Board of Director Members

Bianca Kratt, K.C., President

Bianca Kratt, K.C, native of Quebec City and member of the Huron-Wendat First Nation, is a partner at BLG in Alberta. She specializes in commercial and real estate law. She is an expert on corporate transactions and real estate financing deals as well as acquisitions and dispositions, leasing and land developments.

Bianca served as the CBA Alberta Branch president from 2021 to 2022 and she has been an executive member of the branch since 2019. As an active member of the CBA, Bianca is past chair of the Alberta Branch Residential Real Property Law Section and is currently co-chair of the Commercial Real Property Law Section.

As a bilingual lawyer, she also chaired the Association of French Speaking Lawyers of Alberta (AJEFA) which aims at promoting access to justice in French. Bianca is also a dedicated volunteer with the Law Society of Alberta’s Association of Women Lawyers and the International Association of Women Judges, raising awareness about inequalities women face in the legal profession.

Loreley Chekay, K.C., Vice-President

Loreley Berra Chekay, K.C. is the Executive Vice-President, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer with Saskatchewan Government Insurance where she specializes in advising on risk, good governance and the integration of legal principles within business areas. She is a past president of the CBA’s Saskatchewan Branch where she also sat on the Board of Directors from 2012 to 2021.

Since joining the CBA in 2002, she has been professionally engaged in the Saskatchewan Branch as past chair of both the Criminal South Section and Young Lawyers Section. At a National level, Loreley has been a member of the National Sections Executive Committee, an executive of the Young Lawyers Section and remains an executive of the Criminal Justice National Section.

Loreley has dedicated much of her time to volunteering with over a dozen organizations ranging from sports to public health. She continues to volunteer as a student mentor with the University of Saskatchewan College of Law which she has done for over a decade.

Nerissa Young | Alberta

Nerissa Young is a lawyer and trained mediator with nearly a decade of experience helping clients navigate the legal system. She has a general practice grounded in providing clear, practical solutions to complex legal issues, with a focus on empowering individuals to understand their rights and confidently manage their legal journeys.

Nerissa has held several leadership roles, including Case Law/Legislative Review Officer with the CBA Alberta Immigration North Section Board, Director of HIV Edmonton supporting health equity and advocacy for individuals affected by HIV, Director of the CBA Alberta Board of Directors, and Practice Review Committee Member at the Law Society of Alberta.

In addition to her legal work, Nerissa has developed an educational course called SELFY aimed at making family law more accessible, particularly for self-represented litigants.

Clare Jennings, K.C. | British Columbia

Clare Jennings, KC, has been a provincial Crown Counsel in Victoria, BC, since her call to the bar in 2008. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from McGill University and earned her law degree at the University of Victoria. A CBA member since 2006, Clare has been involved as executive of the CBABC Criminal Justice-Victoria Section and served on several committees, including Access to Justice, Restorative Justice, and chairing the Professional Issues Committee for three years. She served on the CBABC Board of Directors from 2018 to 2022, culminating in a term as President in 2021-22. She has been involved with the Victoria Law Day committee since 2008 and writes the scripts for their annual mock trial. Clare has co-coached University of Victoria moot teams for over a decade, including the MacIntyre Moot and the Gale Moot.  She has taught at PLTC and is a regular presenter at professional development courses, acted as a Law School Mentor, and been an Articling Principal. In addition to her work with CBA and CBABC, Clare is a member of the Board of Directors of the Restorative Justice Association of BC and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Victoria Bar Association. For fun, Clare reads, bakes, and recently joined a community choir.

Ian Scarth | Manitoba

Ian Scarth is a partner with MLT Aikins LLP (Winnipeg Office) where he primarily practises civil litigation. He also advises clients in Estate administration, foreclosure and debt collection matters. He has appeared in all levels of court in Manitoba and Alberta and before numerous administrative tribunals. Ian has served on numerous volunteer boards including the Manitoba Bar Association, the Manitoba Law Foundation, Virtuosi Concerts Inc., and the Manitoba Wildlife Federation. Ian spends all of his spare time with his wife Roxanne, three young children and French bulldog.

Carley Parish, K.C. | New Brunswick

Carley is a managing partner with Lutz Parish Gerrish in New Brunswick, having been at the firm since 2004. She has appeared at all levels of Court in New Brunswick. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Simon Fraser University in 2001, Bachelor of Law from the Université de Moncton in 2004. She has taught at the University of New Brunswick Law School and has taught at the New Brunswick Bar Course. She is the former president of the Law Society of New Brunswick. 

Carley received the E. Neil McKelvey Q.C. Pro Bono and Volunteer Service Award in 2019, the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in 2018, the Town of Hampton Small Business Week Award for Community Leadership in 2015. Her community involvement includes serving as Chair of the Hestia House board of directors, board member of Mindcare NB through the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation and incoming President of the Rotary Sussex. She is the only female official inducted into the North American Men’s Fast Pitch Hall of Fame.

Greg French | Newfoundland and Labrador

Greg French’s primary practice areas are property law and municipal law. He is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland (B.A. (Hons.) 2008) and the University of New Brunswick (LL.B. 2011). He articled at the New Brunswick Court of Appeal under the Hon. J. Ernest Drapeau and has worked since 2012 at Mills Pittman & Twyne in Clarenville, NL.

Greg has been a longstanding executive member of the CBA NL Branch and currently serves as the CBA-NL Real Estate and Property Law Chair. He is also an elected Bencher of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador representing the Central District of Newfoundland and serves as the Law Society’s Real Estate Chair and Title Standards Committee Chair.

Greg served as the Chairman of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Financial Services Appeal Board from 2017 to 2024, and as an arbitration panelist on the Muskrat Falls Land Use Expropriation Panel from 2021 to 2024. He has published a number of academic works on Newfoundland and Labrador property law, and in 2023 was awarded the Jack Allston Award by the NL Association of Professional Planners for his work on Crown Lands reform and its effects on municipal planning.

M. Kathleen McManus, K.C. | Nova Scotia

M. Kathleen McManus, K.C., born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a part-time faculty member at Dalhousie Schulich School of Law where she has taught Crown law since 2002. Her primary areas of practice included: administrative law, employment law, constitutional law and Crown law. She received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Constitutional History from the London School of Economics, London, U.K. in 1992 as a Commonwealth Scholar. In 1995, she received her Bachelor of Law degree from Dalhousie University. Upon completion of her clerkship with Justice Arthur J. Stone at the Federal Court of Appeal, she was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1997 and to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2006. She joined the Department of Justice in Ottawa in 1997 where she practiced as a civil litigator and continued this practice upon her move to the Department of Justice in Halifax.

She has appeared before the superior courts and courts of appeal in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and the Federal Courts, as well as the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. In 2022, she was appointed King’s Counsel and appointed as a member to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. She was a founding member of Chisholm Services for Children, Halifax, was a co-founder of the Crown Law Symposium in 2018, and served as President of the CBA Nova Scotia Branch from 2022-2023.

John Inglis | Northwest Territories

John Inglis is a lawyer with over 20 years of legal experience. He specializes in family law issues, environmental issues, real estate problems (including easements, boundaries, and trespass), and land development matters (including permits, zoning and variances, and agreements). He has a passion for the more personal side of law, and helps people with by-law prosecutions and their wills, powers of attorney and estate issues. He also offers practical and strategic legal advice on permitting, licensing, compliance, environmental assessments, contamination issues, and regulatory issues. John earned his Bachelor of Laws, LL.B in Land Development from York University Osgoode Hall Law School and an M.E.S. in Environmental Planning, also from York University. He also holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees, in Philosophy and Linguistics.

Stephen Mansell | Nunavut

Stephen Mansell grew up in Nunavut and has dedicated his career to advancing governance and justice in the North. He was called to the bar in 2007 after completing a Political Science degree at Carleton University and a Law degree at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, where he focused on northern and Indigenous governance.

After two years in private practice, Stephen joined the Nunavut Department of Justice in 2009, serving as Legal Counsel, Director of Policy, and Assistant Deputy Attorney General. In 2017, he became Director of the Nunavut Law Program, an Iqaluit-based initiative delivering the University of Saskatchewan law curriculum locally. Stephen then served over five years as Nunavut’s Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General, overseeing the justice system, corrections, and courts.

In 2024, Stephen was appointed the Government of Nunavut’s Chief Negotiator for Devolution, a deputy minister level role leading negotiations and implementation of the Nunavut Lands and Waters Devolution Agreement. Alongside his government service, Stephen has served two terms as an Iqaluit City Councillor, President of the Law Society of Nunavut, and President of the Canadian Bar Association’s Nunavut Branch. Stephen lives in Iqaluit with his wife, Theresa, and three daughters: Lillian, Malaiya, and Phoebe.

