Biography
Ryan Newell became a lawyer in order to fight for social justice. His
days are now spent living out that goal, by enforcing the rights of
trade unions and workers and advancing the rights and title of
Indigenous peoples.
Ryan represents trade unions in a wide variety of industries in a
broad range of disputes. He approaches his clients’ problems with a
curiosity about their unique workplace reality, whether it be a factory,
a construction site, or a cubicle. He provides advice and
representation to unions as they organize new workplaces, engage in
collective bargaining, and enforce their collective agreements. He
approaches every dispute with an eye for detail, a radar for creative
solutions, and a readiness to litigate. He has represented trade unions
at the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“OLRB”), the Grievance
Settlement Board, the Human Rights Tribunal, and in grievance
arbitration.
His victories at the OLRB include helping to certify a homeless shelter and helping to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages
for violations of a construction industry collective agreement. His
victories in private grievance arbitration include obtaining a wage
increase for dispatchers whose employer required that they assume a
whole host of new duties and protecting the duties of Registered Practical Nurses from being transferred outside of the bargaining unit.
Ryan also acts for individual employees in their workplace disputes,
including those who have been terminated without cause. During and
after law school, he volunteered for years at the Workers’ Action
Centre, helping to enforce the rights of non-unionized workers.
In addition to his labour and employment law practice, Ryan
represents Indigenous Peoples in advancing their rights and title. His
main focus in this regard is as a member of our team representing the
Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee in a rights and title claim covering 48,000
square kilometres of northeastern Ontario. Before going to law school,
he studied the history of Canadian colonialism and became involved in
Indigenous solidarity activism. Since then, he has published articles challenging the narrow definition of the “rule of law” that courts have applied in their approach to Indigenous land disputes, and arguing that the constitutionality
of mandatory minimum sentences must be assessed in light of the
well-established connections between colonialism and the
over-incarceration of Indigenous people. He is grateful
for the opportunity to use his legal skills to advocate for justice for
Indigenous people within the colonial legal system.
When he’s not litigating or playing an elaborate imaginary game with
his two young kids, you may find Ryan running long distances or
listening to his ever-expanding collection of vinyl records.