Christopher Sinal

Whether negotiating a settlement or arguing a case, Chris is a forceful and effective advocate for his clients. He exclusively represents employers in managing their relationships with employees and labour unions, and works primarily with clients in the construction, manufacturing, and broader-public sectors.

Chris’ practice is focused particularly on helping clients in human rights matters, WSIB appeals, responding to Occupational Health and Safety charges, as well as wrongful dismissal claims. He also regularly advises clients in addressing union organizing drives, as well as union applications for certification. He advocates for clients in a variety of settings, including administrative tribunals, before labour arbitrators, in collective bargaining, and the courts.

Labour & Employment Blog

Strategic advice and knowledge
Chris Sinal has been providing our large not-for-profit management-side employment and labour advice for over 4 years. His capacity to understand our unique needs and efficiently tailor his legal advice to those needs has resulted in the successful resolutions of many matters. Chris is sensitive to our organizational values and humanistic approach to managing and resolving our employment and labour issues. And, I have learned so much from his informative and educational approach to consultations about a variety of topics – including collective bargaining, interpretation of collective agreements, terminations, pay equity and employment contracts. Recently Chris has been advising us on a complex initiative with significant employment and labour implications. His strategic advice and knowledge of relevant legal implications has helped us to understand and plan for our emerging staffing intricacies and possibilities. Our planning committee feels confident that any glitches that arise in our process will be manageable. One of the aspects I most appreciate about my working relationship with Chris is his ability to normalize what feels like to me an insurmountable problem and break it down to the real issues and solutions…and he always does it with a touch of humour. Who knew employment and labour law could be so much fun! - Kathryn Eggert, Anago

Approachable and inspires confidence
We retained Chris Sinal to represent our company as we sought to resolve the time sensitive and complex issues regarding potential union certification. Chris is approachable and inspires confidence. He is incredibly well versed in his field and answered our questions and addressed our concerns promptly and accurately. He was impeccably prepared for all meetings and telephone conferences. During this stressful time, it was reassuring to know we had very competent and knowledgeable legal counsel. Chris also represented our company at a WSIB Appeal and once again provided top notch legal advice. Both issues were resolved in our favour thanks to the excellent representation Chris and his team provided.
Kim Melchers, Melchers Construction Limited

Helpful, efficient, and responsive
...I just wanted to thank you for being so helpful, efficient, and responsive. I've worked with quite a few lawyers in the last few years, for a range of different things, and I wish they were all more like you. -Ted Jackson, SIGMA Assessment Systems, Inc.

Direct, thorough, and professional 
We moved our legal support from Toronto to Siskinds Law in London after almost a year of trialing their services. We believe good legal counsel provides great clarity on options and outcomes in any situation, and respects the value statement that legal counsel provides companies, and Chris Sinal has excelled at both. We appreciate the direct, thorough and professional manner which Chris brings to every issue, and value Siskinds’ overall responsiveness. Their advice has been invaluable as Chris has taken the time to understand our company culture, and our legal needs. While our primary need is labour law, based on our experiences to date, we have and would feel comfortable using Siskinds in all areas of our business.
-Douglas Thompson, Coilplus Canada Inc.

Efficient and timely 
As the COO of a midsize company I contacted Siskinds with regards to an intricate and somewhat challenging H.R. issue, and we were directed to Christopher Sinal. Upon review of this complex situation, his in depth knowledge of H.R. law allowed us to construct a clear and strategic plan. Phone calls and email enquiries were dealt with efficiently and timely. Chris displayed his competency and confidence in our final negotiations to bring closure to the case. We appreciate his preparedness and professionalism in representing our firm. -Bill Dey, A Towing Ltd.

Law Society of Ontario, Member
Middlesex Law Association, Member
Canadian Bar Association, Member
Ontario Bar Association, Member

Christopher Sinal has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers™ in Canada 2025

Venables v. Glen White Industries Ltd., 2017 HRTO 1220 (CanLII)
Successfully argues that the Human Rights Tribunal should not set aside a full and final release signed by an employee upon his termination of employment. As a result, the Tribunal dismissed the employee's human rights complaint.
Chambers v. Lamprea Building Materials Ltd. o/a Home Hardware Building Centre, 2016 HRTO 1585 (CanLII)
Employer found not to have engaged in age-discrimination where it had terminated a 58-year-old employee and replaced her with an individual in her 20's.
Carroll v. AFTT Development Inc., 2016 HRTO 534
Application dismissed by the Human Rights Tribunal on the basis that it had no chance of success.
Tesseris v. Pellark Dental Centre, 2014 HRTO 101 (CanLII)
Succeeded in having the Human Rights Tribunal dismiss the majority of the allegations against the employer without the need for a full hearing.

Chris is actively involved in the London community. He is a member of the Huron University College Corporation and is the Vice-Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Huron. He is a past Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Addictions Services of Thames Valley, a former member of the Children’s Aid Society of London & Middlesex Board of Directors, and is also a past member of the Board of Governors of Western University.

Christopher has appeared in the following news articles, segments, and publications:

• July 25, 2024 - Canadian HR Reporter, "Should AI be used to draft employment agreements or HR policies?" Chris discusses the ethical and practical considerations of using AI in drafting employment agreements and HR policies.

• Cost management and claims reduction: WSIB and Occupational Health & Safety
• Ontario Government extends worker Income Protection Benefit while ending leave for employees on layoff
• Court weighs in on constructive dismissals and layoff during COVID-19 pandemic
• It’ll never happen to us: Union avoidance in the age of COVID-19
• Business Essentials – Episode 7: How intellectual property law affects your business
• Business Essentials – Episode 6: Professional practice law and running a practice virtually
• Business Essentials – Episode 5: Corporate law and conducting business during the pandemic
• Business Essentials – Episode 4: Immigration law, foreign workers, government processing times & more
• Business Essentials – Episode 3: Real estate law and the importance of keeping good relationships
• Business Essentials – Episode 2: How to keep your company’s data as clean as your hands
• Business Essentials – Episode 1: Challenges related to COVID-19 facing employers now and in the future
• COVID-19 exposure in the workplace: will WSIB approve the claims?
• Uber Decision Calls into Question Arbitration Clauses in Commercial Agreements
• Ontario Government Announces WSIB Premium Relief for Employers
• Back to the Future – Public Holiday Changes Reversed
• New Changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 Will Affect Calculation of New Year’s Day Holiday Pay
• Federal Government Releases Report on Harassment and Sexual Violence in the Workplace
• Public Hearings Regarding the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, in London on July 17
• Up in Smoke: An Update on Marijuana in the Workplace
• Unionizing Franchise Locations Could Become Easier Under Proposed Changes to Ontario Law