April 30, 2003
Public Use of Out-of-Court Dispute Resolution Options
Question to Attorney General Geoff Plant During Budget Estimates
R. Lee: I would like to move to justice services. One of the goals of justice services is that the law and justice services are administered effectively and efficiently. I understand that an objective of the Ministry of Attorney General is to encourage greater public use of the out-of-court dispute resolution options. Are there any increases in the number of disputes settled through the court mediation program last year? Are there any increases in settlements over the years?
Hon. G. Plant: If the member is talking about, for example, mandatory mediation in small claims court, I'm advised that the numbers in terms of settlements produced are roughly about the same. In part, that's because the resources dedicated to this particular initiative are holding about the same. That's an example of a program that's been up and running for a little while, and I think it's proven its success. I don't think the picture is changing much. I think our goal and our challenge are to expand the kinds of situations where people use mediation and other forms of alternate dispute resolution so that we expand the range of cases where people look at mediation as an alternative.
R. Lee: I understand that the province has, right now, 120 qualified mediators. What's the number of qualified mediators next year? The plan is that we have 190 by the end of the next year. Are there any supporting programs to increase the number of mediators? They need some kind of training. Are there any resources to train additional numbers of mediators?
Hon. G. Plant: There are resources. We do assist in providing training. These people are not employees of the Ministry of Attorney General. The number at present is 175, and it's climbing.
