Overview

Resolving Disputes

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is a non-adversarial way of resolving disputes that is being increasingly used in the public and private sectors. The Commission actively promotes ADR with disputing parties because it is timely and effective.

ADR helps parties resolve their differences without resorting to a more confrontational adjudicative process. It is voluntary, timely and confidential. It looks at needs and interests, and is designed to yield solutions that are adapted to the particular circumstances of individual cases. Unlike adjudication, ADR is about finding mutually agreeable solutions rather than determining which party is “right” and which is “wrong”. ADR can also yield creative and far-reaching solutions to issues of systemic discrimination and, as such, is consistent with the public interest and the purposes of the Canadian Human Rights Act.

ADR is offered by professional and experienced officers and mediators with expertise in human rights, and is available at all stages of the dispute resolution process