This release was issued under a previous government.

Gwen Gray, Q.C., has been chosen as Essential Services Commissioner. Ms. Gray’s term begins June 1, 2016.

Ms. Gray is an Edmonton-based labour lawyer with more than a decade of experience in Alberta’s labour, employment and human rights laws. Previously, she had a distinguished career practising law and teaching at the University of Alberta. She also served as chair of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board.

With the recent passage of Bill 4, An Act to Implement a Supreme Court Ruling Governing Essential Services, Alberta took a major step forward in the modernization of its labour laws. Bill 4 protects Alberta’s critical services and respects the rights of employers and employees.

“I’m extremely pleased to have someone with the experience, respect and widespread credibility that Ms. Gray brings to this key role. We’re committed to ensuring the implementation of essential services agreements in the public sector is fair to all parties and serves the needs of Albertans.”

Christina Gray, Minister of Labour

“I look forward to working with both public-sector employers and employees to develop effective essential services agreements that protect the public services Albertans depend on.”

Gwen Gray, Q.C., Essential Services Commissioner

Bill 4 established the position of Essential Services Commissioner as a Vice Chair of the Alberta Labour Relations Board. The Commissioner’s responsibilities include:

  • Hearing and deciding requests for exemptions from the requirement to negotiate essential services agreements,
  • Resolving complaints regarding allegations of bad-faith bargaining on essential services agreements,
  • Appointing umpires to resolve disputes as well as hearing appeals of umpire decisions and,
  • Deciding whether the number of employees defined as essential in the agreements substantially interferes with the collective bargaining process.

Essential services facts

  • Essential services legislation applies to all unionized Government of Alberta employees, as well as to those unionized employees at agencies, boards and commissions, non-academic staff at post-secondary institutes, employees of Alberta Health Services and those employed by other approved hospitals (can include seniors care facilities, health centres and religious-based hospitals).
  • The new legislation supports the collective-bargaining process and places more responsibility for resolving labour disputes into the hands of employers and unions, while ensuring that Albertans have access to essential services in the event of a public-sector strike or lockout.

Gwen Gray, Q.C. biography

Gwen Gray, Q.C., received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 from the University of Saskatchewan and was awarded the President's Medal (Most Distinguished Graduate). In 1978, Ms. Gray obtained her Law degree from the University of Saskatchewan and was the Gold Medalist in her graduating year. Ms. Gray was called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1979 and to the Alberta Bar in 1993. Ms. Gray brings with her an established legal career, including more than 30 years of practice in the areas of labour, employment and human rights law. 

Ms. Gray started her career in Saskatchewan, where she practised labour, employment and human-rights law until 1988. She obtained a Master of Laws degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, in 1992. Ms. Gray worked with the law firm of Chivers Greckol Kanee in Edmonton from 1992 to 1994. 

From 1995 to 1997, Ms. Gray served as the Vice Chairperson of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board and as Chairperson from 1997 to 2003. As Vice Chairperson, Ms. Gray mediated duty of fair representation complaints involving the duty to accommodate disabled employees. Ms. Gray was an active member of the Council of Canadian Association of Administrative Tribunals, where she provided adjudicative training to tribunal members in Saskatchewan. Ms. Gray was appointed as Queen's Counsel (Saskatchewan) in 2001.

In 2003, Ms. Gray returned to Alberta to practise labour, employment and human-rights law as an Associate and Partner at Chivers Carpenter. Ms. Gray retired from active practice in 2012 and since then has maintained a consulting practice in labour law.

Ms. Gray has extensive litigation and adjudication experience. She has appeared before numerous administrative tribunals, including the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, and all levels of courts.  Ms. Gray taught labour law at the University of Alberta and has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences on topics of labour, employment and human-rights law.