Earlier this month, Alberta’s lieutenant governor approved a recommendation from Jason Copping, the minister of labour and immigration, to appoint 19 new people to the Appeals Commission for Alberta Workers’ Compensation.
The Appeals Commission is independent from the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta. They are a quasi-judicial tribunal that hears appeals from both workers and employers who disagree with WCB decisions.
Of the 19 appointees, 10 will represent the interests of employers and 9 will represent the interest of workers. In June 2017, 23 persons were appointed or reappointed to the commission, whose terms expired this year.
Here are the 19 new appointees:
| Employer interests | Worker interests |
| Mohamed Amery Giuseppa Bentivegna Christina Clark Charles Fisher Michael Humphreys Todd Laycock Terri Mann Gary Peckham Jamie Tiessen Miles Weatherall | Shayne Eldridge Joshua Fernando Tiana Field-Ridley Gibson Glavin Vesna Kavaz Kevin Kelly David Melney Paul Paquette Rohit Verma |
Employer interest commissioners
Mohamed Amery is an associate lawyer with Calgary-based Nerland Lindsey LLC. He currently serves on the Law Enforcement Review Board
Giuseppa Bentivegna is a Calgary-based lawyer. He has served a counsel to the Alberta Utilities Commission.
Christina Clark is an Edmonton-based engineer and mediator. She is a member of the Assessment Review Board, and until 2017, had served in several management positions with ATCO Electric.
Charles Fisher previously sat on the Appeals Commission, until his term expired in 2017. He donated $500 in 2008 to Dave Hancock’s PC election campaign.
Michael Humphreys is a labour relations officer with the Health Sciences Association of Alberta.
Todd Laycock is a former cop and now is a security advisor for Suncor. He was a security consultant for Cenovus from 2014 to 2018.
Terri Mann is an adjudicator with the Surface Rights and Land Compensation Board. She’s also a director with 572184 AB Ltd, a real estate management company.
Gary Peckham is a member of the Strathcona County Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.
Jamie Tiessen is CEO of The Tiessen Group. He has been a member of the Alberta Transportation Safety Board. In 2011, he made donations to 3 PC constituency associations: Highwood ($975.00), Foothills–Rocky View ($650.00), and Livingstone–Macleod ($650.00).
Miles Weatherall is a management consultant. Prior to that, he worked for the provincial government in various capacity within the justice ministry portfolio. This past summer, he was appointed a member of the Public Health Appeal Board, where he’s also the vice-chair.
Worker interest commissioners
Shayne Eldridge is retired but spent several years as a management consultant, as well as a claims adjudicator for Workers’ Compensation Board of Ontario and a manager of business services for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Ontario.
Joshua Fernando is a partner with Renn Financial Group, an investment and insurance firm. Prior to this, he spent time as a case manager and adjudicator with WCBA and as the WCB advocate for UFCW Local 401.
Tiana Field-Ridley is mental health first aid instructor and a conflict management consultant.
Gibson Glavin is a retired RCMP inspector. He is a member of the Alberta Transportation Safety Board.
Vesna Kavaz was the coordinator for Words Works Literacy Society. She also served for two years on the Income and Employment Supports Appeal Panel.
Kevin Kelly is a Calgary-based lawyer and mediator. He is also a member of the Law Enforcement Review Board.
David Melney was a provincial prosecutor. Previous to that, he served 9 years with the Edmonton Police Service.
Paul Paquette is a mechanic in the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River. He previously served as an appeals commissioner until 2018.
Rohit Verma is a Calgary-based lawyer currently working as assistant general counsel with the Real Estate Council of Alberta.
Appointees will be remunerated for the time they spend as commissioners. According to Schedule 2, Part A of Committee Remuneration Ordei, that remuneration will likely amount to the following:
- $113 for up to and including 4 hours in any day
- $188 for between 4 and 8 hours in any day
- $295 for over 8 hours in any day
The commission’s chair will likely receive one of the following:
- $153 for up to and including 4 hours in any day
- $161 for between 4 and 8 hours in any day
- $415 for over 8 hours in any day
Commissioners are also entitled to have their travelling and living expenses paid.
All appointments are until April 2022.
