Email: cha[email protected]
Direct: 807-766-7738
Chantelle was called to the Ontario bar in 2002 after completing her Juris Doctor, with specialization in Constitutional and Aboriginal Law, at Robson Hall, University of Manitoba and clerking for the Federal Court of Appeal and Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada. She further completed her LL.M. in Administrative Law at Osgoode Hall, York University in 2014. As a lifelong advocate for social justice and equity, Chantelle previously worked in youth group homes, women's shelters in both Whitehorse, YT and Selkirk, MB and at the Court Challenges Program of Canada.
Municipal and Land Use Planning, Employment and Labour, Inquests and Profession Regulation law are the primary areas of Chantelle's practice for over the past two decades. She represents numerous municipalities, First Nations and corporate entities in relation to governance policy, by-laws and service agreements, minor variances, consents, zoning by-law and Official Plan applications and disputes, subdivision and site plan control agreements, aggregate resource licensing, road access disputes, related environmental and conservation issues, employment and labour disputes, Inquests, professional regulation complaints and public official conflicts of interest.
Chantelle was a member of the Ontario Municipal Board, now known as the Ontario Land Tribunal, where she adjudicated a large variety of land use and aggregate licensing disputes across the province, first legal counsel for the First Nation Child and Family Caring Society on its historic discrimination case regarding the inequitable funding of child welfare services on reserve, successfully brought a s. 15 Charter of Rights case against Canada regarding its restrictions against non-resident First Nation members running for Council, represented the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth in the 7 Fallen Feathers Inquest that resulted in new death investigations for 4 Indigenous youth and 145 recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future, and has taken a variety of municipal, land use planning, environmental, and employment and professional regulation cases successfully through the Ontario and Federal Courts and a variety of provincial and federal tribunals.
As part of her passion for these areas of practice, Chantelle is a frequent presenter at the annual conferences of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association, Kenora District Municipal Association, Rainy River District Municipal Association and the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario. Chantelle has also taught in the Aboriginal Governance Program at Confederation College and as a Constitutional Law tutorial leader at Bora Laskin Law School, and consulted for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on Reconciliation and for a variety of Indigenous organizations regarding legislative changes and self-government initiatives.
Chantelle joined the Potestio Law team in 2021 with a practice focusing on Municipal and Land Use Planning, Employment and Labour and general Administrative Law matters.
