Matthew Desmarais is a Partner and a member of the firm’s Labour + Employment, Business Disputes, Intellectual Property + Technology, Cannabis and Corporate/Commercial Practice Groups. Matthew is a strong advocate for his clients and seeks to provide practical, business-focused advise. He has represented clients at the Provincial Court of British Columbia, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and the British Columbia Court of Appeal, as well as the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, WorkSafeBC’s Review Division, and various arbitrations.
Matthew
Desmarais*
Partner
Assistant
* Practicing through a Professional Law Corporation
Education
- 2018 J.D. University of Calgary
- 2014 B.B.A. Simon Fraser University
Bar Admission
- 2019 Admitted to the British Columbia Bar
On A Personal Note...
Matthew enjoys ice hockey, hiking, and spending time with his family and friends. Matthew also has an unhealthy addiction to cheering on the Vancouver Canucks.
Representative Experience
- Bonnefoy v. Northern Health Authority o/a Wrinch Memorial Hospital, 2024 BCHRT 38 – dismissal of human rights complaint alleging discrimination in the context of employment. Tribunal made rare award of costs in client’s favour
- Bott v. Buy-Low Foods LP dba AG Foods, 2024 BCHRT 50 – dismissal of human rights complaint alleging discrimination in the context of employment
- WorksafeBC Review Reference #R0263355 (2021) – successfully overturned a WorkSafeBC penalty of over $540,000
- Kang v. Advanced Fresh Concepts Franchise Corp., 2021 BCPC 262 – successfully enforced an arbitration clause, staying the action
- Impact Recruitment Inc. v. John Volken Academy Society, 2020 BCSC 1416 – successfully obtained a judgment for breach of contract and costs on a solicitor-and-own-client basis
- Pai v. Ho (unreported – 2019) – successfully obtained judgment for debts owing under a verbal loan agreement.
- Hindi v. Teranishi et al, 2019 BCCRT 692 – successfully defended a breach of contract claim
- Realty Executives Intl. Svcs. LLC v. Vince Eidsness et al (unreported – 2019) – successfully defended a claim for breach of a franchise agreement
- Logan v. Numbers Cabaret Ltd. (Hamburger Mary’s), 2016 BCSC 1473
Publications
- November 13, 2018, “Why Growing the Devil’s Lettuce Could Cause You to Lose Your Green”, AHBL Business Law Blog, Co-author
Events
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Upcoming
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Past
No upcoming events at this time.
Labour and Employment Webinar: Year in Review for 2024
November 20, 2024, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Online Event , Zoom
Labour + Employment Webinar: Best Practices for Offer Letters & Employment Contracts
April 24, 2024, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Online Event, Zoom
Labour + Employment Webinar: WorkSafeBC Compliance Issues
October 18, 2023, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Online Event, Zoom
Labour + Employment Webinar: Employment Contracts
May 31, 2023, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Online Event, Zoom
Labour + Employment Webinar: Keeping Current with Legislative Updates and COVID-19 Orders
February 9, 2022, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Online Event, Online
Labour + Employment Webinar: Workplace Reorganization
May 5, 2021, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm
Online Event, Online, Register Below
Blogs
Sellers Beware: The Business Implications of the Proposed Reforms to the BC Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act
Collecting on Your Judgment: A Look at the Money Judgment Enforcement Act
Growing Out of Employment Contracts: How Employment Contracts can become Unenforceable Over Time if an Employee’s Role Changes
To the Victor Goes Some Spoils? How to Overcome BC’s Default Position of Awarding Partial Indemnity Costs
Mask Up: Five Key Takeaways from the BC Human Rights Tribunal’s Decisions on Mask Policies
Hidden Risk of Arbitration: Can an arbitrator withhold your award if the other side doesn’t pay?
Canada Labour Code (“CLC”) – September 1, 2019 Amendments
Professional & Community Affiliations
- Law Society of British Columbia, Member
- Canadian Bar Association, Member
- Vancouver Bar Association, Member
Matthew's
Focus
Practice Areas:
- Business
- Personal
- Insurance