Welcome to the Canada
Agricultural Review Tribunal!

MESSAGE FROM THE CANADA AGRICULTURAL REVIEW TRIBUNAL IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Ottawa, January 12th, 2021 – The Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal (Tribunal) has been actively monitoring developments related to COVID-19 and issues the following statement:

The safety and health of employees, of those who appear before the Tribunal are a top concern for us. At the same time, the Tribunal must remain accessible to the public to ensure better access to justice. Balancing these two priorities, the following interim measures are being adopted. They will be subject to a quarterly review as this extraordinary situation evolves.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE TRIBUNAL

Parties are invited to communicate with the registry of the Tribunal by email at InfoTribunal@cart-crac.gc.ca or by phone at 613.943.6405.

FILING OF REQUEST FOR REVIEW AND SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS

Parties are encouraged to file their request for review by email at InfoTribunal@cart-crac.gc.ca.

ACCESS TO THE TRIBUNAL FACILITIES

The Tribunal facilities remain closed to visitors, but all other services of the Tribunal are maintained. The Tribunal is fully operational using virtual methods.

MANDATORY CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCES

The Tribunal can hold mandatory case management conferences to ensure a sound, efficient and expeditive management of requests for review.

HEARINGS OF THE TRIBUNAL

The Tribunal developed a simple protocol for holding virtual hearings and has been able to operate virtually as early as the fall of 2020. In person hearings will resume in the spring of 2022, only if the safety and health of the Tribunal’s employees, and those who appear before the Tribunal, is satisfactory and in respect of the rules established by provincial public health authorities.

FLEXIBILITY

The Tribunal is committed to being as flexible as reasonably possible in processing cases so that it can assist the public in dealing with this extraordinary situation and the trouble that it may cause.

Luc Bélanger

Chairperson
Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal