Eric is a senior Indigenous rights and consultation lawyer with nearly two decades of experience spanning federal and provincial governments, First Nations, major public agencies, and the private sector. His work has consistently focused on advancing Aboriginal and Treaty rights while helping organizations navigate complex legal, political, and operational risks in high‑stakes project environments.
Eric is one of the few legal practitioners in Canada to have served the federal Crown, provincial Crown, and First Nations in litigation, negotiation, and advisory roles. He has appeared as counsel before more than 19 courts, boards, and tribunals, including the Ontario Court of Appeal, Federal Court, Divisional Court, Superior Court, and the Ontario Municipal Board (LPAT). As the founder of Ab Law Professional Corporation, he has built a practice dedicated to Aboriginal and Indigenous rights, which now also supports proponents, governments, and institutions seeking to design and implement meaningful consultation processes with First Nations.
Most recently, Eric served as Director of Legal Services at Metrolinx, where he led legal strategy and consultation frameworks for multi‑billion‑dollar transit projects across the GTHA. In that role, he developed and delivered organization‑wide training on the Crown’s Treaty obligations to more than 1,000 employees, redesigned risk assessment and consultation processes, and created a cradle‑to‑grave RACI framework that clearly defined consultation responsibilities across complex project lifecycles. He negotiated funding agreements and consultation protocols with First Nations that have since been adopted as models by other ministries and municipalities, and he played a central role in peacefully resolving an eight‑month construction site occupation and advising on the Osgoode Hall Judicial Review. His work on safeguarding First Nations’ privacy and rights earned him the Metrolinx Excellence Award.
Prior to Metrolinx, Eric acted as Senior Legal Counsel supporting major projects such as the Ontario Line, YNSE, Eglinton West Extension, Hamilton LRT, Kitchener Corridor, and Bowmanville Expansion—projects collectively valued in the tens of billions of dollars and involving over a dozen First Nations and Indigenous communities. He led direct negotiations with First Nations and their counsel, crafted tailored consultation plans, and advised senior leadership on Treaty obligations, consultation risk, and the consequences of non‑compliance. Earlier roles included provincial negotiator and research advisor with Ontario’s Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, where he worked on comprehensive land claims, supported the landmark Williams Treaties claim, and implemented systems in response to the Ipperwash Report. He also served as a federal prosecutor and legal advisor with the Department of Justice in Saskatoon, appearing daily in provincial court and advising multiple federal departments.
Beyond his formal roles, Eric has held leadership positions in Indigenous‑focused organizations, including Director of Operations at 4 Directions Conservation and Director of Strategic Policy at Bimaadzwin Inc., where he helped build teams, policies, and community‑driven approaches to the duty to consult and policy development. He has developed Law Society of Ontario–accredited training on ensuring effective First Nation participation, facilitated community meetings, and provided advice to landowners, First Nations, corporations, police services, and archaeological firms on duty to consult, Treaty rights, and related legal risks.
Eric’s commitment to reconciliation and community wellbeing extends into his volunteer work as co‑founder and Chair of the Board for Mishkiki Chichakk Kamik, a forthcoming healing lodge for residential school survivors and their families, as well as a long‑time minor hockey coach in several Ontario communities. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Saskatchewan and a B.A. (Honours) in Political Science from the University of Toronto, and he is a member of both the Law Society of Ontario and the Law Society of Saskatchewan.