Colin Gusikoski*
Partner
Assistant Caitlin Atkinson
*Legal services provided through Colin Gusikoski Professional Law Corporation.
Colin Gusikoski was born and raised on a grain and livestock farm in Saskatchewan. While working at a potash mine in his early years, he became a union activist with the United Steelworkers and has fought for unions ever since.
To pursue his goal fighting for working people, Colin attended the University of Saskatchewan for both his commerce and law degrees. He then obtained his master of laws (LLM) at Osgoode Hall Law School, writing his thesis in the area of occupational health and safety regulation in the forestry sector.
Colin is a partner with Victory Square Law Office and aside from practising law full time, he has been an adjunct professor teaching labour law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia since 2014 and acts as treasurer for the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers.
Colin represents clients before labour, employment and various other administrative tribunals, including professional discipline bodies. He has also represented clients in Federal Court and at both superior and appellant levels of court in Saskatchewan and BC.
Colin also maintains a practice in civil litigation, where he has represented clients in bankruptcy proceedings, fraudulent conveyance actions, class actions, pension litigation, defamation and wrongful dismissal.
In the News
- Colin acting for plaintiffs in $20-million class-action suit against Steve Nash Fitness World. Read the story “B.C. whistleblower leads $20-million class-action suit against Steve Nash Fitness World.”
- Members of Canada’s largest retail co-op seek to block sale to US private equity fund
Presentations / Seminars / Articles
- Colin has taught labour law at Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia since the 2014-15 school year.
- Colin has also appeared at various conferences and speaking events, including Victory Square’s annual client seminar, Victory at Arbitration.
Results (Arbitration / Tribunal / Court)
Some decisions of note are:
Mountain Equipment Co-Operative (Re), 2020 BCSC 1586, where the court accepted my argument and recognized, for the first time in Canada, that cooperative associations receive constitutional protection under the freedom of association at section 2(d) of the Charter.
Tl’azt’en First Nation v. Joseph, 2013 FC 767, where the Federal Court upheld $85,000 in aggravated and $100,000 in punitive damages in a wrongful dismissal suit.
Peter Ross 2008 Ltd., BCLRB No. B59/2012, where a reconsideration panel outlined the Board’s approach to unfair labour practice complaints, eventually leading to a remedial certification in Peter Ross 2008 Ltd., BCLRB No. B104/2012.
West Fraser Mills Ltd., BCLRB No. B139/2011, where a reconsideration panel reviewed and realigned the law related to dependant contractors in BC.
582912 B.C. Ltd. (Paragon Wood Products, Lumby Division), BCLRB No. B223/2010, where the Board found a breach of a statutory freeze thereby preserving the employees’ right to severance pay.
Education
- LL.M., Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 2008
- LL.B., Bond? and University of Saskatchewan, 2006
- B.Comm, University of Saskatchewan
Bar Admissions
Practice Areas
- Civil Litigation
- Class Actions
- Co-op Law
- Employment Law
- Human Rights Law
- Insolvency Law
- Labour Law
Bio
Colin Gusikoski was born and raised on a grain and livestock farm in Saskatchewan. While working at a potash mine in his early years, he became a union activist with the United Steelworkers and has fought for unions ever since.
To pursue his goal fighting for working people, Colin attended the University of Saskatchewan for both his commerce and law degrees. He then obtained his master of laws (LLM) at Osgoode Hall Law School, writing his thesis in the area of occupational health and safety regulation in the forestry sector.
Colin is a partner with Victory Square Law Office and aside from practising law full time, he has been an adjunct professor teaching labour law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia since 2014 and acts as treasurer for the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers.
Colin represents clients before labour, employment and various other administrative tribunals, including professional discipline bodies. He has also represented clients in Federal Court and at both superior and appellant levels of court in Saskatchewan and BC.
Colin also maintains a practice in civil litigation, where he has represented clients in bankruptcy proceedings, fraudulent conveyance actions, class actions, pension litigation, defamation and wrongful dismissal.
In the News
- Colin acting for plaintiffs in $20-million class-action suit against Steve Nash Fitness World. Read the story “B.C. whistleblower leads $20-million class-action suit against Steve Nash Fitness World.”
- Members of Canada’s largest retail co-op seek to block sale to US private equity fund
Presentations / Seminars / Articles
- Colin has taught labour law at Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia since the 2014-15 school year.
- Colin has also appeared at various conferences and speaking events, including Victory Square’s annual client seminar, Victory at Arbitration.
Results (Arbitration / Tribunal / Court)
Some decisions of note are:
Mountain Equipment Co-Operative (Re), 2020 BCSC 1586, where the court accepted my argument and recognized, for the first time in Canada, that cooperative associations receive constitutional protection under the freedom of association at section 2(d) of the Charter.
Tl’azt’en First Nation v. Joseph, 2013 FC 767, where the Federal Court upheld $85,000 in aggravated and $100,000 in punitive damages in a wrongful dismissal suit.
Peter Ross 2008 Ltd., BCLRB No. B59/2012, where a reconsideration panel outlined the Board’s approach to unfair labour practice complaints, eventually leading to a remedial certification in Peter Ross 2008 Ltd., BCLRB No. B104/2012.
West Fraser Mills Ltd., BCLRB No. B139/2011, where a reconsideration panel reviewed and realigned the law related to dependant contractors in BC.
582912 B.C. Ltd. (Paragon Wood Products, Lumby Division), BCLRB No. B223/2010, where the Board found a breach of a statutory freeze thereby preserving the employees’ right to severance pay.
Education
- LL.M., Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, 2008
- LL.B., Bond? and University of Saskatchewan, 2006
- B.Comm, University of Saskatchewan
