TORONTO, November 4, 2010 – York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School and the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR) have agreed to a landmark partnership that will see a new collaboration in the delivery of education and training for administrative adjudicators in Ontario and beyond.
Building on SOAR's peer-driven model of adjudicative education and Osgoode's legacy of leadership in legal education, particularly through Osgoode Professional Development, this partnership will result in more diverse, high quality and accessible educational opportunities for adjudicators and regulators.
"Osgoode Hall Law School is excited about this new initiative," said Lorne Sossin, the School's dean. "SOAR and Osgoode bring a wealth of expertise and energy to this collaboration, and the challenges facing adjudicators and regulators make a commitment to education and capacity building essential."
In May 2011, the first collaboration between Osgoode and SOAR – a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to advance administrative justice through education, advocacy and innovation – will feature a revamped Certificate Program in Adjudicative Education, Sossin said. As a first step in the process of developing and delivering this program for adjudicators and regulators, SOAR is funding an Osgoode student to conduct a scan of administrative justice education/training programs.
“SOAR is delighted to work with Osgoode in this historic partnership,” said Gary Stanley, president of SOAR. “The delivery of administrative justice requires highly skilled and knowledgeable adjudicators. With unique expertise and experience in legal and adjudicator education, Osgoode and SOAR will play a leadership role in creating innovative and high quality educational programs for administrative adjudicators in Canada.”
The announcement of the collaboration between SOAR and Osgoode will be made today at the Conference of Ontario Boards and Agencies (COBA), SOAR's major annual conference on administrative justice issues which is taking place in the Ontario Room, Macdonald Block, Queen’s Park, Toronto.
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 Faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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For further information, please contact:
Virginia Corner
Communications Manager
Osgoode Hall Law School of York University
416-736-5820
vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca
Marsha Faubert
Member, Board of Directors, Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR)
416-695-1271
info@soar.on.ca
