The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) is streamlining its processes to facilitate fair, just and expeditious resolutions of the matters before it and reduce delays.
The HRTO is preparing to launch a mandatory mediation process whereby all applications will proceed to a mediation, after confirming jurisdiction. Mediations have proven to be very successful in resolving applications at the HRTO and are aligned with the HRTO’s mandate, which encourages resolution through alternative dispute resolution methods rather than traditional adversarial approaches.
In addition, if an application does not settle at a mandatory mediation, the matter will proceed directly to hearing disclosure with timelines tied to the mediation date, not the hearing date.
Case Management Conference Calls and Summary Hearings have not proven effective in resolving applications and the HRTO is considering eliminating these from the hearing process.
To enable these improvements, the HRTO will be updating its Rules of Procedure.
Further, the HRTO will be updating its Rules of Procedure with minor revisions to align them with current practices.
The HRTO values your feedback and is consulting on the above along with the following changes:
- removing references to case conferences and case resolution conferences
- removing facsimile numbers that are not in use
- eliminating hand, in-person and facsimile delivery options
- removing references to tribunals that are no longer part of Tribunals Ontario
- how to communicate by email about matters before the HRTO
- changing the timing of hearing disclosure
- simplifying the process to withdraw an application
- aligning jurisdictional analysis with the Practice Direction on Jurisdiction
- limiting when requests for orders may be filed and when they will be addressed by the HRTO
- eliminating request to expedite and request for interim remedy processes
To review the potential updates, see the HRTO’s consultation page on Updates to Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario Rules of Procedure.
These updates will support operational changes made to streamline the HRTO’s hearing process and optimize its resources, including reducing the number and types of events scheduled to minimize the time spent by staff and adjudicators on scheduling events and writing decisions that do not result in case resolution. It will also reduce the average case lifecycle to promptly resolve matters and enable the HRTO to better meet its Key Performance Indicators.
To support these changes, the following practice directions and forms will be amended or removed at a later date:
- Practice Direction on Communicating with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (to be amended)
- Practice Direction on Hearings (to be amended)
- Practice Direction on Summary Hearing Requests (to be removed)
- Practice Direction on New Case Processing System and Case Management Conference Calls (to be removed)
- Form 14: Request to Expedite a Proceeding (to be removed)
- Form 15: Response to a Request to Expedite a Proceeding (to be removed)
- Form 16: Request for Interim Remedy (to be removed)
- Form 17: Response to a Request for Interim Remedy (to be removed)
- Form 26: Request for Summary Hearing (to be removed)