John assists corporate clients in navigating regulatory investigations and matters of compliance, risk and crisis response, with a significant emphasis on occupational health and safety, environmental matters and competition law. John also maintains a tax litigation practice, assisting clients in their disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency.
John Agioritis provides trusted advice and counsel to corporate clients navigating their way through various types of emergencies, crises and incident response, including workplace safety incidents, environmental matters, competition law, and cyber-security. John is also an experienced litigator that represents corporations and entities of all sizes in sensitive, complex and high-stakes regulatory investigations, trials and appeals. John provides proactive advice on compliance programs and due diligence measures designed to meet and exceed regulatory obligations under a number of federal and provincial statutes.
John also has a significant tax litigation and tax dispute resolution practice. He assists a variety of corporate and individual clients in various industries in their dealings with Canada Revenue Agency. He has successfully defended and challenged a number of Canada Revenue Agency assessments and reassessments using various dispute resolution mechanisms and through litigation at the Tax Court of Canada. John routinely advises clients on tax related criminal matters, including the execution of search warrants, tax evasion matters and failures to report under the Income Tax Act and Excise Tax Act.
John has appeared before many courts and tribunals in various jurisdictions, including the Saskatchewan Provincial Court, the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal and the Tax Court of Canada.
OHS/crisis response – 24-hour emergency support line: (877) 769-5670
- Designated occupational health and safety and environmental crisis response counsel for various private and publicly traded companies in the mining sector
- Conducting due diligence training for various publicly traded and privately held companies on multiple aspects of workplace safety and environmental law
- Numerous retainers as defence counsel on workplace accidents, investigations and charges under The Saskatchewan Employment Act, Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996, and Canada Labour Code for various entities, ranging from closely held corporations to multinational and publicly traded corporations in the mining, construction, forestry and energy industries
- Successful defence of publicly traded propane company in connection with charges laid under The Saskatchewan Employment Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996: R. v. Superior General Partner Inc. 2019 SKPC 40
- Counsel to Carrier Forest Products Ltd. in connection with a successful contested sentencing hearing under workplace safety legislation in Saskatchewan: R. v. Carrier Forest Products Ltd., 2018 SKPC 007; aff’d 2019 SKQB 84
- Defence counsel in respect of charges laid under the Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2002, (Saskatchewan) and Fisheries Act (Canada) in connection with a 24,000-litre diesel spill in a northern Saskatchewan
- Defence counsel to a publicly traded mining corporation in relation to a significant prosecution involving 43 charges laid under the Fisheries Act (Canada) relating to the release of acutely lethal effluent from a mining facility and various water-quality issues
- Defence counsel to a junior exploration company on a prosecution under The Environmental Management Protection Act, 2002, The Clean Air Act and The Forest Resources Management Act involving an unauthorized burn in a northern forest
- Defence counsel to a limited partnership in the Saskatchewan forestry industry in respect of charges under the Forest Resources Management Act (Saskatchewan) and The Litter Control Act (Saskatchewan)
- Providing advice and crisis-readiness services to large multinational clients on search warrant protocols and investigations conducted under the Competition Act (Canada) by the Competition Bureau in Saskatchewan
- Advising and training clients on risks and potential gaps in compliance, policies and procedures in respect of obligations under the Competition Act (Canada)
- Numerous retainers as defence counsel to corporations and individuals on tax evasion and related charges under the Income Tax Act
- Counsel to a Northern Health Region on a four-day coroner’s inquest respecting the death of an inmate in RCMP holding cells in La Ronge, Saskatchewan
- Assistant commission counsel on the Inquiry into the Wrongful Conviction of David Milgaard (2004-2007), a public inquiry spanning 192 days of hearings with more than 125 witnesses and 100,000 documents
- Director, Saskatoon Community Foundation (2020-present)
- Member, Policy Advisory Committee, Museum of Antiquities (Saskatchewan, 2012-present)
- Director, Saskatchewan Environmental Industry Managers’ Association (2011-2013; 2017-present)
- Past Chair and Director, St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation (2011-2020)
- Director and Treasurer, Greek Community of Saskatoon (2007-2011)
- Director and Treasurer, Saskatoon Hellenic School Association (2007-2011)
- Contributor, “Are you ready? Deadline fast approaching for wage-fixing, no-poaching rules,” HR Reporter (June 2023)
- Contributor, “Amendments criminalizing wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements takes effect June 23,” Canadian Lawyer (May 2023)
- Co-author, “Is Your Organization Ready for Alberta’s New Occupational Health and Safety Laws?” (December 2021)
- Co-author, “Saskatchewan Now Requires Proof of Vaccination or Negative Test to Enter Certain Establishments” (October 2021)
- Co-author, “Saskatchewan Employers Authorized to Implement Proof of Vaccination and Testing Policies on October 1” (October 2021)
- Co-author, “Considerations for Employers as Step Three of SK Re-opening Begins” (July 2021)
- Co-author, “Arbitrator Upholds Rapid COVID-19 Testing Program on Construction Sites” (June 2021)
- Co-author, “Historic Global Tax Agreement Backed by G7 Finance Ministers” (June 2021)
- Co-author, “Teck Coal Fined $60 Million for Fisheries Act Violations” (April 2021)
- Presenter, “Regulatory Investigations in Saskatchewan, Tips and Updates for In-House Counsel,” Canadian Bar Association/Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (March 2019)
- Presenter, “Legal Obligations and Best Practices for Workplace Safety,” Western Construction Labour Relations Conference (November 2018)
- Presenter, “OHS Investigations & Workplace Safety Law: An Update on Saskatchewan Law” (April 2018)
- Presenter, “OHS Investigations & Workplace Safety Law: An Update on Alberta Law” (March 2018)
- “Corporate Criminal Liability in the Workplace: Criminal Negligence and the Metron Construction Fatalities,” The Saskatchewan Advocate (June 2016)
- “Fixing Tax Mistakes – Ethical Issues, the Correction of Documents, and Equitable Remedies,” Law Society of Saskatchewan (2015)
- “Practical Law Canada – Health & Safety – Accident Reporting and Government Investigation” (2015)
- Presenter, “OHS Investigations and the Law,” OHS Workshop (Saskatoon, 2015)
- “Solicitor Client Privilege and Current Trends in Reassessments,” Entrepreneurial Chartered Accountants of Edmonton (2014)
- Co-author with Douglas Hodson, Q.C., “International Comparative Guide to Business Crime 2014: Canada,” International Comparative Legal Guides (2013)
- Presenter, “Criminal Aspects of Environmental Legislation,” Saskatchewan Environmental Industry Managers (2013)
- “Directors’ Liability for Taxes a Corporation Fails to Remit,” The Advocate (June 2012)
- Presenter, “Media Law Update,” Prairie Regional Radio and Television News Directors Conference (2011)
- “An Update on Forfeiture Orders and Sentencing under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act,” The Advocate (2009)
- “Crown’s Non-Disclosure Nets Award of $5000 in Compensatory Costs,” Lawyers Weekly, Vol. 27, No. 23 (2007)
- Presenter, “Electronic Information Management and ‘E-Discovery,’” Information Management Spring Seminar, Association of Records Managers & Administrators (ARMA) (Saskatoon, 2007)
- Thought Leader for Antitrust/Competition Law and Environmental Law, Mondaq (2024)
- Recognized as a Top Lawyer, Tax Law, Best Lawyers (2021-present)
- Canadian Antitrust/Competition Law Thought Leader, Mondaq (2023)
- MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman Law School Entrance Scholarship (Saskatchewan, 2000)
- Most Distinguished Graduate, Public Administration (Saskatchewan, 2000)