Board Processes
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Making an Application
The Ontario Labour Relations Board accepts applications in a wide variety of matters, relating to a number of different pieces of legislation.
Applications are generally commenced by completing the appropriate form. Board forms require an applicant to provide their name and contact information; the name and contact information of their representative; the name and contact information of the party against which they are filing their particular application, as well as the same information for any person or institution the applicant believes might be affected by the application.
Applications, the Board’s Rules of Procedure, easy-to-understand tables for each type of application, and Information Bulletins are available on the Boards website or from the Board’s offices at 505 University Avenue, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2P1, by telephone (416-326-7500). Please note that all of the above are available in both English and French.
The forms, Information Bulletins and the Rules direct parties to complete the forms as fully as possible, explain how and when to deliver materials to the other parties, and describe in what manner and method applications are to be filed with the Board. Further, there is information telling parties what materials the Board needs at the outset of an application, and what may be delivered and filed at a later date.
Please remember that the more information you provide at the outset, the more smoothly and quickly the matter can be processed. If you do not provide sufficient information, your application may not be processed, or may be delayed.
The Ontario Labour Relations Board accepts applications in a wide variety of matters, relating to a number of different pieces of legislation.
Applications are generally commenced by completing the appropriate form. Board forms require an applicant to provide their name and contact information; the name and contact information of their representative; the name and contact information of the party against which they are filing their particular application, as well as the same information for any person or institution the applicant believes might be affected by the application.
Applications, the Board’s Rules of Procedure, easy-to-understand tables for each type of application, and Information Bulletins are available on the Boards website or from the Board’s offices at 505 University Avenue, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2P1, by telephone (416-326-7500). Please note that all of the above are available in both English and French.
The forms, Information Bulletins and the Rules direct parties to complete the forms as fully as possible, explain how and when to deliver materials to the other parties, and describe in what manner and method applications are to be filed with the Board. Further, there is information telling parties what materials the Board needs at the outset of an application, and what may be delivered and filed at a later date.
Please remember that the more information you provide at the outset, the more smoothly and quickly the matter can be processed. If you do not provide sufficient information, your application may not be processed, or may be delayed.
Responding to an Application
The Board’s procedures require most parties who wish to respond to an application to deliver and file appropriate responses in each matter.
If someone has filed an application with the Board, most often they will have been required to deliver the application materials to all identified responding or affected parties. In some instances, the Board delivers applications to other parties.
If you have received a copy of an application that has been filed with the Board, the documents you receive normally contain information on the proper delivery and filing of response forms. Information Bulletins, the Board’s Rules of Procedure, as well as information on the forms themselves will tell you how to complete the responses, what material you need to deliver, and when, to the applicant and other parties, and what materials need to be filed with the Board, as well as the timing for such filings.
Please read all the information you receive before completing the forms and delivering or filing them with the appropriate materials to the applicant, other affected parties, and the Board. Please remember that the more information you provide at the outset, the more smoothly and quickly the matter can be processed. If you do not file a response or do not provide the required information, the application may proceed in the absence of your response.
The Board’s procedures require most parties who wish to respond to an application to deliver and file appropriate responses in each matter.
If someone has filed an application with the Board, most often they will have been required to deliver the application materials to all identified responding or affected parties. In some instances, the Board delivers applications to other parties.
If you have received a copy of an application that has been filed with the Board, the documents you receive normally contain information on the proper delivery and filing of response forms. Information Bulletins, the Board’s Rules of Procedure, as well as information on the forms themselves will tell you how to complete the responses, what material you need to deliver, and when, to the applicant and other parties, and what materials need to be filed with the Board, as well as the timing for such filings.
Please read all the information you receive before completing the forms and delivering or filing them with the appropriate materials to the applicant, other affected parties, and the Board. Please remember that the more information you provide at the outset, the more smoothly and quickly the matter can be processed. If you do not file a response or do not provide the required information, the application may proceed in the absence of your response.
Mediation
One of the functions of the Ontario Labour Relations Board is to attempt to resolve applications without the necessity of a full oral hearing. One way of facilitating settlement of an application is through mediation.
The Board has a number of Senior Mediators and Mediators who are assigned to most Board files to attempt to effect a settlement between the parties. They contact the parties and conduct the mediation in person, usually with both workplace parties present (though often communicating with each party individually), or through a series of telephone calls.
Mediators are not adjudicators; they do not decide the case. Nor do they represent or advise any of the parties. Mediators are professional neutrals with extensive backgrounds in labour relations and employment law. They have considerable knowledge of all Board practices and procedures. Their role is to help the workplace parties reach a settlement of the application. During mediation, they may refer to existing case law as it relates to the issues in dispute in order to assist the parties in realistically evaluating their positions and assessing any settlement offers. Mediators do not give legal advice.
