TORONTO — Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey has appointed Toronto-based firm ADR Chambers to serve as the Authorized Nominating Authority (ANA) to administer adjudicators as part of the province’s new prompt payment and adjudication system.
The ANA will oversee the adjudication process for construction disputes, including the training and qualification of adjudicators.
A provincial statement issued this morning (July 18) said the new regime will prevent payment disputes from delaying work on construction projects, speed up the payment process and reduce time and money spent on litigation for businesses.
Starting Oct. 1, 2019, subject to applicable transition rules, parties to construction contracts and subcontracts will be able to apply for adjudication to receive a binding decision from adjudicators administered by the new ANA within approximately six weeks.
The Chambers website billed the firm as “the world’s largest dispute resolution service provider” with 20 years’ experience in conflict resolution services across Canada and internationally.
“The new construction adjudication system, as overseen by the Authorized Nominating Authority, will cut through the red tape that slows down the dispute resolution process, getting projects back on track and ensuring workers are paid on time,” said Downey in the statement.
The ANA will be self-funded and operate independently of government.
The new adjudication system and prompt payment regime represent the second phase of reforms of the old Construction Lien Act. Lien modernization provisions took effect in the new Construction Act on July 1, 2018. The Construction Act received royal assent in December 2017.
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