B.C.’s administrative justice system will become easier and faster to use as a result of proposed amendments to the Administrative Tribunals Statutes Act (ATSA) introduced today.

If passed, the Administrative Tribunal Statutes Amendment Act (ATSAA) will enable the clustering of B.C.’s administrative tribunals. It would give tribunals the authority to make the use of early dispute resolution methods − such as mediation − mandatory and enhance the accountability of tribunals through new reporting requirements. These practical changes will give British Columbians easier, quicker and more-affordable access to justice.

Today’s proposed changes mean that clusters of tribunals would be led by an executive chair, responsible for overseeing the administration and operation of the tribunals under his or her purview. The clustering of tribunals will address administrative and operational matters, while maintaining individual tribunal mandates and independence.

If passed, tribunals would also be given the authority to compel parties involved in a dispute to participate in early dispute resolution methods, when appropriate. Tribunals will be given the tools to use the technology-platform and early-resolution processes under development for the Civil Resolution Tribunal. These changes will provide British Columbians with more accessible, efficient, timely and affordable resolution of disputes.

Quotes:

Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton -

“The clustering of administrative tribunals will reduce duplication and silos in our administrative justice system, which in turn, will reduce cost, complexity and delay for tribunal users. These amendments will also encourage early dispute resolution methods such as mediation, and will enable the use of electronic tools in resolving disputes. We believe better access to justice can be achieved by making tribunal services available online, giving British Columbians easier, quicker and more affordable access to justice.”

Alison Narod, chair of the B.C. Council of Administrative Tribunals -

“The amendments introduced today will allow tribunal leaders to adopt early resolution and online service strategies, making tribunals more accessible to people across the province. The proposal to cluster tribunals together has the potential to not only reduce costs, but to increase the capacity of tribunals to share expertise and resources. These steps will further enhance access to justice by cutting costs, complexity and delay for people using the administrative justice system. B.C.’s administrative tribunals resolve over 60,000 disputes each year and we look forward to using these tools to help us serve the public more effectively.”

Quick Facts:

• British Columbia’s commitment to tribunal transformation was outlined in White Paper on Justice Reform, Part Two and the goals of clustering are consistent with government’s Core Review.
• The tribunal transformation work is closely linked to the broader plan to shift disputes out of B.C.’s courts and into simplified, user-friendly administrative processes, such as the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
• Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the federal government have all undergone some form of tribunal clustering.

Learn More:

White Paper on Justice Reform, Part Two: A Timely, Balanced Justice System:
http://www.ag.gov.bc.ca/public/WhitePaperTwo.pdf

Media Contacts:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 208-0618