The Mandatory Mediation Experiment by Justice

• Author: JOHN HOLLANDER
• Pages: 15-18

the mandatory mediation experiment

xv

foreword

The Mandatory Mediation

Experiment

 1994  , I had the good fortune to be part

of the Ontario Civil Justice Review Task Force chaired

by the Hon Mr Justice Robert Blair. Later, in January

, I was appointed the rst Case Management Master

for the Province of Ontario and oversaw the implementa-

tion of two of the Task Force’s principal recommenda-

tions; namely, civil case management, and the mandatory

referral of all civil cases in the Superior Court of Justice

in Ottawa. I do not propose to expound on the merits of

mediation, as I expect other authors in this text will do so.

I simply want to give some context to the introduction of

mandatory mediation in Ontario civil cases.

The experiment with mandatory mediation

   mediation began as a practice

direction drafted by me with the help of Ottawa lawyers

and mediators. It was based on the successful pilot project

in court-connected alternative dispute resolution (ADR)

located on Grenville Street in Toronto in . e Ottawa

Practice Direction later led to the enactment of Ontario

Rule ., the Mandatory Mediation Rule.