On September 5, 2023, Council appointed Ellen-Anne O'Donnell to act as the interim Complaints Adjudicator, until a permanent appointment can be made.
Ms. O'Donnell, interim Complaints Adjudicator
Rocky View County consulted Ms. O'Donnell during the recent review of the Council Code of Conduct. Ms O'Donnell has been the Integrity Commissioner for the City of Calgary since 2022, and brings over 30 years of legal experience and public service to the role of Complaints Adjudicator, as a mediator, arbitrator, adjudicator, and former litigator.
Ms. O’Donnell received an undergraduate degree from McGill University in 1984 and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University in 1988. She was called to the Alberta Bar in 1989. In 2016 she received a Certificate in Advanced Negotiation from the Harvard Negotiation Program at the Harvard Law School. In 2017, she obtained the Qualified Arbitrator designation from the ADR Institute of Canada.
In 2011, Ms. O’Donnell was appointed to the Law Enforcement Review Board, appointed Board Chair from 2018 to 2021. Ms. O’Donnell represented the Board nationally on the Canadian Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement from 2018 to 2021. She also represented the Law Enforcement Review Board in the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General’s Police Act Review Consultations.
She served as a member, Vice Chair, and Acting Chair of the Criminal Injuries Review Board from 2015 to 2019. She served on the Alberta Human Services Appeal Panels from 2016 to 2018.
Ms. O’Donnell practiced family law in Calgary for many years prior to her Board appointments. Her family law practice included alternative dispute resolution methods, including collaborative law, mediation, arbitration, and negotiation, and has experience appearing before all levels of Court in the Province of Alberta. She volunteered as a Dispute Resolution Officer at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench from 2001 to 2006, and is a former volunteer board member for Hospice Calgary and the Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary.