Jessica Bowering | Partner, Barrister & Solicitor
Called to the Bar
British Columbia Bar: 2004
Alberta Bar: 2015
Noteworthy
Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada for achievements in labour and employment law in 2022, 2023 and 2024
Member of the Government of Canada’s national roster of workplace harassment & violence prevention investigators since 2021
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Jessica Bowering is a lawyer, investigator, and advisor with extensive experience resolving workplace issues across a wide variety of organizations. She is widely recognized for her practical, thoughtful, fair-minded, and creative approach to solving problems.
Jessica received her law degree from Dalhousie University in 2002, graduating with the gold medal in her class, and she clerked at the British Columbia Court of Appeal.
Jessica worked in labour and employment law for over 10 years, first at a small union-side firm, and then in-house for two major health care unions. Her labour and employment practice has included arbitrations, labour board cases, human rights cases, jurisdictional disputes, and pension and benefits litigation.
Jessica has played a senior role in all aspects of bargaining and administering province-wide multi- employer collective agreements, and she is a skilled negotiator. This experience in managing diverse interests while maintaining constructive long-term relationships informs all aspects of her practice.
In 2015, Jessica moved to Alberta as an Assistant Deputy Minister in the Policy Coordination Office of Executive Council. She was promoted to Deputy Minister in 2016. Her office was responsible for coordinating work on the most complex legal and policy issues facing government. She supported government employees in all departments in obtaining Cabinet decisions in relation to hundreds of policies, regulations, and pieces of legislation.
Jessica returned to British Columbia and began working with Southern Butler Price in 2019. She became a Southern Butler Price partner in 2021.
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Through her extensive experience in working for unions and as a manager in a complex public sector organization, she has developed a keen understanding of the pitfalls that can occur and what is required to manage people effectively. She uses this insight and understanding to support employees, employers, and unions in resolving workplace issues through investigations, training, mediation, arbitrations, and advice.
Federally Regulated Employers Investigator (National Roster)
Jessica is an experienced investigator for federally regulated organizations under the Canada Labour Code. She has conducted many investigations in the federal sector, including for First Nations governments, financial institutions, and railways. She has conducted dozens of complex and, highly sensitive investigations spanning various areas of misconduct, such as harassment, violence, discrimination, financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest, and confidentiality breaches. Jessica provides clear, practical, thoughtful, and accurate investigation reports and recommendations.Mediator
Jessica’s experience in managing diverse interests while maintaining constructive long-term relationships informs all aspects of her practice, including mediation. Her work as a senior civil servant and manager often involved mediation and other creative dispute resolution techniques to assist elected and senior officials as well as external stakeholders in resolving disagreements and obtaining decisions. As an example, she led and coordinated the work of the Consultation Team on Persons with Developmental Disabilities Safety Standards. The work involved creating a consultation team of diverse interests, consulting on and mediating agreed solutions, and then working within government and with the consultation team to implement new approaches to safety standards. She has conducted numerous mediation and workplace resolutions processes to support individuals and organizations addressing workplace conflict.Arbitrator
Jessica has been selected by parties to assist in resolving various disputes and complex workplace issues, including a joint strategic review of a large public sector workplace post-strike and making recommendations for addressing workplace concerns in multiple public and private organizations. Jessica has extensive experience resolving workplace issues across a wide variety of organizations and brings her practical, thoughtful, fair-minded, and creative approach to arbitration work. -
Jessica was recognized in the Best Lawyers in Canada 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions for achievements in labour and employment law in British Columbia. She also became a member of the Government of Canada’s national roster of workplace harassment and violence prevention investigators in 2021.
Contact
Jessica Bowering*
Southern Butler Price LLP
301 - 1835 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver, BC V7M 2J8
778-322-7635
*Law Corporation
