About Us

The Mission of the ADR Institute of Ontario™ is to:

• Assist the public, business, and non-profit communities and government bodies at all levels  to consider, design, implement and administer alternative (increasingly known as appropriate) dispute resolution strategies, programmes and processes;
• Assist all the foregoing to locate ADR professionals with the level of skill and experience required to meet their needs;
• Provide training standards and accreditation procedures that contribute to the development of a community of ADR practitioners across Ontario that is competent, well educated and highly professional in delivering ADR services to its users;
• Provide a regulatory infrastructure that includes a Code of Ethics and a Code of Conduct for Mediators that set high standards of practice, as well as providing a complaint and discipline process for any dissatisfied user of ADR services;
• Provide ADR professionals throughout Ontario with educational and networking opportunities;
• Speak on behalf of ADR professionals in response to current events and government initiatives.

Our History

In 1974, the Arbitrator’s Institute of Canada Inc. (AIC), formed in Toronto, was incorporated as a public service, non-profit organization, with no government or political affiliations. Its function was to provide the public with the means to resolve disputes of all kinds through arbitration, mediation and other voluntary methods, and to act as a national centre of information, education and research on arbitration and mediation.

In cooperation with various groups across Canada, the Institute was restructured in 1985-86. The AIC (subsequently renamed the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Canada Inc.) became the umbrella organization to encourage alternate dispute resolution nationally and internationally as well as to coordinate inter-provincial activities. The Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Ontario Inc. was formed to assume these responsibilities in Ontario. In 2002, the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of Ontario became the ADR Institute of Ontario™ (ADRIO™). Among its primary objectives, ADR Ontario strives to

• Develop competent ADR professionals, including accreditation practices and approval of training programs
• Provide ADR professionals who are members of the Institute with a structure including accreditation/certification, a Code of Ethics, rules of procedure, complaint and discipline procedures
• Assist the public, government, private and public sector organizations and associations to understand the potential of ADR
• Assist the public, government, public and private sector organizations to find competent professionals
• Provide a united voice for ADR professionals in all matters relating to the practice of ADR in Ontario.

Our goal is to assist our members, and users of ADR services, by:

• Providing information and education
• Maintaining high professional standards,
• Providing a structure to ensure members adhere to high standards of professionalism
• Assisting users of ADR services to locate ADR professionals, as required.

We promote best practices and standards that will protect the ADR profession and the public served by ADR professionals.

The following documents and practises constitute a structure that ensures high standards of conduct, practice and procedure among ADR professionals in Ontario:

• A Code of Ethics by which all members must abide, failing which, an established complaint and discipline process can be initiated;
• Standards for approving arbitration and mediation training courses:
  ADRIO™ carefully evaluates training programs according to established criteria to ensure approved programs meet critical standards;
• ADRIO has a procedure for provincial accreditation of Certified Family Mediators (Cert. F. Med.) and Certified Family Arbitrators (Cert.F. Arb.);
• The Child Welfare Secretariat of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services has specifically approved the Cert. F. Med designation as a qualifying prerequisite for the Child Protection Mediation Training offered by various colleges and universities.

ADRIO™ informs, educates and updates its members by:

ADRIO informs, educates and updates its members by:

• Conducting leading-edge, live and distance education courses, seminars, conferences and workshops to assist practitioners with skill development and provide up-to-date information on new and emerging areas of interest relevant to arbitration and mediation;
• Creating “sections.” These are small groups based on mediation and arbitration specialties. Specifically, we have sections on restorative justice, family, employment, mandatory mediation, information technology, intellectual property, facilitation etc. Each section holds its own meetings at the ADRIO offices, with guest speakers as well as our own, home-grown talent;
• E-Publishing of “ADRIO Member Bulletins” for urgent, late breaking announcements of critical importance to the membership; the Ontario newsletter “ADR Update” which is also electronically published; and the Canadian Arbitration and Mediation Journal and ADR Perspectives electronic publications, created by ADRIC, and emailed to all members of ADRIO. These important, timely publications provide information on the latest developments at the Institute, current events that affect the practice of arbitration and mediation, new developments at the provincial or national level and articles on improving skills in arbitration and mediation.

ADRIO™ assists arbitrators and mediators to be heard by:

• Liaising with government departments and corporations to inform and educate these bodies on issues that involve or have an impact on arbitrators and mediators;
• Cooperating with other alternative dispute resolution organizations to ensure the government is informed on issues relevant to arbitrators and mediators.

ADRIO provides a method for the public to find and engage qualified mediators and arbitrators by:

• Providing members of the public with access to “ADR CONNECT,” a customized central electronic databank, from which arbitrators and mediators can be selected based on a wide range of criteria including accreditation, specialty, years of experience, etc.
• The creation of special rosters to service specific organizations.