Ron Ellis Award for Excellence in Workers' Compensation Law

About the Award

All members in good standing of the Ontario Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section are invited to nominate candidates for the annual Ron Ellis Award. This Award was created to recognize exceptional contributions and/or achievements in the field of workers’ compensation law, including:

• the development of workers’ compensation law, including teaching, scholarly writing and lobbying;
• outstanding advocacy or adjudication;
• leadership in the workers’ compensation bar, the government, the Law Society of Ontario and/or the Ontario Bar Association in relation to workers’ compensation issues, legislation, and administration;
• leadership in the workers’ compensation bar through sharing knowledge, experience, skill and commitment with other new lawyers and the worker, employer and neutral communities;
• the enhancement of the practice of  workers’ compensation law.

Eligibility

Any person meeting the criteria, excluding current members of the OBA Workers' Compensation Section Executive or OBA Executive, is eligible.

Presentation

The presentation of this award will be made every two years. The next award presentation will be in Spring 2026.

Nomination Procedure

Nominators are requested to submit the nomination information online with a curriculum vitae outlining the candidate’s qualifications. The nominator must indicate that the candidate has been advised of the nomination prior to the nomination deadline and consents to the nomination.

All nominations will be reviewed by the Ron Ellis Award Nominations Committee. This Committee will make a recommendation for the successful candidate to the Executive of the Section.  The Nominations Committee is composed of equal numbers of representatives from the employer, worker, and neutral members of the Section.

Selection Process

The Nominations Committee will review the nominations and recommend candidates to the Executive of the Workers’ Compensation Section.  The recipient shall be chosen from the candidates submitted by the Nominations Committee to the Executive of the Workers’ Compensation Section by a majority vote of the Executive. The number of awards to be presented every two years will not normally exceed one.

The Selection Committee shall consider OBA policies, rules and guidelines on Diversity and Inclusion when selecting the winner of the Award.

Additional Information

Janet Green
OBA Section Executive Liaison
Ontario Bar Association
300-20 Toronto Street
Toronto ON M5C 2B8
Tel: (416) 869-1047 ext 312 (Toll Free 1-800-668-8900)
E-mail: jgreen@oba.org

Past Recipients

Past recipient winners of the OBA Ron Ellis Award include: