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December 03, 2024
Heard but not Seen at Tribunals Ontario

A new program introduced by Tribunals Ontario designed to improve access to justice for parties with no computer or internet service appears to be more of a mirage than a reality. The Mobile Access Terminal Service was announced in April 2023, and touted by Tribunals Ontario, the umbrella for 13 provincial tribunals, as a benefit […]

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November 12, 2024
The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario: Access to Justice Denied

Quick Summary Ontario’s human rights system has become a nightmare for people who seek redress for alleged discrimination, a new analysis by the independent group Tribunal Watch Ontario shows. The latest statistics from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) show that the tribunal has become the place where human rights claims go to die. […]

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November 05, 2024
Tribunal Watch Ontario comments on the HRTO’s proposed Rules of Procedure changes

On October 25th, the HRTO posted notice on its website that it is “streamlining its processes to facilitate fair, just and expeditious resolutions of the matters before it and reduce delays.” It is doing so by effecting a number of changes to its Rules of Procedure and, at a later date, will be introducing a […]

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October 29, 2024
Tribunal Watch Ontario Statement on the Ontario Land Tribunal: a gradual erosion of access to justice

October 2024 Once upon a time in Ontario there was a robust tribunal system dedicated to environmental and planning issues. While by no means perfect, the system featured adjudicators who had subject matter and dispute resolution expertise. It was possible for citizens and community groups to appeal local land use decisions to what is now […]

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June 14, 2024
Inexcusable: The absence of permanent, competent Associate Chairs at Tribunals Ontario

The absence of permanent, competent Associate Chairs at Tribunals Ontario spells disaster for adjudicative tribunals and betrays a lack of commitment to providing leadership when and where it is most needed. Why are there ongoing vacancies of key leadership positions at Tribunals Ontario? With rumours of a snap election circulating in the media, what is […]

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May 21, 2024
The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario: A Continuing Crisis

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) continues to fail Ontarians badly. According to Tribunals Ontario’s most recent Annual Report, the HRTO backlog grew by another 500 applications over the 12-month period covered by the report, despite the fact that it received the lowest number of new applications since 2015/16. The HRTO’s unresolved caseload rose […]

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March 28, 2024
Ron Ellis’s Dream Is Now Draft Legislation for Ontario Tribunals

The Private Member’s Bill introduced by MPP Ted Hsu in the Ontario Legislature today, short-titled the Fewer Backlogs and Less Partisan Tribunals Act, proposes to protect the right of Ontarians to access expert, fair and effective justice at our provincial tribunals by passing legislation that enshrines and activates the fundamental principles of adjudicative independence, integrity […]

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March 20, 2024
Politicization of Appointments to Tribunals is Much Worse than the Politicization of the Judicial Appointments Process

Recent moves by the current Government to politicize the process of appointing judges have caused significant concern. The process for appointing adjudicators who sit on Ontario’s adjudicative tribunals is much worse. The Government has been criticized for making political appointments to the committee responsible for making judicial appointment recommendations. There is no such committee, and […]

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March 19, 2024
The Adjudicative Tribunal Justice Council: A Proposal For 2024

Revised and updated from the October 2021 statement: The Adjudicative Tribunal Justice Council: A Proposal. The people of Ontario are much more likely to have legal issues before tribunals than before the courts. Public confidence in the administration of justice requires that adjudicative tribunals and their adjudicators are independent, impartial, competent, expert, inclusive and accessible. […]

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March 19, 2024
The Adjudicative Tribunal Justice System: Statement of Principles (2024)

Introduction The Ontario adjudicative tribunal justice system consists of specialized, expert bodies that take the place of the courts in resolving a range of disputes that arise in specific fields of law. Adjudicative tribunals are part of our justice system, and they are different from the many other government boards or agencies that are focused […]