A recent and exciting justice innovation in Canada is the creation of the Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution. The Winkler Institute has an action-oriented three pillar mandate in the areas of teaching and learning, research and innovation and pilots and projects.
Along with the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice and Osgoode Hall Law School, we are involved in a number of exciting Canadian projects, including the:
- Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters;
- Canadian Bar Association’s Reaching Equal Justice project;
- CFCJ’s Costs of Justice project; and
- Winkler Institute’s Law Foundation of Ontario-funded process needs assessment.
These are important law development and justice innovation initiatives in Canada – a country entering a new era of collaborative justice innovation and infrastructure reform. These are exciting and challenging times back home!
As we write, we are currently enjoying the good fortune of meeting with Sam Muller and members of the Hiil team, recognised world leaders in justice innovation. We are learning more about some of the exciting projects in which Hiil is currently involved. For example, Hiil’s measurement group is working on a number of important needs assessment and mapping projects in various corners of the globe. Their innovation group is busy sourcing, encouraging and catalyzing leading justice innovation initiatives. And their strategic group is constantly looking for new avenues of justice sector partnerships – all with an ultimate goal of making law more fair, sustainable and accessible. With that in mind, we are also discussing concrete ideas for collaboration between our various organisations around justice innovation in Canada and internationally.
Although there are many forms of justice around the world, what we share – both in terms of challenges as well as opportunities – is becoming increasingly common. How people use systems, the challenges they face, issues around access and sustainability, and the need for more concrete, action-oriented, innovative and sustainable ideas are shared issues and aspirations. To the extent that we can – regionally, nationally and globally – share and collaborate, the better we all will be.
We are currently exploring a number of exciting ideas for innovation, collaboration and support between our organisations. Stay tuned!
