Story #8: Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal - Connections to the Administrative Justice Community

Oct 3, 2026

Upload by Oliver

Eighth in a 40th-anniversary historical series for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, detailing how the Tribunal’s leadership and professionals connect to the wider administrative justice community in Ontario and across Canada. It traces relationships shaping key organizations such as CCAT and SOAR, highlights training and education initiatives, and notes ongoing collaboration, conferences, and the Tribunal’s role in national working groups. It also describes close ties with the Ontario Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section and the Ron Ellis Award’s recognition of excellence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Story #8: Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal - Connections to the Administrative Justice Community

WSIAT 40th Anniversary Historical Stories Series Story \#8: Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal – Connections to the Administrative Justice Community This is the eighth installment in a series of articles marking the 40th anniversary of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal and its contributions to workplace safety and insurance and the administrative justice system. This article focuses on the Tribunal’s connections to the broader administrative justice system, both in Ontario and across Canada. In 1984, planning was undertaken for a conference on administrative law for federally regulated agencies and boards. This conference became an annual event and led to the establishment of the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals or CCAT. CCAT was federally incorporated by Letters Patent on December 31, 1986. Ron Ellis was one of the founding members of CCAT and served as President and Board member for many years. In 1991, following five years of informal collaboration among Ontario Chairs, members and staff, the constitution of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators, SOAR, was approved by resolution of the Conference of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators. Letters Patent were granted on December 1, 1993. The first directors of SOAR included such luminaries as the Honourable Andromache Karakatsanis, currently a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and Laura Bradbury, who went on to hold the position of Alternate Chair of the Tribunal and later became the WSIB Fair Practices Commissioner. Ron Ellis was President of SOAR from 1992 – 1996. Currently, CCAT is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in administrative justice and SOAR seeks to promote excellence in administrative justice through education, collaboration, and innovation. The Tribunal’s Chairs, adjudicators and staff are also committed to these ideals and have actively supported SOAR and CCAT from the beginning. In addition to Mr. Ellis’ service as President of both SOAR and CCAT, former Tribunal Chair Ian Strachan was a director, Vice-President and President of SOAR. Currently, Tribunal Chair Rosemarie McCutcheon serves as the President of the SOAR Board of Directors. Tribunal members and staff regularly present papers at SOAR and CCAT conferences, participate in decision-writing sessions, provide training to adjudicators and staff, and contribute to general administrative justice initiatives such as SOAR’s model rules. SOAR established the Adjudicator Training Course, a foundational program which has prepared hundreds of professionals to provide adjudicative services at a wide range of agencies, boards and tribunals. Building on the success of the Adjudicator Training Course, SOAR has collaborated with Osgoode Professional Development to offer the SOAR Osgoode PD Certificate in Adjudication for Administrative Agencies, Boards and Tribunals, which brings together SOAR’s peer-driven model of adjudicative education and Osgoode’s leadership in legal education to set a new standard for WSIAT 40th Anniversary: Historical Stories Series 1 the delivery of education and training for administrative adjudicators in Ontario and beyond. The Tribunal’s adjudicators and staff have participated in this program as instructors and facilitators. In 2018, the Tribunal played a leading role in establishing a working group of Canadian Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunals to share information and best practices. This working group continues to meet regularly and shares legal and administrative updates with counterparts from across Canada. Another organization which has close ties to the Tribunal is the Ontario Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Section. A proposal to establish a Workers’ Compensation Section was presented to the OBA Board of Directors on May 22, 1996, and was approved, subject to approval of the Provincial Council of the OBA. The Provincial Council met on June 14, and the Se

FAQs

What is the focus of Story #8 in the WSIAT 40th anniversary series?

It explains the Tribunal’s connections to the broader administrative justice system in Ontario and across Canada.

How did CCAT and SOAR come to be involved with the Tribunal?

Planning for an administrative law conference led to CCAT’s creation, and later collaboration helped approve SOAR, both involving Tribunal-affiliated leaders over time.

Which training and professional development initiatives are highlighted in the article?

The article describes SOAR’s Adjudicator Training Course and its collaboration with Osgoode Professional Development to offer the SOAR Osgoode PD Certificate in Adjudication for administrative agencies, boards, and tribunals.

Oct 3, 2026

Upload by Oliver