The CBA Board of Directors represents the full diversity of Canada’s legal profession. They are responsible, together with CBA staff, for setting a course for the CBA’s future and remain focused on serving our members.
The Board is composed of one member from each province and territory, plus the CBA President and CEO. It is our pleasure to introduce the Board’s members to you.
Meet the CBA Board of Directors
Loreley Chekay, K.C., President
Loreley Chekay, K.C. 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.
Robyn Trask | Vice-President & National Sections
Robyn Trask (she/her) is a Partner at Victory Square Law Office in Vancouver. Her practice includes representing clients on labour, human rights and constitutional issues before labour arbitrators, various tribunals, and at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. From 2024 to 2026 Robyn worked with the BC Labour Relations Board and Employment Standards Tribunal as in-house counsel and as a Vice Chair of the Board. Robyn was previously in-house counsel with the BC Teachers’ Federation for 16 years, including six years as General Counsel.
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.
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.
Patricia Blair | British Columbia
Patricia Blair was the 2025–2026 President of the CBA’s British Columbia branch. A family law lawyer and mediator, she is the founding partner of River Valley Law LLP, based in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.
Patricia served as the County Representative on CBABC’s Provincial Council for five years and was on the Board of Directors for four. She also supported the advancement of women in the legal profession as a volunteer with the Women Lawyers Forum Mentorship Program.
Patricia founded her firm in 2021 after nearly a decade working at the Duncan office of a mid-sized Vancouver Island firm, where she articled, became an associate and made partner.
She has been a supervising lawyer for the Poverty Law Advocate Program through the Law Foundation and was the former Chair of the Board for the Cowichan Women Against Violence Society. Patricia earned her JD from the University of Victoria and holds a BA from Vancouver Island University.
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.
Laura K. Cutler | New Brunswick
Laura is a graduate of the Université de Moncton Faculty of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mount Allison University. She is a member of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Bars, with significant litigation experience in medical malpractice, regulatory and administrative law, professional defence work, and other complex litigation files. Actively involved in the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), she has served on the CBA-NB’s Executive since 2022 and as President from February 2024 to September 2025. She is pleased to represent New Brunswick as a member of the CBA National Board.
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.
Stefanie Nicole Laurella | Northwest Territories
Stefanie Nicole Laurella is a private practice litigator based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, with a diverse litigation practice focused on guardianship and child protection, labour and employment, and tenancy law. Originally from Toronto, Stefanie has called the North home for more than nine years, having lived and practiced in both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Prior to moving north, Stefanie practiced at a boutique civil litigation firm in Toronto, where she developed a strong foundation in civil litigation and advocacy.
Stefanie served as President of the CBA NWT Branch from 2025 to 2026, having previously held the positions of Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer. While living in Nunavut, she also served on the CBA Nunavut Branch Executive.
Stefanie is the incoming Chair of the CBA Equity Subcommittee, continuing her commitment to advancing equity and inclusion within the legal profession.
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 Director of Legal and Deputy Regional 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.
Reché McKeague, K.C. | Saskatchewan
Reché McKeague, K.C., is General Counsel with the Saskatchewan Medical Association, where she provides strategic legal advice and governance support to the organization's senior leadership team and Board of Directors. Throughout her career, she has held in-house and contract roles with the City of Saskatoon, the Saskatchewan Real Estate Commission, the Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan, the Court of Queen's Bench for Saskatchewan, and the Law Society of Saskatchewan. She began her legal career with Robertson Stromberg LLP.
A member of the CBA since joining as a law student in 2003, Reché has been an active and dedicated volunteer leader within the organization for more than two decades. She served as President of the CBA Saskatchewan Branch from 2021 to 2022 and has been a member of Branch Council since 2013. She currently serves as Chair of the CBA Saskatchewan Resolutions, Constitution & Bylaws Committee.
Reché also served for 14 years as Designate Complaints Counsel for the Law Society of Saskatchewan and has presented at numerous continuing professional development programs. Her commitment to community service includes nearly 30 years of involvement with Girl Guides of Canada, for which she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal. She has also contributed to a variety of community organizations, including her children's school community council and Wide Open Children's Theatre.
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.
Emma Marie MacIntosh | Young Lawyers
Emma Marie MacIntosh is a lawyer on the litigation team for the Nova Scotia Department of Justice.
Emma has been an engaged member of the CBA since she was a law student. At the branch level in Nova Scotia, she has been the chair of the Law Student and Young Lawyer section and is currently the Chair of the Public Sector Lawyers. She is also part of the Bystander Intervention Working Group, which developed and administers training to combat sexual harassment in the legal profession. In 2021 she was presented with the Zoe Odei Young Lawyers Award for her Branch and community involvement.
She previously sat on the Nova Scotia Branch Board of Directors as well as the boards of local not for profits from sport organizations to community museums. She is pleased to bring this experience to her role as the Chair of the Young Lawyers section, and Young Lawyers representative on the Board of Directors.
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.
Stacey Soldier | Director-at-Large
Stacey was president of the Manitoba Bar Association from 2025 to 2026. She is a senior associate at Cochrane Sinclair LLP from the Gaabiskigamaag community, also known as Swan Lake First Nation. She graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba in 2007 and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 2008. Her legal practice includes trial litigation in Criminal Law and Child Protection Law, and she has extensive experience representing victims of sexual violence. She also served as co-counsel for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs at the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Stacey has taught Criminal Justice, Family Law, and Indigeneity at the University of Manitoba.
