Mary Morris
Executive Director/ Employer Advisor
The Employer Advisor Nova Scotia Society is here to assist Nova Scotia employers and employer associations. We are a not for profit society, providing Nova Scotia employers advocacy for key issues.
Many of our services and programs are free to employers and businesses do not need to be registered with WCB in order to access OEA.
Our knowledgeable advisors are here to assist your business and our education programs are tailored to ever changing employer needs. Need assistance and want to speak to an Employer Advisor or schedule an info session for yourself or your management team? Call us today!
The regulatory challenges and complexities faced by Nova Scotia employers make the OEA a necessity. With an ever-changing regulatory and business environment- the timing for such a program couldn't be better. Nova Scotia is one of the last provinces to implement an OEA; having existed in various forms throughout Canada since the early 1980s. After 15 years of lobbying by employer groups, the Office of the Employer Advisor became a reality to employers, as a pilot program, in May 2008. In 2011, the OEA received a commitment from the OHS Division and the Worker's Compensation Board to make the program permanent.
Operating through a funding agreement with WCB, the OEA is administratively separate from government and is a registered not for profit with Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies.
The OEA was designed to:
Executive Director/ Employer Advisor
OEA NS Society's first employee since 2008 and holding senior leadership positions in Occupational Health, Safety, Environmental, Occupational Health Nursing and Human Resources, Mary Morris is Executive Director and Senior Employer Advisor with the Employer Advisor Nova Scotia Society.
Mary has worked for 38 years in the field of Occupational Health and Safety and Occupational Health Nursing in unionized and non-unionized settings; provincial and federal workplaces. With extensive experience participating on various Boards of Directors, committees, government legislation reviews and numerous consultations, Mary has co-authored published articles and presented at numerous local and national conferences on topics related to workplace health and safety, HR processes, appeals, accident investigation and case management and accommodation.
One of 30 nurses across Canada and two in Nova Scotia, Mary is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Nursing. The medal, presented by the Canadian Nurses Association in Ottawa recognizes her outstanding nursing practice and exemplary contributions to the health of Canadians.
A graduate of Dalhousie University School of Nursing and certified with the Canadian Occupational Health Nursing Association, (1987), the American Board of Occupational Health Nurses, (United States), the Canadian Board of Registered Safety Professionals, CRSP (1988) and the Human Resources Association of Nova Scotia, CHRP (1997). She is also a past award-recipient of the Peer Award of Excellence from HRANS. She was featured as the “Nurse to Know” in Canadian Nurse Magazine in 2017.
Her expertise in developing and implementing disability case management and attendance management programs, Human Resources policy and program design has assisted employers throughout Canada in telecommunications, manufacturing, land development, construction, tourism/hotels/gaming, aviation, long haul trucking/transportation and brewing industries.
Lawyer, Employer Advisor
Running your business is hard enough … and while you might be an expert in your own industry, an unexpected workplace issue can throw everything off course, taking up the time, energy and attention you should be putting into your business.
Julian understands the situation owner/operators face when a legal issue crops up at your business – and it’s his mission to help you navigate safely through it.
With knowledge and experience in the legislation that governs the workplace, including the Workers’ Compensation Act, Labour Standards Code, Trade Union Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, and other workplace legislation, Julian can explain the law and how it impacts you and your business. He has successfully represented clients in various levels of Courts and Administrative Bodies, and has previously worked for the Nova Scotia Labour Board, dealing with various types of employment, labour and safety-related Appeals and Complaints.
In addition legal expertise, Julian has a background in education and journalism. After a B.A. from Mount Allison, he earned a Bachelor of Journalism from Kings College and worked a writer and editor for a number of years. He also has a B. Ed. From Acadia and taught high school students. As a result of all this, Julian is extremely well-positioned to help you both as a lawyer and an employer-advisor. That means he is equally comfortable representing clients at a trial or hearing, as well as presenting at seminars or conferences to help employers to better know and understand the laws and procedures that affect them and their employees.
Lawyer, Employer Advisor
Desiree is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who has represented clients in all levels of court.
She is originally from Winnipeg, where she obtained her law degree at the University of Manitoba. She has been practicing law since 2012, having been called to the bar in three provinces, Manitoba, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. Prior to moving to Halifax, she had spent many years practicing law in Calgary. She was commended by the Legal Archives Society and Legal Aid Alberta for her contributions to the law, particularly for her appellate advocacy at the Court of Queen’s Bench, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. Before joining the Office of the Employer Advisor (OEA), she was a managing lawyer with Nova Scotia Legal Aid and Legal Aid Alberta.
Prior to law school, Desiree obtained her Business Administration (Accounting) Diploma from Red River College and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies at the University of Manitoba. Her experience prior to law school includes working as a Purchasing Coordinator for an established western Canadian wholesaler, and managing in the retail and food service industries.
