Former COO and Management Board member. ING Bank, ING Insurance, NN Group.
Who to call for an Ontario workplace investigation, by matter: 1205 Consulting, Barker Hutchinson or JMJ for a single-site complaint where independence from counsel matters most; a law firm when privilege or litigation leads; a national firm for multi-site or forensic work.
The right investigator depends on the matter, not the brand. For a single-site harassment or conduct complaint where independence from counsel matters most, call 1205 Consulting, Barker Hutchinson & Associates, or JMJ Workplace Investigation Law. If privilege or live litigation is the main risk, start with Greenwood Law, then Massey, Hudson Sinclair, or Cavalluzzo. For multi-site, forensic, or surveillance-heavy matters, start with Xpera, then Barker Hutchinson or The Investigators Group.
Section 32.0.7 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires an investigation "appropriate in the circumstances" but leaves the choice of investigator to you. Below: the twelve firms, how they differ, and who fits which matter.
Single-site complaint, no proceeding filed, independence from counsel the priority:
Privilege or live litigation is the main risk: Greenwood Law first for its published privilege guidance, then the litigation-capable firms: Massey, Hudson Sinclair, and Cavalluzzo.
Multi-site, forensic, or surveillance-heavy: Xpera first, then Barker Hutchinson, then The Investigators Group.
Independent by structure. 1205 Consulting is not a law firm. We have no litigation practice and no employee-side work, so no downstream retainer creates pressure on a finding. The investigation stays separate from your employment-counsel relationship.
The investigator is named before you commit. Your engagement letter names who interviews, who writes the report, the allegations in scope, the timeline, and the fee basis. The person named is the person who does the interviews.
Findings are kept separate from remedies. Restoration and remediation are scoped only after the report is delivered, so the investigator has no commercial interest in what the findings recommend. Ontario's investigation standard, including section 32.0.7 and the procedural fairness owed to an Ontario respondent, is the ground this practice is built on, not a jurisdiction researched for the file.
See how a matter runs on our workplace investigations page, or start a matter enquiry.
1205 Consulting Inc. (Oakville). Employer-side workplace investigations with a named investigator and a fixed scope, and restoration or remediation scoped separately after the report.
Barker Hutchinson & Associates Ltd (Toronto). Operating since 1982 and, by its own description, one of Canada's leading workplace and regulatory investigations firms, with thousands of investigations across Canada. Its published six-step process includes investigator assignment within 24 hours, forensic IT and forensic accounting where required, trauma-informed interviews, and peer review of each report. It also publishes a regulatory practice for professional colleges and a specialization in sexual misconduct investigations.
Cavalluzzo LLP (Toronto). Publishes that its lawyers are regularly retained by employers as neutral investigators, and that it also acts for employees bringing allegations and for respondents. It cites its commitment to employee rights as the reason employees feel confident of fair treatment in its process.
Greenwood Law (Toronto). Describes a complete investigation practice: conducting investigations, defending respondents, advising employers after the report, and challenging outcomes at the HRTO, the OLRB, in civil litigation, and in labour arbitration. Its privilege guidance is the clearest here: privilege does not attach automatically because the investigator is a lawyer; the purpose of the retainer governs.
JMJ Workplace Investigation Law LLP (Toronto and Richmond Hill). Founded in 2013 as one of the first Canadian law firms practising exclusively in impartial workplace investigations. Partners Jennifer MacKenzie and Monica Jeffrey publish over fifty years of combined employment-law and HR experience; Monica Jeffrey holds a 2013 AWI Training Institute certificate and is Immediate Past President of the AWI Board of Directors.
Rubin & Co. LLP (Toronto). Formerly Rubin Thomlinson LLP, with training now under RT Workplace Training & Consulting. Publishes five service lines (investigations, assessments and systemic reviews, restoration and mediation, intake and whistleblower services, consulting and special projects), a trauma-informed approach, and bilingual investigations: the only provider here publishing French-language capability.
Marshall Workplace Law (Toronto). A boutique with investigations at its core, alongside audits, restorations, and training. It states 180+ workplace resolutions in Ontario and sector experience across healthcare, education, government, unions, and not-for-profits.
Massey LLP (Toronto). A boutique with a broad business, commercial, real estate, government, and employment practice. It publishes that it both counsels employers on when an investigation is necessary and conducts investigations, from police and fire services to publicly traded companies.
Hudson Sinclair LLP (Toronto). A labour and employment firm publishing impartial investigations for public and private employers, covering harassment, bullying, discrimination, misconduct, theft, and whistleblower complaints, through investigation lawyers and third-party investigators, with an emphasis on minimal disruption.
