Deborah E. Prowse, Q.C., Partner
Senior Investigative Review Counsel, Educator & Trainer
Deborah E. Prowse is a strategic leader with over 35 years of progressive experience in law and social work. Having conducted over 500 mediations related to family and workplace conflicts over the course of her career, she currently helps clients recognize, assess and resolve conflict in the workplace as a Partner of Method Workplace Investigation Law.
During her time as a consultant and lawyer, Deborah concentrated on respectful workplace practices, human rights and conflict management. Her areas of practice included: mediation, investigation, management of change, crisis situations, policy design and training. She also served as Panel Chair for the Alberta Human Rights Commission and was a Sitting Justice of the Peace in the Provincial Court of Alberta, Traffic Division.
In addition, Deborah has contributed to working groups in Alberta, developing the provincial guidelines for Disruptive Behaviour in Healthcare, the provincial Patient Safety Framework and was appointed to both Ministers’ Advisory Committees on Health reform that laid the foundation for the new Alberta Health Act.
In July 2014, Deborah was appointed as the first permanent Alberta Health Advocate. Her responsibilities included implementing the provincial Health Charter, the first of its kind in Canada. She was also the Interim Senior’s Advocate and Interim Mental Health Patient Advocate for Alberta. Deborah’s experience in law, social work and health care has earned her the reputation of a fair and tolerant leader with the ability to thrive in both private and public sectors with diverse groups, from all backgrounds.
Deborah’s list of career achievements includes receiving the Award of Meritorious Service from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, the Queen’s Counsel designation and the Calgary Health Region’s PeopleFirst award. She is called upon to speak at conferences and seminars on a range of topics and her insights and humor make her a sound storyteller.
Deborah holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Calgary, a Master of Social Work from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Laws from the University College Cardiff.
Jarret Janis, J.D., Partner,
Employment & Labour Law Counsel
Jarret is an experienced labour and employment lawyer and litigator.
He founded an award-winning employment law boutique firm in Alberta in 2014. With a proven record of advice and advocacy on workplace issues of all kinds, the firm quickly grew into a top-ranked regional law firm with offices throughout Western Canada. During this time, Jarret has successfully represented both employees and employers throughout Western Canada, through effective negotiation and through the formal court process where necessary.
He has advised on and litigated a range of workplace-related matters, including: wrongful dismissal, constructive dismissal, sensitive workplace investigations, human rights/discrimination, harassment & bullying, Occupational Health and Safety, and shareholder disputes in the employment law context.
He has advised on countless workplace investigation matters involving the most sensitive and complex complaints, from serious sexual violence complaints to harassment and bullying, discrimination, and fraud.
Since selling his interest in his previous firm, he has chosen to focus on helping employers mitigate risk and resolve their disputes, through the evolving area of workplace investigation law and practice. Having founded and successfully operated his own medium-sized company and group of law firms, he has a unique insight and experience into the people side of an organization, in addition to his expertise in all aspects of employment law. He has extensive experience acting for employers throughout Alberta and British Columbia and regularly advises on and litigates employment law matters.
He is a member of the Law Society of Alberta, the Law Society of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association, and has attended the University of Alberta, Western Law and the School of Industrial & Labour Relations at Cornell University in New York.
Collin P. May, Senior Counsel,
Human Rights, Workplace and Professional Regulatory Counsel
Collin May is an experienced lawyer with a diverse background in corporate governance and estate law, municipal law, and human rights and professional regulation.
Collin recently served as a part-time Commissioner and then Chief of the Alberta Human Rights Commission & Tribunals. In this role, he drafted more than 50 published decisions and presided over numerous mediation sessions.
In addition, Collin has been involved in reforming and modernizing professional regulation, with a focus on improving complaints processes and promoting procedural fairness. As a result of his work in this area, Collin was appointed as a public member of the Provincial Council of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta in 2021.
Collin has presented to specialist and general audiences on the topic of patient-centered healthcare and was recently appointed as Adjunct Lecturer in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary Cumming Medical School due to his work in this area.
In terms of his governance work, Collin has served on a number of boards, including: the federal Judicial Advisory Committee for the Province of Alberta, Farm Credit Canada, and the Canadian Institute of Workplace Harassment and Violence.
Collin holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the University of Alberta, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, the Diplome d’etudes approfondies from the Ecole des hautes etudes in Paris, and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University. Collin holds the TEP designation from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.