SOAR's 38th Annual Conference - GAME ON! Advancing Administrative Justice

SOAR's 38th Annual Conference

GAME ON! Advancing Administrative Justice

Thursday November 12th, 2026 8:30am - 4:30pm (in-person only)

Chelsea Hotel, 33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto

$525.00 plus HST

8:00am-8:45am Breakfast and Registration

8:45-9:00am Pre-Game Welcome from the Conference Co-chairs

Genevieve Plummer, Manager, Hearings, Ontario College of Pharmacists

Rebecca Woodrow, Tribunal General Counsel, Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal

9:00-10:05am OPENING PLENARY

The New Playbook: AI in Adjudication and Regulatory Oversight

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the playing field for professional regulation and adjudication across Canada. In this plenary, speakers will examine the emerging issues, risks, and opportunities that accompany AI's growing influence, from challenging traditional assumptions about identity and evidence to raising new questions about authenticity, procedural fairness, and access to justice.

Can AI can help level the playing field for self-represented parties? What happens when the rules of the game change faster than the referees can keep up? As tribunals and regulators feel the pressure to adapt in real time, this panel will discuss how to stay ahead of the curve by developing sound policies, practical strategies, and regulatory game plans that encourage innovation without compromising due process, public confidence, or evidence-based decision-making - because in this game, there's no instant replay to undo a bad call.

Speakers:

Maura R. Grossman, Research Professor, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics, University of Waterloo

Abdi Aidid, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto's Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law and the Canada Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Access to Justice

Christian Dippel, Associate Professor, Business, Economics and Public Policy at Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario

Moderator: Preeya Singh, Professional Conduct Director, CMRITO College of Medical Radiologists and Imaging Technologists of Ontario

 

10:05-10:25am Hydration Break

10:25-11:40 CONCURRENT MORNING WORKSHOPS

WORKSHOP 1

Getting Back Up After Being Knocked Down: Lessons from the Boxing Ring 

Life has its own knockouts. Grieving a loss, burnout, isolation, a failed plan, a breakup, a health scare, a public mistake, a private disappointment.

How do you get up and back in the game while still honouring your humanity?

Boxers do not survive by being fearless or reckless. Their discipline offers a grounded way to think about resilience. When a champion boxer gets knocked down, they do not jump right back up. They listen. They breathe. They take the count. They respond instead of reacting.

In this powerful and engaging session, Yvette takes you inside the boxing ring using compelling analogies, live demonstrations, and the art of storytelling to reveal the fighter that exists within each of us.

Drawing directly from the lessons of the ring, Yvette introduces practical concepts that help you navigate life’s challenges with greater precision, confidence, and calm. You will discover how to get clarity on your intentions and trust yourself again, while staying grounded amidst the chaos.

This workshop is more than just boxing talk —it’s an invitation to step into your own corner, find your inner strength, and learn how to show up ready for whatever comes next.

Yvette Raposo, Trainer, Speaker, Former Boxing Champion, Boxing Ring Announcer

 

WORKSHOP 2

Beyond Overtime: Tackling Delay in Adjudicative Processes

When adjudication goes into overtime, everyone pays the price. This session will explore the causes of delay, the tools tribunals are using to keep cases moving, and the legal challenges that can arise when efficiency measures are introduced. Join tribunal leaders and practitioners as they discuss innovative approaches to case management, mediation, and evidence control, and how to ensure fair play, timely decisions, and accessible justice for all participants.

Speakers:

Gaetana (Tania) Campisi, Senior Counsel, Stieber Berlach LLP

Harry Gousopoulos, Executive Director, Tribunals Ontario

Anshumala (Anshu) Juyal, Senior Counsel, Legal Services Division, Canadian Human Rights Commission

Moderator:  Dan Abrahams, Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Chief Legal Officer, Professional Engineers Ontario

 

11:45-12:45pm Halftime Lunch

12:45-2:00pm POST LUNCH PLENARY

Playing a Strong Writing Game

Discover (or reinforce) practical ways to strengthen your writing game. Full of good and not-so-good examples, this session will highlight important skills and powerful techniques for everyone who's part of the tribunal team — adjudicators, counsel and staff who write reasons, briefing memos, emails, reports or proposals.