Desiree brings years of management and litigation experience to her role as Lawyer and Employer Advisor with OEA. She understands the challenges that Employers face and will strongly advocate for her clients.
Lawyer, Employer Advisor
Rebekah has been a practicing lawyer since 2003 and has extensive experience in Employment and Labour law, including Workers Compensation, having represented federally and provincially regulated employers in the public and private sector, that were both unionized and non-unionized. She has been a partner in an Atlantic Canada Regional Law Firm, a partner in a boutique Labour & Employment firm and most recently in-house Labour and Employment legal counsel for an employer with more than 4000 employees in Atlantic Canada and Ontario. Rebekah has appeared before Courts, Tribunals, Boards and at Arbitration as well as acting as the Chief Negotiator in Collective Bargaining. She has also been the Chair for the Canadian Bar Association’s Nova Scotia Labour and Employment Law Section.
In advising Employers, Rebekah draws on her own management experience having managed a team of 9 HR professionals in the private sector, having been the Director of a busy government Advocacy office and having been the Executive Director of a Restorative Justice agency in the not-for-profit sector. Her experience in Operations as a Leader informs her Labour and Employment legal advice.
Rebekah studied theatre at University and worked in the arts in Manitoba prior to her legal career. Originally from the UK and having spent time on the prairies, Nova Scotia truly captured her heart and where she calls home.
Rebekah enjoys being part of her community and has previously volunteered on various boards including the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia, Family SOS, JazzEast and Victoria Hall.
Currently, Rebekah is on the Board of Directors for World Vision Canada, having been involved with its governance since 2015, and has recently joined the Upstream Music Association’s Board of Directors, here in Halifax.
Rebekah is looking forward to getting to know you and your business. She is a trusted advisor that brings her clients practical and pragmatic solutions to the issues you and your management team are facing in the workplace.
OEA NS Society President
Elected as OEA NS Society Vice President, Patricia Bland has been a Director on OEA NS Society Board since 2018. Patricia graduated from St. Francis Xavier University with a B.Sc. in Biology and from Dalhousie University with a Masters in Health Services Administration. For the past 18 years she has worked in senior management positions with a range of health care providers including Riverview Home Corporation, the Victorian Order of Nurses, Parkstone Enhanced Care and Scotia Nursing Homes Limited.
Prior to that she worked as a policy analyst for the Registered Nurses’ Association of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Department of Health. Patricia has worked on numerous provincial committees in the health field and has been a board member of Health Association Nova Scotia, Capital District Health Authority, AWARE NS and the Health Care Human Resources Sector Council.
With significant experience in policy issues and the human and financial costs associated with workplace injuries, Patricia is pleased to accept the Vice President role and continuing her longstanding commitment to workplace health and safety.
OEA NS Society Vice President
Chris Ipe joined the OEA NS Society Board of Directors in 2008. Chris is a practicing lawyer in Nova Scotia who has represented Employer interests in workers’ compensation for the past 12 years. He is a founding member of the Office of the Employer Advisor Nova Scotia.
He currently acts as Chair of the WCB Committee for the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, NS Division.
Chris is currently employed as Disability Management Professional with a major corporation. Chris strives for the expansion and permanence of the OEA program in order to better serve the needs of all Employers.
OEA NS Society Treasurer
Elected Treasurer of OEA NS Society in March 2019, William (Bill) Costin has been a Director of the OEA NS Society Board since 2015. Bill began his construction career in Amherst as the eldest son of a construction business family. At the age of 18, he decided to pursue a career in music and obtained a music degree from Mount Allison University and a performance degree from the Folkwang Hochschule fur Musik Ruhr, Germany. He has performed with orchestras and in music festivals throughout Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Before returning to take over the family business in 1986, he was principal horn and general manager of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
President of Costin Paving and Contracting since 1987 and presently is a Director on the boards of the Nova Scotia Roadbuilder’s Association, the Nova Scotia Asphalt User Producer Association and the Employer Advisor Nova Scotia Society.
In October 2018, his group won Best Classical Music Group of the Year while performing at the New Brunswick Music Awards.
OEA NS Society Board Director
Alan joined the OEA NS Society Board of Directors in 2010. Alan was born in Digby NS, graduated from University of New Brunswick in 1993 with a BScF. He is a Registered Professional Forester and currently Manager of the Forestry Safety Society of Nova Scotia as well as a small forestry contractor in Annapolis County.
Alan has worked in both the public and private sector, in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and western Washington State before returning to Nova Scotia to begin his own small business in 2000. Much of his career has been working with forestry contractors and workers in skills development and occupational health and safety.
Alan has served as a Councillor and President of the Registered Professional Foresters Association of Nova Scotia.
