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Administrative Law

2025 | Webinar: Artificial Intelligence and Access to Justice: A Miracle Solution?

Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
Location: Online

 

OVERVIEW

Is artificial intelligence the key to unlocking true access to justice—or just another tech illusion? Join us for a thought-provoking webinar exploring how AI is reshaping the legal landscape. Will people turn to AI to seek justice or represent themselves? Can these tools truly empower individuals and streamline the work of courts and tribunals? Together, we’ll dive into the promises, pitfalls, and practical realities of AI in the justice system.

 

CPD Hours

  • Total: 1h30

 

SPEAKERS:

  • Erik Bornmann, Director of Guided Pathways at Community Legal Education Ontario (Toronto, ON)
  • James G. Kosa, Lawyer and Partner at WeirFoulds LLP, (Toronto, ON)
  • Jennifer Leitch, Executive Director at the National Self-Represented Litigant Project, Program Director at Trinity College, University of Toronto (Toronto, ON)

MODERATOR:

  • Christine O'Doherty, Lawyer and Executive Director of CIAJ (Montreal, QC)

 

FEES

CIAJ or CCAT members: $55
Non-members: $75
Student members: Free
Non-student members: $40

 

National Administrative Law Week (2025 Edition)

Webinar | Artificial Intelligence and Access to Justice: A Miracle Solution? (1:31:39)

2025 | Roundtable: Artificial Intelligence and Administrative Law – Issues and Perspectives for Administrative Tribunals

Date: Thursday, June 5, 2025
Location: Online

 

OVERVIEW 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital tools are transforming the work of administrative tribunals, from case management to evidence analysis and decision writing. This roundtable will provide administrative tribunal members with an opportunity to explore the benefits and limitations of these technologies, featuring a hands-on demonstration of selected tools.

Discussions will cover key issues such as accessibility and linguistic challenges in legal contexts, privacy and confidentiality concerns, the impact of AI on expert evidence assessment, and the ethical considerations of integrating AI into decision-making processes. An interactive workshop will allow participants to exchange best practices and precautions for adapting to these new realities.

This is the first national roundtable bringing together stakeholders from across the legal sector to discuss the evolving impact of artificial intelligence. Organized by the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ), this event marks the beginning of a broader series of roundtables aimed at giving all voices within the legal system a platform to share perspectives.

Join us to explore the opportunities and challenges of AI in justice—from innovation to ethical concerns—and help shape the future of legal practice in Canada.

See the roundtable program

 

CPD Hours

  • Total: 6h

For provinces where professional hours apply:

  • Total: 4h45
  • EDI hours: 1h15

 

FEES

CIAJ or CCAT members: $725
Non-members: $925
Students: $95

 

National Administrative Law Week (2025 Edition)

Roundtable | Artificial Intelligence and Administrative Law – Issues and Perspectives for Administrative Tribunals (5:20:57)

2024 | Roundtable: Law, Policy and the Public interest

Date: June 6, 2024
Location: Ottawa & Online

 

OVERVIEW 

Administrative agencies, Boards, and commissions (ABC) operate in the domain of public law, so have an overriding responsibility to act “in the public interest.” But what is this thing we call “the public interest?” Who is this public, and what are their “interests?” Is there a unified public or, as the SCC said in Berg, every service has its own public?

Should Boards, made up of experts and professionals in a particular field, presume to know the public’s interest, or should they seek out and entertain evidence of that interest? What should we do with the reality that most members of the public will not generally be organized or have the resources to participate on an equal footing with institutional participants. What responsibility do governments have to ensure that boards, tribunals, and commissions have the independence, resources and capacity to access, and properly assess this public interest?

For ABCs with regulatory and policy -making responsibilities, the public interest is even more important.

Regulatory decisions may have significant impacts that extend well beyond the parties to an application or appeals. They may cross geographical and jurisdictional boundaries. They can have significant direct or indirect impacts on social, economic, environmental, and other relations. The decisions can affect generations into the future. The task is polycentric. As the public appears to be increasingly uncertain about the capacity of our democratic institutions to address current important, even existential issues in an intelligible, coherent and non-partisan way, it falls to all of us to confront these conundrums.

This program is part of the second edition of the National Administrative Law Week*, organized jointly by CIAJ and the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals (CCAT).

Bilingual program with simultaneous interpretation.
Participation in this program is accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory.

See the roundtable program

 

CPD Hours: 

  • Total: 5h45

For provinces where professional hours apply:

  • Total: 5h45
  • EDI hours: 45 minutes

 

FEES

CIAJ or CCAT members: $550
Non-members: $750
Students: $95

 

National Administrative Law Week (2024 Edition)

Roundtable | Law, Policy and the Public interest (5:02:41)

2023 | National Roundtable on Administrative Law – Bias and Decision-Making: What’s Changed?

Program

Date

June 9, 2023
In person in Ottawa & Online

Participation in this program is accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory.

