jill Wilkie, Miller Thomson LLP
Amy Tibble, Hicks Morley
Vicki Giles, McLennan Ross LLP
John Agioritis, MLT Aikins LLP
Brittany Carson, Lavery, de Billy LLP
Nigel McKechnie, Hicks Morley
Nicole Skuggedal, Lawson Lundell LLP
Meghan Cowan, Aird & Berlis LLP
Michael Horvat, Aird & Berlis LLP
Christopher Deehy, Lapointe Rosenstein Marchand Melançon, LLP
Calen Nixon, McDougall Gauley LLP
Sunday, May 3, 2026
9:00 – 9:45 am - Buffet Breakfast – Southwest Room
9:45 – 10:45 am - Getting Your House in Order – Practice Management Tips – Center Room
There is rarely enough time to get everything on the to do list accomplished and to somehow protect your mental wellbeing while managing a busy practice. With wisdom on how to find balance, this session will provide tips on managing files to a budget, keeping organized, staying on top of an ever growing to do list and using resources like artificial intelligence to assist.
Speakers: Amy Tibble, Hicks Morley & Brittany Carson, Lavery, de Billy LLP
10:45 – 11:45 am - I Just Have a Few Questions – Tips and Framework for Discovery/Questioning – Center Room
Try as you might, you cannot just follow a script. Learn practical tips for conducting a well run and effective discovery/questioning process, including sample wrongful and constructive dismissal questioning frameworks. The speakers will provide guidance on how to deal with difficult opposing counsel or an obstinate witness and how to properly prepare the employer’s witnesses.
Speakers: Michael Horvat, Aird & Berlis & Nigel McKechnie, Hicks Morley
11:45 am – 12:05 pm - Networking Break – Conference Foyer
12:05 – 1:05 pm - The First 48 Hours – Responding to Critical Workplace Incidents – Center Room
t can be frightening to receive a call that an employee has been injured or that there has been a fatality in the workplace, especially if this is not your area of specialization. After this session, you will feel prepared for when this call comes. Our panelists will review how to respond to both your client and regulators in those first 48 hours.
Speakers: John Agioritis, MLT Aikins LLP & Meghan Johnson, MLT Aikins LLP
1:05 pm - Closing Remarks – Center Room
Speaker: 2025-2026 CACE President, Vicki Giles
