Barbara Austin is a senior pension lawyer with more than 25 years’ experience in a wide range of pension matters in both the private and public sectors. She has provided advice to plan administrators, government, service providers, employers and employee groups on pension issues including: governance and fiduciary duties; plan design and modification; plan and statutory interpretation; plan mergers and reorganizations; plan termination and wind-up; pension issues in insolvencies; surplus and contribution holiday disputes; funding arrangements; regulatory compliance and the resolution of regulatory concerns; plan documentation, communications and policies; and the resolution of disputes.
Barbara is currently on the Canadian Bar Association Law Reform Subcommittee. She is a former adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, a former Chair of the National Pension and Benefits Section of the Canadian Bar Association and has written numerous articles in the areas of pensions, tax and trusts. In 2018, she received the Amethyst Award (the highest order of recognition for excellence in the Ontario Public Service).
Barbara has degrees from McGill University (BA Honours), the University of Toronto (LLB Honours) and Osgoode Hall Law School (LLM). She was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1991.