In order to encourage frank and open discussion between the workplace parties, mediators consider everything said during the mediation to be confidential. The mediation process is separate from any hearing which may result in the application. Mediators do not give their file or notes, or any documents they receive, to the Board in the event of a hearing. Parties are required to bring all their documents and witnesses to a hearing, as if the mediation had never taken place.
If the mediator is successful in facilitating a settlement between the parties, the settlement is reduced to writing and is often incorporated into a Board decision, and the matter is terminated. If a settlement could not be reached, the matter is usually scheduled for hearing.
One of the functions of the Ontario Labour Relations Board is to attempt to resolve applications without the necessity of a full oral hearing. One way of facilitating settlement of an application is through mediation.
The Board has a number of Senior Mediators and Mediators who are assigned to most Board files to attempt to effect a settlement between the parties. They contact the parties and conduct the mediation in person, usually with both workplace parties present (though often communicating with each party individually), or through a series of telephone calls.
Mediators are not adjudicators; they do not decide the case. Nor do they represent or advise any of the parties. Mediators are professional neutrals with extensive backgrounds in labour relations and employment law. They have considerable knowledge of all Board practices and procedures. Their role is to help the workplace parties reach a settlement of the application. During mediation, they may refer to existing case law as it relates to the issues in dispute in order to assist the parties in realistically evaluating their positions and assessing any settlement offers. Mediators do not give legal advice.
In order to encourage frank and open discussion between the workplace parties, mediators consider everything said during the mediation to be confidential. The mediation process is separate from any hearing which may result in the application. Mediators do not give their file or notes, or any documents they receive, to the Board in the event of a hearing. Parties are required to bring all their documents and witnesses to a hearing, as if the mediation had never taken place.
If the mediator is successful in facilitating a settlement between the parties, the settlement is reduced to writing and is often incorporated into a Board decision, and the matter is terminated. If a settlement could not be reached, the matter is usually scheduled for hearing.
Adjudication
If no settlement is reached by the parties or through the efforts of a Mediator, an application will proceed to adjudication. This can take a number of different formats, depending on the type of application, the legislation involved, and the Board’s Rules of Procedure. Each of the formats described below is a legal proceeding before the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
Pre-Hearing Conference
A pre-hearing conference will be conducted before a Vice-Chair of the Board by telephone conference or in person at the Board’s offices. A pre-hearing conference is more like a meeting of the parties or their representatives than a consultation or hearing, and is held to narrow issues or otherwise case-manage a particular application. Pre-hearing conferences are usually short in duration and deal with preliminary or procedural matters. The Vice-Chair may make rulings directing the parties to do certain things to facilitate subsequent proceedings. These rulings or other agreements reached by the parties may be reflected in a decision or pre-hearing conference memo issued by the Vice-Chair. A pre-hearing conference will not normally end with a final decision on an application.
Consultation
A consultation is less formal and meant to be less costly to the parties than a hearing. The Vice-Chair or panel plays a much more active role in a consultation. The goal of the consultation is to allow the Vice-Chair or panel to expeditiously focus on the issues in dispute and determine whether any statutory rights have been violated.
While the precise format of a consultation varies depending on the nature of the case and the approach of the individual adjudicators, there are some universal features. To draw out the facts and arguments necessary to decide whether there has been a violation of a statute, the Vice-Chair or panel may: (1) question the parties and their representatives; (2) express views; (3) define or re-define the issues; and (4) make determinations as to what matters are agreed to or in dispute. The giving of evidence under oath and the cross-examination of witnesses are normally not part of a consultation, and when they are, it is only with respect to those matters that are defined by the Board.
Because the opportunity to call witnesses and present evidence is limited, the Board relies heavily on the information that is provided in the application and response. As such, the parties are required to provide in their application and response all of the material facts that they intend to rely on. Parties who fail to do so may not be allowed to present any evidence or make any representations about these facts at the consultation. Similarly, if a party to a consultation fails to attend at the appointed date and time, the consultation may, and most likely will, go ahead without them.
The Board will normally issue procedural rulings at the conclusion of a consultation, or may decide a matter in its entirety based on the submissions made at the consultation.
Hearing
A hearing before the Ontario Labour Relations Board is a legal proceeding. It will determine the rights and obligations of the parties, and may result in a variety of consequences, including deciding who wins and who loses, the issuing of Board declarations and orders, or the awarding of money.
Parties are advised of the time and place of the hearing in a Notice of Hearing which is sent to them from the Board well in advance of the date of the proceeding.
At the hearing, all parties are expected to attend and to be prepared to present the Board with all the evidence and information which they believe will assist the Board in understanding their position. As the Notice of Hearing makes clear, if a party who is given notice does not attend at the hearing, the hearing may, and most times will, go ahead without them. If the applicant in a proceeding does not attend the hearing, the Board will normally dismiss the application as having been abandoned.
Parties to a hearing are entitled to be represented by a lawyer at the hearing, but need not attend with one. They might choose to represent themselves, or to be represented by a person who is not a lawyer but is acting as their agent.
The hearing will convene at the time and place stated in the Notice.
If you are the applicant, you will generally be asked to make a brief opening statement explaining what you are seeking and why you filed your application. The other parties will also be given a chance to make an opening statement explaining their position.
Unless all the parties agree about what the facts are, evidence will have to be presented. This will usually involve the applicant and any witnesses giving a statement, or testifying. Before doing so they will be asked to promise or affirm that all the evidence they give will be true. Any documents which might assist the Board should be presented at this time - examples might include collective agreements, records of employment, pay stubs, letters of termination, and anything else you think might be helpful to the Board. The other parties will then call their evidence, if any. All parties will have a chance to ask questions of the witnesses called by the other parties (cross-examine them).
After all the parties have presented their evidence, everyone is given an opportunity to make final argument, or a closing statement. This is an opportunity to briefly review the evidence and tell the Board how it should decide the result. Usually, the Board will end the hearing and the parties will receive a written decision by mail in due course. Sometimes, the Board will decide the matter at the end of the hearing, make an oral ruling, and issue a decision in writing at a later time confirming that decision.
The Board must decide the case based only on the information obtained at the hearing. Parties cannot provide additional information to the Board afterwards, unless expressly requested to do so by the Board. Parties may not communicate privately with the Vice-Chair or panel about the case before, during or after the hearing. The Board is acting in the role of judge, and parties cannot try to influence the Board’s decision except during the hearing with all the other parties present.
Questions about the status of your application or proceeding before, during or after the hearing should be directed in writing to the Registrar, Ontario Labour Relations Board, 505 University Avenue, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2P1.
Board hearings are open to the public unless the panel decides that matters involving public security may be disclosed or if it believes that disclosure of financial or personal matters would be damaging to any of the parties. Hearings are not recorded and no transcripts are produced.
The Board issues written decisions, which may include the name and personal information about persons appearing before it. Decisions are available to the public from a variety of sources including the Ontario Workplace Tribunals Library, and over the internet at www.canlii.org, a free legal information data base. Some summaries and decisions may be found on the Board's website under Highlights and Recent Decisions of Interest at www.olrb.gov.on.ca.
If no settlement is reached by the parties or through the efforts of a Mediator, an application will proceed to adjudication. This can take a number of different formats, depending on the type of application, the legislation involved, and the Board’s Rules of Procedure. Each of the formats described below is a legal proceeding before the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
Pre-Hearing Conference
A pre-hearing conference will be conducted before a Vice-Chair of the Board by telephone conference or in person at the Board’s offices. A pre-hearing conference is more like a meeting of the parties or their representatives than a consultation or hearing, and is held to narrow issues or otherwise case-manage a particular application. Pre-hearing conferences are usually short in duration and deal with preliminary or procedural matters. The Vice-Chair may make rulings directing the parties to do certain things to facilitate subsequent proceedings. These rulings or other agreements reached by the parties may be reflected in a decision or pre-hearing conference memo issued by the Vice-Chair. A pre-hearing conference will not normally end with a final decision on an application.
Consultation
A consultation is less formal and meant to be less costly to the parties than a hearing. The Vice-Chair or panel plays a much more active role in a consultation. The goal of the consultation is to allow the Vice-Chair or panel to expeditiously focus on the issues in dispute and determine whether any statutory rights have been violated.
While the precise format of a consultation varies depending on the nature of the case and the approach of the individual adjudicators, there are some universal features. To draw out the facts and arguments necessary to decide whether there has been a violation of a statute, the Vice-Chair or panel may: (1) question the parties and their representatives; (2) express views; (3) define or re-define the issues; and (4) make determinations as to what matters are agreed to or in dispute. The giving of evidence under oath and the cross-examination of witnesses are normally not part of a consultation, and when they are, it is only with respect to those matters that are defined by the Board.
Because the opportunity to call witnesses and present evidence is limited, the Board relies heavily on the information that is provided in the application and response. As such, the parties are required to provide in their application and response all of the material facts that they intend to rely on. Parties who fail to do so may not be allowed to present any evidence or make any representations about these facts at the consultation. Similarly, if a party to a consultation fails to attend at the appointed date and time, the consultation may, and most likely will, go ahead without them.
The Board will normally issue procedural rulings at the conclusion of a consultation, or may decide a matter in its entirety based on the submissions made at the consultation.
Hearing
A hearing before the Ontario Labour Relations Board is a legal proceeding. It will determine the rights and obligations of the parties, and may result in a variety of consequences, including deciding who wins and who loses, the issuing of Board declarations and orders, or the awarding of money.