Theme

This year’s National Roundtable on Administrative Law tackles bias and current administrative law issues. The program provides decision-makers with tools to recognize personal prejudices and cognitive biases in the decision-making process and avoid their effects on decisions.

This program is part of the first edition of the National Administrative Law Week*, organized jointly by CIAJ and the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals (CCAT).

Co-Chairs

  • Michael Gottheil, Accessibility Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission
  • Athanasios Hadjis, Vice-Chair, Canadian Human Rights Tribunal
  • The Honourable James W. O’Reilly, Federal Court, CIAJ’s Past President

Speakers

  • Laurie E. Joe, Lawyer, Community Legal Services of Ottawa; Deputy Judge of the Small Claims Court, Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)
  • Louis Legault, Director of Legal Services, Régie de l’Énergie du Québec
  • Melissa Luhtanen, Senior Legal Counsel, Office of the Chief of the Commission and Tribunals, Alberta Human Rights Commission
  • The Honourable Justice Sylvain Lussier, Superior Court of Québec
  • Ian R. Mackenzie, Adjudicator (full-time), Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board
  • Lauren J. Wihak, partner, McDougall Gauley LLP

Fees
CIAJ Members: $550
Non-members: $650
Students (enrolled full-time at Canadian universities or at the Bar): $75

Related PowerPoint presentations and papers are available in the library under "documentation."

2023  I National Roundtable on Administrative Law – Bias and Decision-Making: What’s Changed?

National Roundtable on Administrative Law 2023 | Bias and Decision-Making: What’s Changed? (3:38:06)

2022 | National Roundtable on Administrative Law: Promoting Mental Health in the Justice System

Program

Date

May 27,  2022 (Online)

Participation in this program is accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory.
Accreditation: Accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory (5 hours).

Theme

In this year’s National Roundtable on Administrative Law, we took a look at the mental health of both end users and of the people working within the administrative tribunals.

What is the responsibility and duty of the tribunals to accommodate people with mental health issues? How can we differentiate people with mental health issues from vexatious litigants? What are the ethical responsibilities of the tribunal, of the counsel, and of the opposing counsel respectively?

Finally, after two years of pandemic, how are employees and members of the tribunal doing? How are they dealing with exhausted users who have been impacted by the pandemic, on top of their legal concerns? What solutions are we offering to overwhelmed employees?

Join our distinguished panel of tribunal members, lawyers, judges and academics to discuss these current administrative law issues and collectively work towards solutions.

Co-Chairs

  • Michael Gottheil, Accessibility Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission
  • Athanasios Hadjis, Senior Legal Counsel, Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada
  • The Honourable James W. O’Reilly, Federal Court, CIAJ’s Past President

Speakers

  • Dr. Donald Netolitzky, Complex Litigant Management Counsel, Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta
  • Jamie Springchief, Human Rights Officer, Alberta Human Rights Commission
  • Lauren J. Wihak, Partner, McDougall Gauley LLP, Saskatchewan
  • Lora Patton, Vice-Chair, Consent and Capacity Board of Ontario
  • Me Marie-Josée Persico, Director of Legal Office, Tribunal administratif du logement du Québec
  • Rachel Thibeault, O.C., Ph.D, FCAOT, Rachel Thibault, Consultant in psychological resilience and peer support

Related PowerPoint presentations and papers are available in the library under "documentation."

2022  I National Roundtable on Administrative Law: Promoting Mental Health in the Justice System for Both Professionals and Users

National Roundtable on Administrative Law 2022 | Promoting Mental Health in the Justice System for Both Professionals and Users (4:46:12)

2021 | National Roundtable on Administrative Law: All the Voices We Don’t Hear

Program

Date

June 11,  2021

Program accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory
Accreditation: Accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory (5 hours 30 minutes).

Overview

In this year’s Annual National Roundtable on Administrative Law, we look to stretch our commitment to accessible justice.

Special Guest

  • The Honourable Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, Supreme Court of Canada

Co-Chairs

  • Mr. Michael Gottheil, Chief of the Commission and Tribunals, Alberta Human Rights Commission
  • Mr. Athanasios Hadjis, Senior Legal Counsel, Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada
  • The Honourable James W. O’Reilly, CIAJ President

Speakers

  • Paul Aterman, Chairperson, Social Security Tribunal of Canada
  • The Honourable Judge Mary Kate Harvie, FASD Court, Manitoba
  • Laverne Jacobs, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor
  • Sophie Lefebvre, Executive Director, Mile End Legal Clinic
  • Julie Matthews, Executive Director, Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
  • Michael McNeely, Law Graduate, Accessibility Consultant, and Self-Advocacy Instructor, Canadian Helen Keller Centre
  • Paul Muldoon, Lawyer; Former Associate Chair, Assessment Review Board
  • Selwyn A. Pieters, Barrister & Solicitor, Pieters Law Office (Ontario)
  • Gary Stein, Lawyer; Executive Director - Community Legal Services of Ottawa
  • Anita Szigeti, Founding Principal, Anita Szigeti Advocates, Toronto
  • Surprise Guest: The Honourable Justice Ardith Walkem, Supreme Court of British Columbia

Related PowerPoint presentations and papers are available in the library under "documentation."

