This manual provides administrative tribunals with a general introduction to the best practices for tribunal operations and covers four critical areas:

• the legal framework for tribunals
• tribunal governance
• the hearing process
• the making and writing of decisions

The guide was developed by Ombudsman Saskatchewan and the idea for the guide stems from a report by Ombudsman Saskatchewan, issued in December 2007. The report, Hearing Back: Piecing Together Timeliness in Saskatchewan’s Administrative Tribunals, made 27 recommendations. Several of these topics are addressed in the guide, including communication, access and training.

Ombudsman Kevin Fenwick notes: “This manual was written with several purposes in mind. It is intended to be a desktop resource to help tribunal members and staff use best practices in the design and delivery of their processes. We also expect that it will be used as a tool for orientation and training of members of administrative tribunals. Finally, we hope that public servants and others whose decisions may be appealed to administrative tribunals will find this manual a useful resource for best practices with respect to fairness.”

Chapter titles are:

• Chapter 1 – Administrative Tribunals and the Canadian Legal System
• Chapter 2 – Governing your Administrative Tribunal and Yourself
• Chapter 3 – Conducting a Fair Hearing
• Chapter 4 – Making and Writing Good Decisions

The Dispute Resolution Office has developed a workshop based on the guide. Those who are interested are welcome to contact the Dispute Resolution Office at 306-787-5747.