Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Efficiencies
Clustering OPS Adjudicative Tribunals
Chapter 14: Justice Sector
Recommendation 14-6: Continue the process of clustering adjudicative tribunals across
the Ontario Public Service (OPS).
In 2010, the government strengthened agency accountability, efficiency and oversight by
creating two new agency clusters covering 13 adjudicative tribunals under MAG;
1. The Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario (includes the Assessment Review Board,
Board of Negotiation, Conservation Review Board, Ontario Municipal Board and
Environmental Review Board); and
2. The Social Justice Tribunals Ontario (includes the Custody Review Board, Ontario Special
Education Tribunal — English, Ontario Special Education Tribunal — French, Landlord and
Tenant Board, Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Social Benefits Tribunal, and Child and
Family Services Review Boards).
The intention of clustering was to co-ordinate, align and enhance services with existing
resources, improve access to justice, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the
clustered tribunals. Several advantages have been gained from the clustering of
adjudicative tribunals:
� Common administrative functions: Clustering enabled a permanent shift to common
administrative functions supporting all tribunals within the cluster. Combining staff under
a cluster infrastructure allows for greater mobility and addressing financial oversight at a
cluster level has enabled greater flexibility for management. As the organization matures,
it is expected that further streamlining of administrative operations may occur. Additionally,
legal services, program development and communications have been consolidated at
the cluster level, allowing the individual agencies within the cluster to focus on case
management.
� Co-location of offices: The Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario cluster has been
successful in co-locating its organization in a single building with contiguous floors,
including all hearing and mediation rooms.
� Procedural improvements: As these cluster organizations evolve, it is expected that
procedural improvements will begin to emerge in the adjudicative process. The individual
agencies will begin to leverage best practices and have access to technology and an ability
to streamline physical resources (hearing rooms, regional offices).
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