National Roundtable on Administrative Law 2021 | All the Voices We Don’t Hear (4:23:36)

2020 | National Roundtable on Administrative Law: Towards a Unified Theory of Administrative Law?

Program

Date

May 29,  2020

Program accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory. 

Scroll down to see the videos

  • Welcome Remarks (00:04:33)
    Co-Chairs: • Mr. Michael Gottheil, Chief of the Commission and Tribunals, Alberta Human Rights Commission • Mr. Athanasios Hadjis, Senior Legal Counsel, Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada • The Honourable Justice W. James O’Reilly, Federal Court; President, CIAJ
  • Introduction (00:12:18): Towards a Unified Theory of Administrative Law?
    With Lauren J. Wihak, Lawyer, McDougall Gauley LLP Barristers + Solicitors

  • Panel 1 (00:58:14): The Vavilov Framework
    With Professor Paul Daly, Chair in Administrative Law and Governance, University of Ottawa
  • Panel 2 (00:42:07): What Is the Role of Tribunals ***Note: image quality is low
    With Mr. Geoff Plant, Q.C. (former Attorney General of British Columbia responsible for the introduction of the Administrative Tribunals Act in BC)
  • Panel 3 (01:02:08): Time Is on My Side—but Should it Be?
    With Ms. Shannon Salter, Chair, Civil Resolution Tribunal; Professor, Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia
  • Panel 4 (01:16:30): Long (Or Short) Arm of the Law
    With Ms. Alyssa Tomkins, Partner, Caza Saikaly, Ottawa • Professor Nicolas Lambert, Faculty of Law, Université de Moncton • The Honourable Justice Lorne Sossin, Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)
  • Panel 5 and Closing Remarks (01:11:04): Towards a Unified Theory of Administrative Law. Is It Possible? Is It Desirable?
    With The Honourable Justice Yves-Marie Morissette, Court of Appeal of Quebec (TBC) • Mr. Michael Gottheil, Chief of the Commission and Tribunals, Alberta Human Rights Commission • Mr. Peter Engelmann, Goldblatt Partners, LLP

Related PowerPoint presentations and papers are available in the library under "documentation."

Welcome Remarks (00:04:33)
Introduction | Towards a Unified Theory of Administrative Law? (00:12:18)
Panel 1 | The Vavilov Framework (00:58:14)
Panel 2 | What Is the Role of Tribunals (00:42:07)
Panel 3 | Time Is on My Side—but Should it Be? (01:02:08)
Panel 4 | Long (Or Short) Arm of the Law (01:16:30)
Panel 5 | Towards a Unified Theory of Administrative Law. Is It Possible? Is It Desirable? (01:11:04)

2020 | Webinar Series on Administrative Law

Program Episode 1 Program Episode 2

Date
The first episode of this series was webcast on January 30, 2020

List of webinars (scroll down to access the videos)

  • Episode 1: January 30, 2020: New Standard of Review: The Essentials (1 hour CPD)
    With The Honourable Justice David W. Stratas, Federal Court of Appeal (Speaker) and Dr. Gerald Heckman, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba (Moderator)
    This webinar is made possible thanks to the technical support of the Federal Court of Appeal.
  • Episode 2: May 25, 2020: Six Months of Vavilov, Where Are We Now? (1 hour CPD)
    With Professor Paul Daly, Chair in Administrative Law and Governance, University of Ottawa
Episode 1 | New Standard of Review: The Essentials (1:02:54)
Episode 2 | Six Months of Vavilov, Where Are We Now? (1:00:20)

2013 | Atlantic Regional Roundtable on Administrative Law – The Changing Tides of Administrative Justice

Program details

Date

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Theme

How should tribunals apply the Charter and Human Rights Codes? Should they be required to use the traditional analyses employed by the courts, or should tribunals be permitted/expected to develop analyses suited to their particular jurisdiction?

Organizing Committee

Chair

  • Ms. Andrea Smillie, Appeal Commissioner, Nova Scotia Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal, Halifax, NS 

Members

  • The Honourable Justice Joel Fichaud, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, Halifax, NS
  • Professor Nicolas Lambert, Faculty of Law, University of Moncton, Moncton, NB
  • Ms. Michèle Moreau, CIAJ Executive Director, Montreal, QC
  • Professor Sheila Wildeman, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
  • Ms. Beth Symes, C.M., LSM, Symes Street & Millard, LLP, CIAJ President, Toronto, ON
  • Mr. Ronald Pink, Q.C., Pink Larkin Lawyers, Halifax, NS

 

Opening Remarks and Welcome - Tribunals and the Charter: Martin, Conway and Doré - Tribunals and Human Rights Codes: Parry Sound and Tranchemontagne (1:41)
Impacts of These Decisions on Administrative Law (1:17)
Martin - Ten Years Later (58:26)