A. Introduction
1. The Importance of Effective Dispute Resolution and Rights Enforcement Mechanisms
Dispute resolution and rights enforcement are closely connected to almost all of the other issues raised throughout this Paper. Without effective mechanisms to enforce the rights and responsibilities set out in the statutes and to resolve disputes between those falling within the scope of the law, the law amounts to little more than a statement of aspirations.
As has been noted throughout the Paper, many stakeholders (though certainly not all) find themselves in agreement with the essential approach of the current legislative regime, with its domain and time-specific understanding of capacity; its focus on safeguarding capable individuals from paternalistic interference; its requirement for substitute decision-makers to support the autonomy and inclusion of the persons for whom they act; and its careful provision of procedural rights. Their concern is that in practice, the legislation does not deliver on its promise. Some significant portion of the responsibility for that shortfall is attributed to gaps and shortcomings in the mechanisms for rights enforcement and dispute resolution. For those who advocate a more significant re-shaping of the fundamental premises of Ontario’s statutory framework, improved and accessible dispute resolution and rights enforcement mechanisms are identified as an important component in a new system.
Effective mechanisms for rights enforcement in particular are important, not only to ensure that individuals have meaningful access to the rights and protections accorded to them by the statute, but also for identifying and redressing systemic problems with the law itself or its implementation. Where rights enforcement and dispute resolution systems have no ability to identify and address systemic issues, problems with legislative drafting or approaches may never become sufficiently visible to spur change, major institutional actors may be able to disregard the requirements of the law with relative impunity, and the costs of ensuring compliance with the legislative scheme will fall on the shoulders of individuals who are relatively under-resourced.
Specific issues related to rights enforcement and dispute resolution are one aspect of the larger concern in this area regarding access to the law, which is the subject of this Part of the Paper. This Chapter will focus on the characteristics of decision-making forums, while the previous Chapter addresses options for preventing and identifying abuse by substitute decision-making powers (with a particular focus on administrative mechanisms); the following Chapter addresses supports needed to access the law, such as assistance with navigating through complex systems; and the final Chapter in this Part deals with provision of information and education.
2. Dispute Resolution and Rights Enforcement in the Context of Legal Capacity, Decision-making and Guardianship
In considering what might make for effective dispute resolution and rights enforcement for legal capacity, decision-making and guardianship laws, it is necessary to consider the particular context of these laws and the characteristics of those they affect.
Characteristics of this Area of the Law
In designing systems for dispute resolution and rights enforcement for this area of the law, the most important aspect to keep in mind is its effect on the fundamental rights of those who fall under it, and its far-reaching effects on the well-being of these citizens. All of the principles identified in the LCO’s Frameworks are profoundly implicated in these laws. Decisions as to whether a person has legal capacity, whether or not to appoint a guardian or to terminate a guardianship, who should act in the role of a substitute decision-maker, and whether that substitute decision-maker is adequately fulfilling her or his duties (for example, upon the passing of accounts) have life-altering implications.
It has been suggested that many aspects of this area of the law sit uneasily with the traditional adversarial model of dispute resolution. The Victorian Law Reform Commission, commenting on the processes of the administrative tribunal [VCAT] that addresses issues related to capacity, decision-making and guardianship in that jurisdiction, comments that these issues differ from most other issues dealt with by tribunals in that there is no dispute between litigants to resolve. Rather,
VCAT is being asked to act as the representative of the state in deciding whether a person is unable to make their own decisions because of a disability and whether another person should be appointed to make those decisions for them. This task is not well served by employing traditional – or even more modern – `dispute resolution` processes. The Commission believes that this task would be better served by acknowledging the unique nature of Guardianship List matters and by designing special processes for use in these cases that are as informal and accessible as possible.[729]
As has been emphasized throughout this Paper, this area of the law must be understood in the broader context of the laws and supports available to older persons and persons with disabilities, including the interaction with mental health laws, income support programs, privacy and access to information laws, and the laws and structures related to health care, long-term care and social services. These are all areas of considerable legal and structural complexity, and in many cases under significant resource pressures.
Laws and systems related to legal capacity, decision-making and guardianship are complicated, perhaps unavoidably so, dealing as they do with concepts that are abstract but have profound practical implications; difficult trade-offs between accessibility, efficiency and procedural protections; and complex health and social service systems. This complexity makes the law difficult to navigate, creating additional difficulties in designing meaningful mechanisms for dispute resolution and rights enforcement.
Concerns about rights enforcement and dispute resolution in this area are exacerbated by perceived shortcomings elsewhere in the statutes. For example, in the absence of active monitoring or oversight mechanisms for persons acting under a power of attorney (POA) or as guardians, the provisions for passing of accounts or a request for directions from the Court take on an extra significance. For those who would advocate for reduced use of guardianships, inadequacies in procedural protections and reassessment mechanisms for capacity assessments raise additional concerns about the ability of the current system to respect fundamental autonomy rights. Pervasive concerns regarding lack of awareness and understanding of the law apply here as well: individuals and substitute decision-makers (SDMs) are frequently unaware not only of their rights and responsibilities under the law but of the avenues for raising and addressing issues. Dispute resolution and rights enforcement are best