EXPERIENCED WORKPLACE INVESTIGATORS SERVING ONTARIO
About Us
Our collective experience in private practice and in-house positions, as well as in both management and employee-side roles, allow Bay Winter LLP to provide your organization with a practical and reasoned approach to investigations.
Elizabeth Winter
Founding Partner
Elizabeth uses her previous experience working for both employers and employees to navigate complex workplace issues on behalf of public and private sector organizations and employers.
As a partner of Bay Winter LLP, Elizabeth conducts investigations on a wide range of workplace and institutional matters, focusing on procedural fairness, impartiality and dignity for all those involved in the process. Elizabeth conducts independent workplace investigations involving a variety of forms of workplace misconduct, including discrimination, harassment, sexual violence, bullying and conflicts of interest.
Elizabeth’s work at Bay Winter LLP is shaped by her prior experience both at a management side law firm and a member-based professional association. Prior to founding Bay Winter LLP, Elizabeth worked at a professional association in the public education sector, where she advised both complainants and respondents who were participating in workplace investigations processes. She previously practiced at a leading national labour and employment law firm, where she advised employers in workplace disputes, including human rights matters, grievance arbitration, and other workplace disputes.
Elizabeth holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto and a Master of Science from the University of Oxford. Elizabeth is currently a candidate for a Doctorate of Education in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto. Elizabeth was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2015 and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. She is also a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators.
Lydia Bay
Founding Partner
Lydia Bay is a founding partner of Bay Winter LLP. She is a lawyer and workplace investigator with more than a decade of experience in employment and labour law, workplace investigations and employee relations.
Lydia conducts independent workplace investigations involving complex and sensitive allegations, including harassment, sexual harassment and sexual violence, discrimination, bullying, conflicts of interest and other forms of workplace misconduct. She takes a thoughtful approach to investigations, consistently ensuring they are both thorough and guided by principles of procedural fairness. She understands that workplace investigations often take place at difficult moments for both individuals and organizations, and she is committed to conducting investigations in a way that is fair, respectful and rigorous.
Before founding Bay Winter LLP, Lydia practiced as an investigations lawyer and managed other workplace investigators at a specialized investigations firm. Her earlier experience includes serving as Director of Staff Relations at an Ontario university, where she led and advised on workplace investigations, collective bargaining, human rights and accommodation, policy development and other employment and labour relations matters. She previously practiced at a leading national labour and employment law firm, where she advised and represented employers in grievance arbitration, wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights matters and other workplace disputes. Her experience as an investigator, employment lawyer and organizational decision-maker gives her a practical understanding of workplace issues from multiple perspectives.
Lydia holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Industrial Relations, both from Queen's University, and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. She is also a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators. Outside of work, Lydia enjoys reading, travel, the fibre arts, and spending time outdoors with her husband, daughter and dog, Scout.
