About Melanie
Melanie has practiced employment law for more than 35 years, acting for both employees and employers, which she says gives her unique insight into what matters to each side. She has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Divisional Court, and Court of Appeal, as well as the Ontario and Canadian Human Rights Tribunals and the Ontario Labour Board. She began her career at a Toronto management-side labour and employment firm before moving to Kitchener-Waterloo in 1990, and co-founded Morrison Reist with Charles Morrison in 1992, later welcoming Pamela Krauss and Maxwell Bauer as partners. Melanie also works as a workplace investigator and mediator, valuing procedural fairness and a reasonable timeframe for resolving disputes. In 2017 she received the Ontario Bar Association's Randall Echlin Mentorship Award, and in 2019 FEMPOWR recognized her with its Pillar of the Community Award.
Practice areas
Listing compiled from public sources in July 2026. Confirm Melanie Reist’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