Vicki’s practice focuses on the areas of employment, human rights, privacy, labour and administrative law. She advises employers on a wide variety of employment, personnel and labour issues (including collective bargaining) and has experience before all levels of court, arbitrators and the Alberta Labour Relations Board.

A large portion of her practice involves assisting employers with the accommodation of employees under the human rights legislation, and defending complaints made against employers to the Human Rights Commission.

She also provides employers with day to day advice about terminations, policies and procedures, absenteeism, discipline, the duty to accommodate, performance management, discrimination, harassment, hiring, and general management of employees.

Vicki also practices in the expanding area of privacy law and provides advice to clients regarding both provincial and federal private sector privacy legislation.

Education:

• LL.B., University of Alberta
• B.Comm., University of Alberta (with Distinction)

Awards and Recognition:

• Labour & Employment Law, Best Lawyers® in Canada, 2016 - 2020
• Employment (Employer) and Workplace Human Rights, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory

Professional Associations, Affiliations and Community Activities:

• Member, Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers
• Member, Human Resources Institute of Alberta
• Privacy Officer, McLennan Ross
• Discipline Committee Member, Human Resources Institute of Alberta
• Past Advisor, HR Compliance Insider
• Past Member, Grant MacEwan Human Resources Management Program Advisory Committee

• Extensive experience assisting employers with defending human rights claims; has been successful in having number of claims dismissed at the investigation stage.
• Regularly assists employers in defending wrongful dismissal actions.
• Provides day-to-day advice to employers with respect to terminations, policies and procedures, absenteeism, discipline, the duty to accommodate, performance management, discrimination, harassment, hiring, and general management of employees.
• Regularly represents employers in complaints filed with Employment Standards.
• Assisted clients with responding to privacy complaints about matters such as surveillance, drug and alcohol testing and privacy breaches.
• Provided advice with respect to responding to privacy breaches and the reporting of such breaches to the Office of the Information and Privacy Officer.
• Successfully challenged decisions (through judicial review) of the Privacy Commissioner with respect to time limits and allowed purposes for collection and use of personal information.
• Provides general privacy advice to employers with respect to issues such as surveillance, drug and alcohol testing, the implementation of privacy policies and responding to access requests.
• Has assisted clients with the negotiation of collective agreement.
• Acts on behalf of employers in grievance arbitrations.
• Represents employers before the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
• Acted as counsel to administrative appeal tribunal.
• Frequently provides in-house training and seminars to clients.
• Assisted clients with responding to applications for first contract arbitration and navigating enhanced mediation.
• Conducts workplace investigations.

2020

• “2019 Labour & Employment Year in Review”, McLennan Ross Seminar, 2020

2019

• "2019 Year in Review", CPHR Wood Buffalo Chapter Meeting, 2019
• "Recent Changes to Human Rights Processes", Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers Webinar, 2019
• "Privacy Breach Reporting", McLennan Ross Webinar, 2019
• "2018 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar, 2019

2018

• "First Contract Arbitration", CIRA Conference
• "Privacy Breach Reporting – The Alberta Experience", Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers Annual Conference
• "Family Status", McLennan Ross Webinar
• "Enhanced Mediation and First Contract Arbitration", Canadian Industrial Relations Association Conference
• "2017 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar

2017

• "Human Rights Allegations – Where can a Claim be Brought?", Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers Annual Conference, 2017"The Goldmine and Minefield: Social Media use in the Workplace", Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers Privacy Webinar, 2017
• "New Employment Standards Regulations", McLennan Ross Webinar
• "Understanding the Changes to Alberta Labour and Employment Standards Laws", McLennan Ross Webinar
• "2016 Labour & Employment Year in Review", McLennan Ross Seminar
• “Investigations”, Creating People Power Leaders Breakfast
• “Social Media for Employers”, HRIA Law Conference

2016

• "Workplace and Employee Privacy Update", Osgoode Law School Professional Development Webinar Series
• "Managing Problem Employees", McLennan Ross Webinar
• "2015 Labour & Employment Year in Review Seminar", McLennan Ross Seminar

2015

• "Mock Arbitration", McLennan Ross Duty to Accommodate Seminar & Mock Arbitration
• “Workplace Privacy Update”, Webinar, Osgoode Professional Development
• "Family Status Accommodation in Alberta", CIRA, Northern Alberta Chapter
• “Accommodation Allowed…or Denied?”, 2015 Accommodation Law Conference, Labour Law Online.ca
• “Blurred Boundaries: Labour Experts Debate Key Privacy Issues”, Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference
• "2014 Labour & Employment Year in Review Seminar", McLennan Ross Seminar

2014

• “Workplace Privacy Update”, Webinar, Osgoode Professional Development
• "Family Status and Compassionate Care Leave", Alberta Human Rights Commission Forum
• “Mitigating Risk: Managing the Duty to Accommodate“, So You Think You Can Lead Conference, Creating People Power
• “Employment Contracts and the Duty to Mitigate”, Merit College of Construction
• "2013 Labour & Employment Year in Review Seminar", McLennan Ross Seminar

2013

• "Preventing Workplace Bullying and Intervening in Conflict: Advanced Skills Training", Lancaster House
• "Workplace Privacy Update", Osgoode Professional Development
• "Privacy & Technology in the Workplace", McLennan Ross Labour & Employment Full-Day Seminar
• "Using Social Media for Business Purposes", McLennan Ross Webinar
• "Confidentiality, Non-Competition and Non-Solicitation: Employees’ Post-Employment Rights and Obligations", Alberta Law Conference, Canadian Bar Association (Alberta)
• "2012 Labour & Employment Year in Review Seminar", McLennan Ross Seminar

2012

• "Dealing with Complex Human Rights Issues: An Interactive Session on Rights in Collision, Negative Stereotyping and Multiple-Ground Discrimination", Lancaster House Labour Arbitration and Policy Conference
• "The Evolving Landscape of Workplace Privacy", Osgoode Professional Development
• “Technology and Privacy in the Workplace”, HR Compliance Insider
• "Dealing with Performance and Absenteeism Issues", McLennan Ross Webinar
• "Alberta Human Rights Update", Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers Conference

• The Legality of Employers' Mandatory COVID Testing, Vicki Giles​, McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2021
• "Family Status Discrimination – What Types of Obligations have to be Accommodated?", Vicki Giles, McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2019
• "PIPEDA Mandatory Breach Notification in Effect November 1, 2018", McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2018
• "Creating a Work Culture Free from Sexual Harassment" Teresa Haykowksy and Vicki Giles, McLennan Ross Legal Counsel Newsletter, Winter 2018
• "Discrimination in the Workplace – Who Can Be Liable?" Teresa Haykowsky and Vicki Giles, McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2017
• "Federal Government Announces Changes to EI Legislation" Vicki Giles, McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2017
• "Effective Date of New Employment Standards Code Changes" Hugh McPhail, Q.C. and Vicki Giles, McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2017
• "Employer Liability When Providing Employment References" Vicki Giles and Jessica Kruhlak, McLennan Ross Legal Counsel Newsletter, Fall 2017
• "Bonus Payments – Do they Form Part of a Severance Package?", McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2016
• "Considering a BYOD Program?", McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2015
• "Firing for Not Reporting Drug Use is Not a Human Rights Violation", McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2015
• "Supreme Court Constitutionalizes Right to Strike", McLennan Ross E-Mail Alert, 2015
• "Alberta Chapter", Vicki Giles and Joyce Mitchell, Cross-Canada Guide to Human Rights Law in Employment, Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers
• "Misconduct in the Blogosphere", Network (HRIA)