Alissa Demerse is a partner at Roper Greyell LLP where she provides practical and strategic advice to employers in all areas of employment and labour law. As RG’s Workplace Safety Practice Lead, Alissa also maintains a specialized practice in occupational health and safety prevention matters, workers’ compensation claims, and human rights law including return to work issues and harassment claims.
Alissa’s approach is to be proactively involved with her clients in resolving disputes and grievances. She represents clients within unionized and non-unionized workplaces. She is a tenacious and dedicated team member who searches for the smart result for her clients and this approach makes her an invaluable advisor to many public and private sector employers in British Columbia.
Alissa is well known to provide empathic leadership in times of crisis and is focused on keeping her clients informed, organized, and prepared to avoid unnecessary litigation and disputes.
She has extensive experience assisting clients with workplace investigations including bullying and harassment complaints and investigations, discipline investigations, and WorkSafeBC serious injury and fatality investigations. She regularly advises employers on collective agreement interpretation and grievances, drafting employment contracts and workplace policies, employee discipline and termination decisions, managing medical leaves and accommodation requests, occupational health and safety prevention matters and appeals, and critical incident management.
As a trusted advocate who represents employers in complex hearings, Alissa holds an unparalleled ability to distill the facts and focus on the relevant details for each case and client. She appears as counsel at labour arbitrations, the Labour Relations Board, the Workers’ Compensation Review Board, and Appeal Tribunal, the Employment Standards Branch and Tribunal, the Human Rights Tribunal, Coroner’s Inquests, and the courts.
Born in Kitimat, B.C., raised on Vancouver Island, and with strong New Zealand roots, Alissa holds a passion for the outdoors. She enjoys leading an active lifestyle, including skiing, cycling, and travelling with her family and friends.
Education
B.A., Criminology, Simon Fraser University
JD, University of British Columbia
Year of call
British Columbia, 2007
Publications
Changes to the Workers Compensation Act Now in Effect
B.C. Government Proposes Significant Changes to the Workers Compensation Act
Jail Sentences for Worker Fatalities: Will They or Won’t They?
Maintaining Privilege Over An Employer’s Internal Accident Investigation
Don’t Forget to Reactivate Your COVID-19 Safety Plan
COVID-19 Update – Information on the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program
Membership / Affiliations
Canadian Bar Association
Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers
Employers’ Forum (OHS)
Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia and Yukon (CPHR BC & YK)
Vancouver Bar Association
Listings / Rankings
Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory 2022,2024, Repeatedly Recommended for “Workers Compensation – Employer” and “Occupational Health & Safety”
Canadian Occupational Safety | 5-Star Safety Law Firms and Lawyers 2022
Legal Assistant
604.806.3863
