Sean Weir, Executive Chair of Tribunals Ontario, and Harry Gousopoulos, Executive Director of Tribunals Ontario, issued the following statement on the 2022-2023 Tribunals Ontario Annual Report :
“Today, Tribunals Ontario released its 2022-2023 Annual Report – a snapshot of our ongoing modernization, along with various key operational highlights across our constituent tribunals.
We remain focused on enhancing our digital-first model and providing user-friendly services so that we deliver a strong, accessible, and modern administrative justice system for those who come before us. We have implemented action plans that provide us with a clear path to reducing the accumulation of applications at some of our tribunals and launched new initiatives to ensure equitable access to justice.
In 2022-23, we made significant strides in how we deliver public services.
Tribunals Ontario:
- Completed implementation of the new case management system Tribunals Ontario Portal for the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) in February 2023. This system allows applications to be filed, processed, and scheduled online and encourages greater resolution of disputes before the hearing, with new features that give parties the ability to connect directly with each other, as well as with mediation services
- Worked with the government to recruit, appoint, and reappoint adjudicators. Currently, Tribunals Ontario has more than 160 full-time and more than 234 part-time members, which is the most we’ve ever had as an organization
- Expanded the availability of our access terminals from the original five hearing locations (Toronto, Ottawa, London, Hamilton, and Sudbury) to almost anywhere in the province with our new mobile terminal service. These terminals help ensure that everyone can fully participate in their virtual proceedings, even if they don’t have access to their own computer or the internet
- Developed support resources, including information sheets and YouTube videos, to help ensure users have the digital skills and literacy to be full and active participants in their video hearings
In addition, Tribunals Ontario implemented new Key Performance Indicators and service standards that measure efficiency and effectiveness across all tribunals.
Almost all of our 13 tribunals are meeting or exceeding their services standards. On average, tribunals are meeting their hearing event date scheduling targets 84% of the time or in some cases even better.
Of the four tribunals with historical backlogs, we are pleased to say that the backlog at the Social Benefits Tribunal has been eliminated. The Licence Appeal Tribunal also has made significant inroads in their backlog and we expect that the backlog will be eliminated by the end of the year. We are pleased that users can once again rely on timely and efficient service from these two tribunals.
At the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO), measurable progress is being made to improve service timelines. Over the past six months, we have reduced the active caseload at the HRTO by almost 10% through a variety of measures including active case management and increased mediations and merit hearing, while also streamlining and simplifying operational processes and forms to help users navigate the tribunal’s process. We expect more progress to be made in the coming months.
At the LTB, the active case count continues to be higher than ideal, in part due to a 25% increase in the number of applications received, and the increased proportion of more complex applications that require more time to resolve.
That said, service improvements have been made over the past year. On average, L1 and L9 applications – which comprise approximately 52% of our total applications – are scheduled within five months. This is a 40% improvement from earlier this year when it took around 8-10 months to get to a hearing.
To support backlog reduction, 20 full-time and 16 part-time adjudicators and 1 part-time Vice-Chair have been appointed since May 2023 to the LTB. These appointments bring the Board’s adjudicative complement to 56 full-time and 56 part-time adjudicators. By the end of October, we expect that the number of full-time adjudicators will exceed 65. We are making real progress to fully utilize the resource allocation provided to us by the government.
Over the past two and a half years, the LTB has fundamentally transformed itself from a regional-based model that relied heavily on paper and in-person hearings to a modernized provincial model that conducts hearings virtually and with an application process that is now primarily digital and online. Though this transformational change has caused some disruption and delays, we are confident we now have in place a more modern, efficient, and effective operating model. Moving forward, it will be more convenient for our users and result in the timely resolution of disputes.”