Ron A. Skolrood, QC

Ron Skolrood is a senior litigator who acts for clients in a broad range of matters, with a particular emphasis on commercial disputes, pension and benefit matters, health law matters and all aspects of public law, including administrative, regulatory and constitutional law. He represents clients in all levels of court and also has considerable experience in mediation and other forms of alternate dispute resolution. Ron is very active within the legal profession and is the past Chair of the British Columbia Law Institute, the leading independent, not-for-profit law reform agency in the Province.  He is a frequent commentator on legal affairs for various local and national news organizations.

Recognition and Ranking

• Benchmark Canada: The Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys: recognized for commercial law and public law litigation in British Columbia
• Best Lawyers in Canada: recognized for administrative and public law and employee benefits law
• Best Lawyers: Employee Benefits Law Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver for 2012
• 2010 Lexpert Zenith Award: recognized for Pro Bono contributions in the Civil Liberties category for his work with the BC Civil Liberties Association
• Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory: BV Peer Review rated
• Profiled in CBA National Magazine for Pro Bono and law reform work (August 2012)

Professional Activities

• Pro Bono counsel to the Canadian Bar Association in constitutional litigation concerning the application of federal anti-money laundering legislation to lawyers
• Pro Bono counsel to the B.C. Civil Liberties Association in constitutional litigation concerning the rights of the homeless
• Board of Directors of the British Columbia Law Institute (2004-2010, Chair 2007-2010)
• Law Society of B.C. Special Compensation Fund Committee (2000-2006), Member
• Canadian Bar Association Constitutional and Human Rights Law National Section, Executive Member (2000 - 2009), Chair (2005 - 2007), Past B.C. Section Chair
• Attorney General's Administrative Justice Advisory Panel (2002 - 2003)
• UBC faculty of Law Trial Advocacy Course, Group Leader (2011 - 2012)
• University of Victoria Faculty of Law (1996-1998), Sessional Lecturer and member of External Review Committee (2005), Awarded Dean's Cup for service to the Faculty of Law (1997)
• Vancouver Bar Association, Executive Member (1994 - 1998), President (1997)
• Western Canada Business Litigation Blog, Contributor

Community Activities

• Ryerson United Church, past member of Council and Chair of Stewardship (finance) Committee
• Douglas Park Soccer Club, Vancouver Minor Softball Association, Arbutus Club Minor Hockey and Little Mountain Baseball, Coach/Manager

Bar Admissions

• British Columbia (1988)
• NWT Restricted Appearance Certificate (2010 - 2012)
• Queen's Counsel (2012)

Education

• University of Lethbridge (B.A., 1983)
• University of Victoria (LL.B., 1986)
• Supreme Court of Canada, Law Clerk (1986-1987)
• University of Cambridge (LL.M, 1989)

Examples of recent matters in which Ron has acted include:

• Successful defence of a judicial review application concerning the approval of a major limestone quarry (Friends of Davie Bay v. B.C. et al, 2012 BCCA 293)
• Counsel to a major forest company in litigation brought by retired employees concerning changes to post-retirement group benefits (Lacey v. Weyerhaeuser Company Limited, 2012 BCCA)
• Counsel to the Canadian Bar Association on an intervention in a constitutional challenge to the federal Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (Federation of Law Societies of Canada v. A.G. (Canada) 2011 BCSC 1270)
• Counsel to the administrator of a large NWT pension plan in litigation to recover significant liabilities owed by a withdrawing employer
• Counsel to a major forest company in connection with claims brought by former employees for pension and related benefits following the sale of a pulp mill (Kerfoot v. Weyerhaeuser Company Limited, 2012 BCCA)
• Advising the Board of Trustees of a major public sector pension plan with respect to a class action concerning post-retirement group benefits
• Counsel to a group of physicians in judicial review proceedings with the College of Physicians and Surgeons concerning the approval of new medical technologies
• Counsel to a foreign trained physician in a human rights proceeding concerning professional licensure in B.C.
• Counsel to the B.C. Civil Liberties Association as an intervenor in a constitutional challenge to bylaws of the City of Victoria prohibiting homeless people from erecting temporary forms of shelter (see Victoria (City) v. Adams et al 2008 BCSC 1363)
• Counsel to BC Hydro in a constitutional challenge to provisions of the BC Safety Standards Act concerning the sharing of residential electricity consumption data to assist local governments in locating marijuana grow operations (Arkinstal v. City of Surrey, 2008 BCSC 1419, 2010 BCCA 250)
• Counsel to a federal Member of Parliament in connection with a complaint brought under the B.C. Protection of Personal Information Act. The complaint was dismissed on the basis that the provincial statute is constitutionally inapplicable to a federal MP ([2007] B.C.I.P.C.D. No. 29)
• Counsel to the employer sponsor of a large private sector pension plan in an action brought by former management employees seeking enhanced early retirement benefits and challenging amendments to the pension plan passed by the employer (Patrick et. al vs. TELUS Communications Inc. 2007 BCCA 200)
• Counsel to the Board of Trustees of a large public sector pension plan in a representative action brought on behalf of retirees challenging changes made to post-retirement group benefits (B.C. Nurses Union vs. Municipal Pension Plan Board of Trustees 2004 BCSC 1578)
• Counsel to an intervener in the Supreme Court of Canada in a matter involving the constitutionality of Saskatchewan’s Tobacco Control Act (Rothman’s, Benson and Hedges vs. Saskatchewan, [2005] 1 S.C.R. 188)
• Counsel to BC Hydro in an administrative and constitutional law challenge to legislation authorizing the contracting out of administrative services (OPEIU vs. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority 2004 BCSC 422)