Bass Associates
5 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 478 handling Employment & Labour Law.
About Bass Associates
Bass Associates is a Toronto professional corporation that provides labour relations and employment services exclusively to employers, not to unions or individual employees. Its team includes both lawyers and labour relations consultants, and its work covers Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. The firm traces back to 1982, when Robert Bass established Bass Research Services Ltd. Bass had graduated from the University of Waterloo with an honours degree in mathematics and computer science, then spent several years in labour relations with the Metropolitan Toronto School Board before becoming Director of Research and Information at the Ontario Hospital Association.
That research background still shapes how the firm works today. It maintains a database tracking wages, benefits, and premiums across many unionized employers in Ontario's long term care, community care, and acute care hospital sectors, and uses that data to support contract negotiations and interest arbitration. Bass Associates acts as spokesperson in collective bargaining, prepares arbitration briefs, and advises on pay equity, human rights, and workers' compensation matters. The firm's principal and an associate were among the first to bring interest based bargaining into Ontario's hospital sector, in the late 1990s. Clients have included hospitals, nursing homes, police services, universities, and various levels of government.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founded in 1982 as Bass Research Services Ltd. by Robert Bass, after several years in labour relations with the Metropolitan Toronto School Board and as Director of Research and Information at the Ontario Hospital Association.
- The firm's principal and an associate were among the first to introduce interest based bargaining into Ontario's hospital sector, in the late 1990s.
- The firm built a proprietary database tracking wages, benefits, and premiums across many unionized employers in Ontario's long term care, community care, and acute care hospital sectors.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleLawyers 5
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1987–2019 · median 18 years in practice 5 of 5 lawyers
- Law schools
- McGill University, Osgoode Hall Law School, Queen's University, University of Bristol, University of Windsor 5 of 5 lawyers
- Languages on the roster
- French
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
Bass Associates' office is on Edmund Avenue in Toronto's Deer Park neighbourhood, a residential district centred on Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue that has been an upper middle class area since the 1930s. It's a quieter setting than the downtown legal towers to the south, which suits a practice built on data, phone calls, and travel to bargaining tables and arbitration hearings rather than walk-in client meetings. Deer Park takes its name from a nineteenth century estate where visitors once came to feed roaming deer, and the area was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1908.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Bass Associates represent employees or unions?
- No. Bass Associates works exclusively for employers, providing labour relations and collective bargaining support rather than representing individual employees or unions.
- What sectors does Bass Associates focus on?
- Its core focus is health care and long term care, including hospitals, nursing homes, and community care providers, though the firm also serves public, municipal, and private sector employers.
- Does Bass Associates work outside Ontario?
- Yes. Alongside its Ontario practice, the firm's work extends into Alberta and British Columbia.
- Can Bass Associates help with pay equity compliance?
- Yes. Pay equity consultation is one of the firm's core services, alongside wage and benefits analysis and labour cost evaluation.
- How long has Bass Associates been in business?
- It dates back to 1982, when Robert Bass founded Bass Research Services Ltd., the predecessor to today's Bass Associates.
- What is Bass Analytics?
- Bass Analytics is the firm's own publication, covering ongoing developments in labour relations and employment issues for its clients.
Where to find them
16 Edmund Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4V 1H3 · 416-962-2277
Similar firms in City of Toronto
Brown Dryer (formerly Sherman Brown) is a boutique Toronto law firm that has practised for more than three decades. The team focuses on real estate transactions and litigation, civil litigation, alternative dispute re…
Real Estate Law
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Administrative & Regulatory Law
Construction Law
Downtown Legal Services is a community legal clinic and clinical education program operated by the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto, funded in part by Legal Aid Ontario. Law students provide free legal assi…
Immigration Law
Family Law
Criminal Defence
Landlord & Tenant
Legal Aid
J. de Whytell Law is a Toronto practice focused on Indigenous law, led by Josephine de Whytell, a member of the Saskatchewan and Ontario bars. The firm represents First Nations, Indigenous organizations and individual…
Indigenous LawFamily LawAdministrative & Regulatory LawCivil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionListing compiled from the firm’s public website in July 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