Kelly McDermott | Ontario

Kelly McDermott is a senior solicitor at the Regional Municipality of Durham specializing in labour and employment law. She has been practicing in labour law for 17 years, and, in addition to her in-house municipal practice, she has practiced at both national and boutique firms on both sides of the bar.

She has volunteered on various boards of directors and committees including the Durham Legal Aid Clinic, Durham Region Law Association, Grandview Kids, and the Emergency Services Steering Committee. Kelly has been involved with the OBA and on the association’s Board of Directors and Council in various capacities for many years. She became OBA president in March of 2023 and is focusing her mandate on creating reliable, accessible support networks to assist lawyers facing challenges and changes in their careers and lives. In her own words: she wants to ensure that every member who needs support when life shows up will turn to the OBA and find exactly what they need to endure, adapt and thrive. Kelly was a MS Ambassador for MS Society of Canada representing Ontario and Nunavut. Finally, and most importantly, she is a mom of two and an avid runner.

Suzie Lanthier | Quebec

Suzie Lanthier is a Montreal-based Gowling WLG partner. She practises primarily in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, with a focus on commercial litigation arising out of business operations and contractual arrangements, focusing in the areas of general civil liability, product and manufacturers' liability, environmental liability and in construction and real estate matters.

Suzie's resourcefulness has been a key factor in many major complex litigation files pertaining to manufacturers' and professional sellers' liability, contractual liability, tendering procedures, real estate and insurance matters. Her experience is often sought out in all aspects of civil procedure, including injunctions, order of safeguards and appeals. As a litigator, she acts before the Court of Québec, the Superior Court and the Québec Court of Appeal.

Given her experience in real estate and environmental law, Suzie regularly provides counsel on the drafting of contracts in these practice areas. Her passion for the law prompted her to complete a master's degree in business law during which she received the André-Savoie scholarship for honors in civil law and the Centre du droit des affaires et du commerce international scholarship for honours in business law. Suzie practises law in English and in French.

Benjamin Bruce Warnsby | Yukon

Benjamin Bruce Warnsby (Bruce) is a Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Citizen and a member of the Crow clan. He was president of the Yukon Branch of the Canadian Bar Association in 2022-23. As a disabled person (written communication, ADHD and Autism), he is passionate about supporting both Indigenous and disabled people in the legal profession. In 2014, he completed his law degree at the University of Victoria. He had the great fortune to intern with the Maori Land Court and Waitangi Tribunal in New Zealand. Prior to law school, he worked for Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in Treaty implementation negotiations. Following his call to the bar in 2016, Bruce practiced for two years as a sole practitioner in criminal defence. His current practice focuses on Yukon First Nations Treaty Implementation and Governance, primarily in justice working to re-awaken Indigenous laws. He is a member of the Judicial Council of the Territorial Court, the Yukon Water Board, and he serves as Secretary of the Law Society of Yukon. Outside of work, he enjoys walking, listening to science fiction or history audiobooks, and dancing and singing with the Han Singers. He performed in the 2010 Vancouver Opening Ceremonies and has a passion for good peanut-free food and all things nerdy.

Tamzin Gillis | Prince Edward Island

Tamzin Gillis is currently the Director of Contracting and Legal Counsel at Canada's Ocean Supercluster, an industry-led, national ocean cluster accelerating the development and commercialization of globally relevant ocean solutions.  She served as President of the CBA PEI branch from 2022 to 2023 and as Past Present from 2023 to 2024. From 2017 to 2022, she was In-House Legal Counsel for the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island, the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for Physicians providing care on Prince Edward Island. There she was responsible for negotiating the Physician Master Agreement and representing physicians in individual contract negotiations. For over a decade prior to joining MSPEI, Tamzin was a litigation lawyer with McInnes Cooper, a regional Atlantic Canada firm.  There, she focused on construction, administrative, alternative dispute resolution, labour and employment, and health law, and was published nationally for her work on mechanics’ liens. Tamzin earned her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from University of New Brunswick and holds a Bachelor of Arts from St. Thomas University.