Regulated under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005, these firms bring evidence-gathering capability the other models generally do not carry in-house.
Investigation Hotline (Toronto). A licensed private detective firm operating since 1988, supporting workplace and corporate fact-finding across the GTA (fraud, harassment, sabotage, and misconduct) through discreet monitoring, witness interviews, and research, with output framed as verifiable evidence.
The Investigators Group Inc. (Toronto). Established 1995, publishing workplace investigations alongside security, loss prevention, labour dispute management, and surveillance. Its published credentials include an officer of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, an accredited sexual assault investigator, and undercover fraud experience.
Xpera Risk Mitigation & Investigation (national, Toronto office). The scale outlier: 50+ years, 20+ locations, 1,800 experts, and 100,000 completed assignments by its own figures, with a stated reach of 90 per cent of Canadians within two hours. It lists Canada Labour Code investigations for federally regulated employers, plus surveillance, computer forensics, and open-source intelligence.
| Firm | Model | Stated scope | What they publish about credentials or bench | Best fit for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1205 Consulting Inc. | Independent practice | Workplace investigations; separately scoped remediation; HR advisory | Named investigator, scope, timeline, and fee in the engagement letter; conflict and independence check on every matter | Single-site Ontario matters where independence from counsel is the priority |
| Barker Hutchinson & Associates | Independent investigation firm | Workplace, regulatory and sexual misconduct investigations; mediation; training | Operating since 1982; publishes peer review, forensic IT and forensic accounting, 24-hour assignment | High-volume, regulatory-college, and sexual misconduct matters |
| Cavalluzzo LLP | Employment-law firm | Neutral investigations for employers; also acts for employees and respondents | Lawyers described as experts in workplace law; long-standing Toronto firm | Matters where perceived fairness to complainants is under scrutiny |
| Greenwood Law | Employment-law firm | Conducts investigations, defends respondents, advises employers, challenges flawed investigations | Publishes a complete investigation practice and detailed privilege guidance | Matters where privilege structuring or a likely challenge is the central risk |
| JMJ Workplace Investigation Law LLP | Employment-law firm (exclusive practice) | Impartial workplace investigations only | 50+ years combined employment law and HR experience; AWI Training Institute certificate; AWI Immediate Past President | Employers who want a law firm with no competing litigation caseload |
| Rubin & Co. LLP | Employment-law firm | Investigations, systemic reviews, restoration and mediation, intake and whistleblower, consulting | Team of lawyers; trauma-informed approach; bilingual and French-language investigations | Systemic reviews, bilingual matters, and post-report restoration |
| Marshall Workplace Law | Employment-law firm (boutique) | Investigations, audits, restorations, training | Publishes 180+ workplace resolutions in Ontario; broad public-sector experience | Public sector, healthcare, education and unionised environments |
| Massey LLP | Employment-law firm (full service) | Investigations within a broad labour, employment and commercial practice | Boutique firm publishing depth across many practice areas and sectors | Employers wanting one firm across investigation and downstream legal work |
| Hudson Sinclair LLP | Employment-law firm | Impartial investigations for public and private sector employers | Combines investigation lawyers with third-party investigators | Employers prioritising speed and minimal operational disruption |
| Investigation Hotline | Licensed private investigation firm | Workplace and corporate misconduct, fraud, evidence gathering | Operating since 1988; licensed private detective firm | Suspected theft, fraud or misconduct needing documentary and surveillance evidence |
| The Investigators Group Inc. | Licensed investigation and security firm | Workplace investigations, security, loss prevention, labour dispute management | Publishes a former Canadian Human Rights Commission officer, an accredited sexual assault investigator, and undercover fraud experience | Matters combining a conduct issue with a security or labour-dispute dimension |
| Xpera | National risk mitigation and investigation firm | Workplace investigations including Canada Labour Code matters; forensics; OSINT; surveillance | Publishes 50+ years, 20+ locations, 1,800 experts, 100,000 assignments | Multi-site, cross-provincial, or federally regulated employers |
If privilege is central or litigation is live, use a law firm; we refer those matters out. For French-language investigations, Rubin & Co. publishes that capability. For multi-site or surveillance-heavy matters, a national firm such as Xpera brings the scale.
We compared twelve firms, including ourselves, using only what each firm publishes on its own website, linked at each mention. Full criteria, weights, and how to reweight them for your matter are on how we compare providers.
Independent, employer-side workplace investigations for Canadian organizations, with a named investigator, a written scope, and a documented report.
Fractional HR for Canadian employers: senior HR leadership for a defined period, from stabilizing employee relations to building the people function.
Culture and remediation support after a difficult period or a completed investigation: rebuilding trust, accountability, and manager capability.
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