OEA NS Society Board Director
Jim joined the OEA NS Society Board of Directors in June 2012 representing the Retail Council of Canada - Atlantic Region. Jim Cormier serves as the Director (Atlantic) for the Retail Council of Canada (RCC). Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has been the Voice of Retail in Canada since 1963. We speak for an industry that touches the daily lives of Canadians in every corner of the country — by providing jobs, career opportunities, and by investing in the communities we serve.
RCC is a not-for-profit, industry-funded association representing more than 50,000 store fronts of all retail formats across Canada, including department, specialty, discount, grocery and independent stores, as well as online merchants.
In his role as Atlantic Director, Jim is a strong advocate for retailing in Canada and works with all levels of government and other stakeholders to support employment growth and career opportunities in retail, promote and sustain retail investments in communities throughout the region, and to enhance consumer choice and industry competitiveness. Jim works with the RCC team to provide members with a full range of services and programs including education and training, benchmarking and best practices, networking, advocacy, and industry information.
Jim was raised and educated in Nova Scotia. He has worked as a teacher, an executive recruiter and as a political advisor at both the federal and provincial levels. He has been employed in his current position with the Retail Council of Canada since 2011.
OEA NS Society Board Director
Rick Feehan joined the OEA NS Society Board of Directors in May of 2012 as Treasurer until March 2019 and continues as Director to represent WearWell Garments Limited.
Rick is a graduate of Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia.
He has served as Treasurer for many public organizations and has been on various boards and committees in Pictou County.
Rick is actively involved as the Treasurer for the Macgregor Kinsmen Midget AAA baseball team and the Wear Well Major Bantam Bombers hockey team.
OEA NS Society Board Director
Paul Dubé joined the Board of Directors in 2020. Paul is the president of Merit Contractors Association of Nova Scotia, an industry association that represents the open shop/non-unionized sector of the provinces construction sector. Paul is also the president of Atlantic Contractors Benefit Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merit which provides employee health benefit programs throughout Atlantic Canada. A business graduate from Acadia University, Paul is also a Certified Association Executive and a director of the Atlantic Council with the Canadian Society of Association Executives. Paul is also a director with the Private Training Corporation - Newfoundland Labrador and a business representative on the Nova Scotia Labour Board. Much of Paul’s earlier career was in the advanced technology sector employed with such companies as IBM Canada and Bell Aliant.
OEA NS Society Board Director
Gordon is the senior principal at TMI, which has rebuild & managed the Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia (RANS) for the past nineteen years.
Gordon was founding President of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, past Vice-Chairman of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). Gordon serves on a wide variety of Boards & Commissions related to the tourism industry. He has completed a long-term contract for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency as the Director of Tourism for (ACOA)
Some of the accomplishments are the design and negotiations of the first $18 million Tourism Agreement for Atlantic Canada; development of the Atlantic Canada Cruise Association; Golf Atlantic Canada; Heritage Inns of Atlantic Canada; Atlantic Canada Showcase and many more individual & Atlantic wide projects.
He now resides in Marriott’s Cove on the south shore of Nova Scotia. His hobby is still collecting antiques and folk art & too much more.
Gordon’s favorite saying:
“Good things come to those who wait…but only after those who have hustled”
OEA NS Society Board Director
Louis-Philippe Gauthier is the Senior Director, Legislative Affairs, Atlantic for the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. He is responsible for the management of legislative affairs, identifying relevant issues and developing public and government relations strategies to advocate on behalf of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) in the region.
A passionate believer in the transforming effects of the business world on society, Louis-Philippe is an active member of the New Brunswick business community. He completed two terms as president of the Economic Council of New-Brunswick (Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick) and was Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Invest NB, the crown corporation responsible for foreign investment attraction in the Province of New Brunswick. Previous to this position he was Regional Manager in charge of northern New Brunswick newspapers at Brunswick News Inc (Victoria Star, Madawaska, Tribune, Northern Light, Miramichi Leader) and General Manager of l’Étoile, the French provincial weekly newspaper of New Brunswick. For almost ten years Mr. Gauthier was President and partner of Bulmer-Martin-Gauthier (BMG) Consultants Inc a full service Internet systems development firm. Under his leadership, the company was named small business of the year in 2003 by the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick.
Holding a bachelors degree in science and an MBA from the University of Moncton, he held lecturer positions for over ten years teaching information technology management and Interactive Marketing courses in graduate business programs (MBA) of the Université de Moncton and University of New Brunswick in Saint John.
Adept at motivating individuals and teams towards achieving organizational objectives, he has successfully managed dynamic sales environments, marketing, public and government relation initiatives in senior positions.
In recognition of his vision, leadership and achievements, Mr. Gauthier was honored with the title of alumni of the year in 2001 by the business faculty of the Université de Moncton.
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