The IJD OMMP Research Study:

The Institute intends to combine our design and development of online and onsite research surveys and facilitated interviewing to better understand operational efficacy in court-connected service delivery in order to develop informed recommendations for provincial extension of the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program (OMMP). In particular, we are marshalling our multi-disciplinary experience and knowledge of the Canadian civil and criminal justice systems for the purpose of identifying current and emerging trends in issues relating to Access to Justice and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, especially with regards to linguistic minorities and rural community service access.

In the first phase the IJD/IDJ will emplace an impartial and empirical analysis of selected OMMP jurisdictions using a two-tiered survey and facilitation process outreaching the relevant constituencies across the spectrum of stakeholders involved in the current program with a view to achieving improved operational performance.

The foundational OMMP research project will conduct an integrated research process analyzing the performance of the Ontario court connected mediation program with respect to general systemic parameters and the varied interests of OMMP stakeholders in service delivery. The research process will integrate survey instruments (on site and online) with facilitated interviewing and multimedia presentations.

The variable survey draft will be pre-approved by authorized SCJ staff and personnel and then distributed to various groups in the respective professions (Civil Litigation Counsel and OMMP Roster Mediators) on a qualified confidential basis. The feedback will inform targeted facilitative interviews conducted by our research team. This workup will generate a systemic overview of program strengths and weaknesses while providing guidance in considering practical and effective revisions.

A report containing research summaries will be provided to the relevant constituencies and be available to professional conferencing and standing legal/justice committees.

The OMMP research project will deliver a 2028 report detailing current operational characteristics, strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of diverse sectors in service delivery, including recommendations based upon revealed data and presenting issues in access to justice. The research summary will address general operational circumstances of the local OMMP program (e.g. Ottawa, Lanark, Cornwall) as they apply to a wide spectrum of service delivery, and then specifically highlight the various stakeholders, including judges, court staff, mediators, legal counsel and the general public with specific reference to self-represented litigants in the Superior Court of Justice.

IJD/IDJ Project Implementation- Innovative Case Management:

As it is reasonably anticipated that the IJD/IDJ 2027 White Paper will identify projected CRR opportunities and challenges, there is a foreseeable need to address new operational vistas and capabilities.

The justice system’s current use of information technology and/or artificial intelligence (AI) is limited while the CRR process contains the aspirational goal of major transformative change. Accordingly, the IJD/IDJ is poised to investigate the application of the innovative capabilities of AI with this potential extension into case management strategies. This warranted experiential and practical inquiry will be designed to significantly enhance performance standards in streamlining and synchronizing service delivery by and for all civil justice sectors and the general public, notably the self-represented litigant.

The necessity of administrative timelines as supported by the legal and professional services community (including civil litigation lawyers/paralegals; private practice office staff and agencies; mediators and neutral evaluators) project beneficial platform interaction and increased domain accessibility. Notably, Research and Development upon specific interventions (with evaluative tracking) with the civil justice system and end-user by proactive skill – based court administrators will definitely be instrumental in addressing emerging trends. Once again, transnational exchanges inherent in the IJD/IDJ model will accelerate practical parameters to a more advanced level of inquiry.