Michael Gottheil has extensive experience and expertise as an adjudicator, mediator and educator in the fields of human rights, administrative, labour and employment law. From 2005 to 2018, Michael served as Chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Executive Chair of the Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario and the Social Justice Tribunals Ontario. In 2018 he was appointed as Chief of Commission and Tribunals of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, a post he held until November 2021. In each of these roles he conducted numerous hearings and mediations, was a respected leader and mentor to Tribunal members, and supported modern, high-quality, effective and timely dispute resolution practices.

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Prior to 2005, Michael practiced labour, employment, human rights and administrative law at the Ottawa firm of Engelmann Gottheil, where he represented clients before courts, labour arbitrators and labour boards at the provincial and federal levels.

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Michael’s work as a practicing lawyer and a tribunal chair has afforded him experience across multiple legal disciplines and dispute resolution methods, including expedited arbitration, interest and rights based mediation, and mediation-adjudication. He has successfully resolved complex, multi-party matters in the private, public and broader public sectors. His various senior executive roles within the public sector has provided him with acute insights into the challenges and opportunities for creative resolutions of disputes involving public policy and public administration. He is a frequent writer and presenter on human rights, administrative, labour and employment law, access to justice, disability rights and accessibility, and institutional design. Michael is highly respected across a diversity of interests for his contributions to the evolution of the law and the administration of justice in Canada.

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As an individual with a disability, Michael’s lived experience, along with his personal and professional commitment to diversity, inclusion, accessibility and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, has enhanced his empathy, compassion and his active listening skills. He always seeks to incorporate differing perspectives and insights both to understand problems, and to seek practical solutions and meaningful change.