The Public Interest and Innovation Committee (formerly Advocacy and Innovation Committee) is a standing committee of SOAR. Its terms of reference are as follows:
REPORTING TO: SOAR Board of Directors
OVERALL PURPOSE OF COMMITTEE: To follow emerging issues and promote innovation in administrative justice
KEY GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- Monitor current and emerging public interest issues in administrative justice
- Identify innovative ideas of relevance to the administrative justice community
- Foster and implement projects to support innovation in administrative justice
MAJOR COMMITTEE TASKS
- Make recommendations to the Board of Directors on how SOAR can best respond to administrative justice issues and promote innovative ideas
- Make recommendations to the Board of Directors on how SOAR funding can best be used to support innovative projects
- Pursue or collaborate on research on emerging issues of concern to the SOAR membership
- Create and maintain processes for the active engagement of the SOAR membership in the work of the Committee
- Foster working relationships with other organizations to develop partnerships on public interest issues of concern to the administrative justice community
NUMBER OF MEETINGS: 9-10 per year
STAFF LIAISON: SOAR Executive Director
SELECTION OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Members will include members of the Board of Directors and interested individuals in the broader SOAR community
DURATION OF COMMITTEE: Standing committee
The Committee members, as of January 2024, are:
Members
Maureen Carter-Whitney, Committee Co- Chair - Immigration and Refugee Board
Katharine Evans, Committee Co-Chair- Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal
Heather Gibbs, Immigration and Refugee Board
Michael Huynh- IPO Ontario
Anne Gottleib- Condominium Authority Tribunal
Josephine Racioppo -Tribunals Ontario
Romona Gananathan- Tribunals Ontario
Rosemarie McCutcheon - Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal
Lori Marzinotto - former License Appeal Tribunal Vice Chair
Ex-Officio Member
Daphne Simon- SOAR Executive Director
If you are interested in becoming involved in the work of the Committee or have suggestions for further projects that the Committee could undertake, please consider volunteering by contacting our Executive Director, Daphne Simon, at daphne@soar.on.ca.