Our Team

With over 20 years combined in human resource management (CHRL) and employment law experience, Erika brings a practical approach to client matters.

Erika is the founder of Bridge Legal & HR Solutions. With her extensive experience, Erika is equipped to address your HR & employment law needs with a unique perspective. Focusing on impartial, third-party workplace investigations, Erika has conducted numerous investigations throughout her career, both as an internal investigator and an external investigator, across Canada. These investigations have included harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, toxic or poisoned work environment, discrimination, and many more across various industries (union and non-union).

Erika is a member and Certificate Holder of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI), as well as its Canadian chapter (CAWI) which is a not-for-profit organization focused on enhancing the quality of workplace investigations internationally. Erika continuously educates herself on investigation best practices, and takes a trauma-informed approach to ensure high quality, thorough and timely investigations.

You can learn more about our founder Erika’s journey here.

Jandre provides superior customer service and tailored solutions suitable for the unique needs of each client.

Jandre is an employment lawyer at Bridge Legal & HR Solutions. With background in philosophy and law, Jandre approaches his work with a keen eye for detail. His focus is on providing comprehensive and timely advice to employers for every stage of the employment relationship. Whether you are looking for advice on employment contracts, human resource policies, human rights, occupational health & safety, or accessibility matters, Jandre is available to provide effective and exceptional client service.

To better serve your needs, Jandre is fluent in both English and Serbian/Croatian.

Elizabeth Sonderskov

Elizabeth is Bridge Legal & HR Solutions’ Operations Manager and Law Clerk. Elizabeth brings over thirty years of experience, both as an office manager and as a litigation clerk.

Elizabeth is an experienced law clerk, having worked in several legal environments, for both plaintiff and defence, throughout her career. She also has been the office manager of a construction business for over thirty years. Elizabeth provides clerking support to our professionals, while managing all aspects of our Team and keeping us organized.

Palmina Pitruzzella

Palmina is Bridge Legal & HR Solutions’ Administrative Specialist and provides a wide range of support with a natural ability to execute multiple competing priorities for the firm.

Palmina has over 20 years of national and international progressive administrative and operational experience for both government and non-government agencies. Palmina is fluent in English and Italian.

Michelle Bird

Michelle brings over a decade of experience providing expert services. Michelle maintains an unbiased and open-minded perspective to all circumstances.

Michelle is an experienced lawyer, workplace investigator, trainer, and workplace consultant. She began her career at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, where she articled in the Tribunal Counsel Office. She then spent eight years as an investigator and legal counsel for the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman, undertaking high-profile regulatory investigations.

Michelle then further enhanced her career in a growing Toronto-based firm where she conducted investigations into bullying, sexual harassment and code of conduct violations and acted as a Team Lead. Michelle continues to provide expert workplace investigation services, assessments, and training sessions on mitigating bias, workplace civility, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) best practices. Michelle is currently working on her master’s degree in counseling psychology and plans to incorporate counselling techniques to address workplace stress.

Andrea Lowes

Andrea conducts independent external workplace investigations into allegations of harassment, sexual harassment, fraud, privacy breaches, and other misconduct.

Andrea’s approach to all parties and witnesses is fair and trauma-informed. She builds rapport and ensures that each investigation is conducted with transparency, confidentiality, and respect. Andrea produces defensible reports that clearly set out the evidence, detailed fact-finding, and analysis.

Andrea has extensive investigations experience in private practice, government oversight, and self-regulated professions. Her diverse professional background provides her with the skills necessary to address concerns ranging from the most straightforward, to those involving multiple parties and complex and sensitive issues.

Emma Scherer

Emma is a dynamic and experienced Human Resources Consultant with a proven track record in various HR domains.

Specializing in management coaching, consulting, employment law, employee relations, and internal investigations, Emma brings a wealth of expertise to every project she undertakes. Her passion lies in helping companies navigate through periods of growth and change, where she excels at building trust and fostering positive relationships with employees at all levels. Additionally, she possesses a unique ability to provide valuable guidance and influence managers when necessary. Emma’s client-centric approach ensures that she consistently delivers tailored solutions that address the specific needs of her clients.

Emma’s extensive experience spans a range of critical HR initiatives. She has successfully led organizational structure transformations, streamlining corporate policies and procedures, analyzing health benefit offerings, and effectively training both line managers and employees in utilizing HR and time management systems. Moreover, Emma is adept at designing and implementing programs to enhance employee engagement, develop strong leadership skills, facilitate seamless new hire orientations, ensure compliance, and formulate effective recruiting strategies. Throughout these endeavors, she has honed her project management skills, ensuring projects are executed efficiently and effectively.

Emma’s clients appreciate her reliability, strategic thinking, and practical approach to HR challenges. Her passion for making a positive impact on organizations and individuals drives her to consistently exceed expectations and deliver exceptional results. Whether it is helping a company build a strong and cohesive team, navigating complex legal matters, or implementing HR best practices, Emma’s expertise and client-centric mindset make her an invaluable asset to any organization she partners with.

Rumina Ratansi

Rumina is an Executive HR Consultant, Business and Leadership Coach, Change Strategist and DEI Advisor.

Rumina is a seasoned Executive and Human Resources veteran with 25+ years of industry experience ranging in public, private and not for profit sectors, along with start-up initiatives. With a passion for entrepreneurship and supporting leaders and individuals to realize their own potential, Rumina has developed a successful practice in the areas of HR Consultation and strategy development, HR setup, DEI practices, culture transformation and change management, organizational design, leadership and team development, performance and succession management, talent acquisition, leadership coaching, career development and employee engagement.

She has vast exposure in the following industries: Technology/Tech Software, Healthcare, Pension, Legal, Telecommunications, Government Services, Financial Services, Professional Services, Aviation/Airline, Academic/Education, Hotel/Hospitality, Mining, Real Estate Brokerage / Mortgage Brokerage, Food & Beverage/CPG, Manufacturing, Advertising, Film and Broadcasting, Media Post-Production, Farming / Agricultural and Charity / Giving.

Rumina has her CHRL professional designation. She is also certified as a Change Management Leader & Agent and Business Executive Coach. She is trained and experienced in Advanced HR Employment Law, Dispute Resolution & Mediation, and Workplace Investigations. Rumina is also a Certified Lego Serious Play Change Facilitator where she engages in creative solutions through innovation, dialogue and play. Rumina also has strong knowledge in agile scrum methodologies.

Rumina has served on many boards over the past 20 years and has also participated on many HR Expert panels to provide professional advice, guidance and mentorship. She was known as one of the recognized Speaker Coaches for TEDxDonmills.

Andrea Kedves

Andrea is an experienced and highly adaptable Human Resources professional.

Having worked in the Fintech, Clean Energy, and IT industries, Andrea has a wide range of expertise working with large corporations and in start-up environments. With a true passion for HR and helping others, Andrea brings a creative approach to employee experiences, talent acquisition, and policy development to ensure organizational success. As a member of multiple people-focused groups, she is excited about the advancements in HR and looks forward to more dedicated people-centric approaches for the future of work.