Heidi Schedler, K.C. | CBA In-House Lawyers

Heidi Schedler, K.C., is General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Halifax Port Authority, where she provides comprehensive internal legal services and strategic counsel to the executive leadership team and Board of Directors. She previously served as Director, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Halifax Water, Atlantic Canada’s largest water utility. Her extensive public sector experience includes roles as Solicitor with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, Strategic Consultant with PEI Consumer, Corporate and Financial Services, and Senior Enforcement Counsel with the Nova Scotia Securities Commission.

Ms. Schedler is deeply committed to advancing the legal profession and has held numerous leadership positions within the Canadian Bar Association, including National Past President and Executive Officer of CBA-In House Lawyers (formerly Canadian Corporate Counsel Association). She also previously served as Chair of the National Women Lawyers Forum and currently chairs the Hearing Committee of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.

A graduate of Dalhousie University Law School (2001) and the University of New Brunswick (B.A., 1998), Ms. Schedler was appointed King’s Counsel in 2022.

Graeme Maitland | Young Lawyers

Graeme Maitland is an associate at Aarbo Fuldauer LLP in Calgary, Alberta. He focuses his practice primarily on general civil litigation, employment law & human rights, and family law. Graeme serves as the National Chair of the CBA Young Lawyers, after being a member of the Executive for the last seven years and having been the CBA Alberta South Young Lawyers Chair from 2017-2019. After becoming a member of the CBA on his third day of law school at Dalhousie University, Graeme has been an active member, including being the past chair of the Alberta Branches Articling Students Section from 2017-2018 and being a current member at large on the Alberta South Young Lawyers Section and a member at large on both the National and Alberta South Small, Solo and General Practice Sections.

Robyn Trask | National Sections

Robyn Trask is Legal Counsel to the British Columbia Labour Relations Board and Employment Standards Tribunal.  Prior to joining the Board and Tribunal, Robyn was General Counsel for a large public sector union and has represented clients in labour arbitrations, labour board and human rights matters and at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.  Earlier in her career, Robyn worked with a Toronto litigation firm and completed her articles with a national union.  Robyn has also spent time working with legal organisations in Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.  Before joining the CBA Board, Robyn held other positions within the CBA, including Chair of the CBA Sections Subcommittee, Chair of the CBA National Labour and Employment Law Section and Co-Chair of the CBA BC Branch Labour Law Section.  She was also previously President of the Board of Directors for West Coast LEAF.  Robyn holds a B.A. and an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia, and an LL.M. from the University of London.

Ryan Dawodharry | Director-at-Large

Ryan Dawodharry is Deputy Director and Senior Counsel with Justice Canada in Vancouver. He has over a decade of experience in criminal law and civil litigation and currently leads a team of counsel in the Business and Regulatory Law Section. Ryan is a recognized leader in advancing anti-racism, equity, inclusion, and mental health in the federal public service.

He has served as Co-Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Racialized People at Justice Canada and is also a member of the CBA Equity Subcommittee, where he has led national advocacy on inclusive courtroom practices. Ryan served on the board of CLICK, a Vancouver-based charity supporting children living in poverty, for six years, including his time as Vice-President.

He is deeply committed to mentorship, having served as a principal to articled students at Justice Canada and as a long-time mentor to law students and NCA candidates through the CBA. Ryan holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology. He is a recipient of national and regional awards for his contributions to equity and workplace wellbeing. He also holds a micro-certificate in Anti-Racism from the University of British Columbia.

Etienne Esquega | Director-at-Large

Etienne Esquega is the principal lawyer of Esquega Law Office, based in Fort William First Nation, Ontario. Called to the Ontario Bar in 2005, he has dedicated his career to serving First Nation governments, organizations, and businesses. His practice focuses on governance, economic development, and land claims, along with representing clients in his civil litigation practice at all levels of court and before administrative tribunals.

He served as a Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, Director of LawPro, Trustee of the Law Foundation of Ontario, and Council Member (Northwest Region) for the Ontario Bar Association. He is an adjudicator with the Law Society Tribunal, a contract Presiding Inquest Hearing Officer for Ontario’s Chief Coroner’s Office, and a member of the Ontario Civil Rules Committee. He also serves as trustee for multiple First Nation trust funds, sits on the Indigenous Human Rights Program Advisory Council for Pro Bono Students Canada, and recently co-authored a chapter on Indigenous peoples and Ontario Coroner’s inquests in the 2024 publication Canadian Anthology on Mental Health and the Law.

A proud member of Biinjitwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek, Etienne holds a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Windsor.