Parties are advised of the time and place of the hearing in a Notice of Hearing which is sent to them from the Board well in advance of the date of the proceeding.
At the hearing, all parties are expected to attend and to be prepared to present the Board with all the evidence and information which they believe will assist the Board in understanding their position. As the Notice of Hearing makes clear, if a party who is given notice does not attend at the hearing, the hearing may, and most times will, go ahead without them. If the applicant in a proceeding does not attend the hearing, the Board will normally dismiss the application as having been abandoned.
Parties to a hearing are entitled to be represented by a lawyer at the hearing, but need not attend with one. They might choose to represent themselves, or to be represented by a person who is not a lawyer but is acting as their agent.
The hearing will convene at the time and place stated in the Notice.
If you are the applicant, you will generally be asked to make a brief opening statement explaining what you are seeking and why you filed your application. The other parties will also be given a chance to make an opening statement explaining their position.
Unless all the parties agree about what the facts are, evidence will have to be presented. This will usually involve the applicant and any witnesses giving a statement, or testifying. Before doing so they will be asked to promise or affirm that all the evidence they give will be true. Any documents which might assist the Board should be presented at this time - examples might include collective agreements, records of employment, pay stubs, letters of termination, and anything else you think might be helpful to the Board. The other parties will then call their evidence, if any. All parties will have a chance to ask questions of the witnesses called by the other parties (cross-examine them).
After all the parties have presented their evidence, everyone is given an opportunity to make final argument, or a closing statement. This is an opportunity to briefly review the evidence and tell the Board how it should decide the result. Usually, the Board will end the hearing and the parties will receive a written decision by mail in due course. Sometimes, the Board will decide the matter at the end of the hearing, make an oral ruling, and issue a decision in writing at a later time confirming that decision.
The Board must decide the case based only on the information obtained at the hearing. Parties cannot provide additional information to the Board afterwards, unless expressly requested to do so by the Board. Parties may not communicate privately with the Vice-Chair or panel about the case before, during or after the hearing. The Board is acting in the role of judge, and parties cannot try to influence the Board’s decision except during the hearing with all the other parties present.
Questions about the status of your application or proceeding before, during or after the hearing should be directed in writing to the Registrar, Ontario Labour Relations Board, 505 University Avenue, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2P1.
Board hearings are open to the public unless the panel decides that matters involving public security may be disclosed or if it believes that disclosure of financial or personal matters would be damaging to any of the parties. Hearings are not recorded and no transcripts are produced.
The Board issues written decisions, which may include the name and personal information about persons appearing before it. Decisions are available to the public from a variety of sources including the Ontario Workplace Tribunals Library, and over the internet at www.canlii.org, a free legal information data base. Some summaries and decisions may be found on the Board's website under Highlights and Recent Decisions of Interest at www.olrb.gov.on.ca.
Reconsideration and Judicial Review
The decision of the Board is normally final, and binding on the parties to the proceeding. There is no appeal of a Board’s decision, but there are circumstances under which the Board may reconsider its ruling.
Reconsideration
If you have a good reason to ask the Board to reconsider its decision, you may do so by completing the appropriate form and providing the Board with the reasons for your request.
The Board will normally reconsider its decision only if there is new evidence that would influence the proceeding’s outcome, that was for some reason not available to the parties at the time of the original hearing. Reconsideration is not an opportunity to present the same evidence again, or to make the same arguments with a new approach.
The Board has historically granted requests for reconsideration in very limited circumstances.
Judicial Review
If you are dissatisfied with a decision of the Board, you may seek to have it overturned in an application for judicial review.
Applications for judicial review are proceedings before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Divisional Court) pursuant to the Judicial Review Procedure Act. The Divisional Court does not conduct a new hearing, nor does the court conduct an appeal in the traditional sense; rather it reviews the Board's decision to determine if it was reasonable (or correct, in limited circumstances)
The decision of the Board is normally final, and binding on the parties to the proceeding. There is no appeal of a Board’s decision, but there are circumstances under which the Board may reconsider its ruling.
Reconsideration
If you have a good reason to ask the Board to reconsider its decision, you may do so by completing the appropriate form and providing the Board with the reasons for your request.
The Board will normally reconsider its decision only if there is new evidence that would influence the proceeding’s outcome, that was for some reason not available to the parties at the time of the original hearing. Reconsideration is not an opportunity to present the same evidence again, or to make the same arguments with a new approach.
The Board has historically granted requests for reconsideration in very limited circumstances.
Judicial Review
If you are dissatisfied with a decision of the Board, you may seek to have it overturned in an application for judicial review.
Applications for judicial review are proceedings before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Divisional Court) pursuant to the Judicial Review Procedure Act. The Divisional Court does not conduct a new hearing, nor does the court conduct an appeal in the traditional sense; rather it reviews the Board's decision to determine if it was reasonable (or correct, in limited circumstances)