Tim Moseley, Chief Adjudicator, Capital Markets Tribunal

Barb Morris, Legal Writing Consultant and Instructor

 

2:05-3:20pm CONCURRENT AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

WORKSHOP 3

Admin Law Blast: Leveling the Playing Field

In this dynamic session, we’ll bring clarity to complex legal principles and show how decisions are made, challenged, and upheld – to get you to peak performance!

Think of administrative tribunals as on-field referees—making real-time calls, applying the rule book, and keeping the game moving. Courts step in to review those calls on replay when rules weren’t followed or the decision falls offside.

Our expert panel will explore how core principles—like procedural fairness, reasonableness, and jurisdiction—function as the rules of the game. Using practical examples, this session will also highlight how to build a strong game plan: develop a clear record, make sound decisions under pressure, and avoid common “penalties” that can lead to a successful appeal.

Whether you’re a rookie or a ringer, this session will help you understand how to make defensible calls and keep your decisions championship-ready.

Speakers:

David Wright, Chair, Health Professions Discipline Tribunal

Pam Hrick, Partner, Lerners LLP

Moderator: Michelle Alton, Deputy Director, Ministry of the Attorney General

 

Workshop 4

Keeping Your Head in the Game

Adjudicators and support staff often work in the equivalent of a high-stakes playoff environment. Like referees, they must ensure fair rules and evidence-based decision-making while navigating human dynamics, difficult calls and criticisms that come from the sidelines. Over time, these roles can test resilience and overall well-being.

This workshop will explore the psychological and relational aspects of working within these high stress environments. Participants will learn strategies for balancing empathy and objectivity, avoiding burnout, and effectively communicating with the players. Drawing on trauma psychology, communication science, and extensive experience within the Workers Compensation Board’s Traumatic Psychological Injury (TPI) program, the session provides practical tools to help participants “keep their head in the game”, make sound decisions under pressure, and strengthen their mental and professional endurance.

Speakers:

Dr. Janice Dicks, Ph.D., R.Psych YEG Psychology

Dr. Holly Whyte, Ph.D., R.Psych YEG Psychology

Moderator: Heather Gibbs, SOAR Past President

 

WORKSHOP 5

Building the Dream Team

Roll up your sleeves, tie up your laces, get ready, set, leggo!

Using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY©, learn how to create more participation, more engagement, and more commitment amongst your team members.  See how much your childhood building blocks can teach you to listen well, work together, and achieve spectacular results. A literally hands-on workshop aimed at team building, communication, mutual understanding and problem solving.

Facilitator: Jennifer Webster, Vice Chairperson, Canada Industrial Labour Relations Board

 

3:20-3:40pm 7th Inning Stretch

3:40-4:40pm CLOSING PLENARY

The Great Administrative Justice Debate: Heated Rivalry

Step into the arena for an engaging and entertaining series of fast paced debates exploring some of the most pressing issues facing administrative justice and regulation today. Drawing on their experience as adjudicators, regulators, tribunal counsel, and administrative law practitioners, our debaters will step up to the plate to tackle resolutions that challenge conventional thinking and spark discussion.

Expect sharp analysis, spirited advocacy, evidence-based argument, and a healthy dose of humour as our debaters go head-to-head, trading points and defending positions on the future of adjudication and regulation. The audience won't be sitting on the sidelines. After every round, you will decide who delivered the strongest punch and earned the win. Whether the arguments result in a slam dunk, a photo finish, or an unexpected upset, this session promises a lively and memorable championship finale to close this year’s conference.

Who will persuade the crowd and take home the title? You decide.

Debaters

• Dan Abrahams - Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, PEO
• Suzanne Craig - Integrity Commissioner, City of Vaughan
• Lisa Feinberg - Lawyer, Partner at Glick Feinberg Stone
• Michael Huynh – CEO and President, College of Immigration Consultants of Canada
• Morgana Kellythorne - Deputy Director, Legal Service Branch, Tribunals Ontario
• David Wright - Chair, Health Professions Discipline Tribunal

Referee Lyla Simon- SOAR Conference Committee 

4:40-7:00pm POST GAME RECEPTION

Jazz/Pop Quartet, U of T Faculty of Music