Daniel Pugen ^*

A partner and the Chair of our Labour & Employment Group, Daniel has built a robust and multifaceted practice representing and advising employers on a wide variety of labour, employment and human resources/workplace issues.  

On the labour relations side, Daniel’s clients benefit from his expertise when responding to union certification drives and unfair labour practice complaints. He also represents clients at labour board proceedings, grievance arbitration and collective bargaining. His employment practice is varied and deals with all aspects of the employment relationship from hiring to termination, including employment standards compliance and complaints, employment contracts and policies, attendance/disability management, termination/severance obligations, departing employee obligations and restrictive covenants.

As he is often an extension of his clients’ labour relations, human resources or executive teams, Daniel is known for being extremely accessible to his clients and for providing practical, business-oriented advice. Rather than putting the brakes on a project or decision, or unduly ruminating on theoretical legal risks, Daniel is keen to ensure that business decisions regarding staffing and labour get put into action. To his clients, he is more than just their lawyer. He is a trusted advisor who often helps clients navigate human resources and business issues that precede the legal issues.

Daniel’s clients solicit his expertise not only when representing them in human rights proceedings, but also with human rights compliance and training. Daniel’s clients have turned to him as a strategic advisor to work through difficult workplace accommodation scenarios, including, most recently, those that have arisen from the new era of remote work and ‘return to the office’. He has extensive experience in workers’ compensation and occupational health and safety, and assists clients with regulatory compliance, responding to Ministry of Labour orders and defending employers in health and safety prosecutions. Daniel’s business acumen and practical nature also allow him to capably advise on labour and employment issues that arise in the context of a corporate transaction. 

His client base is varied, representing clients in both the private and public sectors in manufacturing, finance, energy, property management, insurance, technology, retail, social and community services, health care and developmental services. He has appeared as lead counsel in litigation matters before labour and employment tribunals and the Courts, including in cases before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Canada Industrial Relations Board, Grievance Arbitrators, the Human Rights Tribunal, the Workplaces Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, The Financial Services Tribunal, the Superior Court of Justice and the Divisional Court. Daniel is also an adjudicator for a statutory administrative tribunal in the electricity sector.

Daniel is regularly sought out to provide training on workplace and human resources matters, with a particular focus on workplace violence and harassment, health and safety due diligence and labour/management relations. He is also frequently invited to speak at conferences and is widely published on labour and employment issues. As a testament to his professional excellence, Daniel was named by The Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of Employment and Labour Law.