Jed Blackburn is a partner in the Litigation, Employment & Labour, and Universities & Colleges Groups at Cassels. Jed focuses on resolving disputes for clients on favourable terms both inside and outside the courtroom with a particular focus on commercial litigation, higher education, administrative, and employment law. He has worked with a wide variety of clients ranging from educational institutions to multinational corporations. Jed has successfully acted as counsel in matters before administrative tribunals and the courts, including the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Divisional Court, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. He has extensive experience in helping companies and universities resolve disputes practically both prior to and during litigation, as well as managing reputational concerns.
Jed’s experience includes defending actions based on alleged breach of contract, negligence, fraud, defamation, and discrimination; negotiating settlements of complex commercial disputes; advising employers on employee terminations and accommodation issues; litigating wrongful dismissal claims and human rights complaints; representing clients in leasing disputes and advising on the enforceability of lease provisions; responding to judicial review applications challenging academic policies and procedures; advising universities and examining bodies on risk management issues, including threats to members of the university community; and drafting university bylaws and advising on governance issues.
Selected reported decisions include:
- Abdou v. University of Toronto, 2023 ONSC 6868 (successful appeal overturning adverse trial decision and upholding university tuition policies and student contract)
- Bruno-Manser-Fonds v. Royal Bank of Canada, 2018 ONSC 918 (successful defeat of novel application seeking to obtain a Norwich Order for the purpose of a private criminal prosecution)
- Tardif v. Coca Cola Refreshments Canada Company, 2018 HRTO 1004 (successful dismissal of human rights application alleging age discrimination)
- Grascan Construction Ltd. v. Metrolinx, 2017 ONSC 6424 (successful dismissal of application for judicial review challenging the disqualification of a bidder from a request for qualifications process)
- Aljawhiri v. Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, 2017 ONSC 2609 (successful dismissal of constitutional challenge attacking an examining body’s incorporating statute)
- Kim v. University of Toronto, 2015 ONSC 3055 (successful dismissal of application for judicial review of decisions of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario dismissing nine human rights complaints)
- Anderson v. Canada (Attorney General), 2014 NLTD(G) 144 (successful order for de-bifurcation of class actions to allow third party to participate in trial)
- Ramlall v. University of Toronto, 2014 ONCA 100 and 2012 ONSC 7260 (successful dismissal of claim and appeal relating to family medicine residency position)
