How does the OPC deal with mediation?

Mediation is an informal process in which the OPC assists people in resolving their differences. We refer to our mediation process as “conciliation conferences”. 

Conciliation conferences can be face to face or over the phone and provide a facilitated forum for working out the areas of common ground, identifying the main issues that you disagree on, and working out solutions that are acceptable to both parties. 

Even if we don’t reach a settlement the process is useful for discussing a complaint and working out options for moving forward. 

If you are invited to participate in a conciliation conference you can expect to be given a clear outline in advance of how the process works. 

We might ask you to complete a questionnaire covering such things as how you see the main points of agreement and difference in the dispute, how the other party might see them, and what outcomes might be acceptable to you. You will have a chance to talk in confidence with the facilitator before the mediation. 

The details of your discussion will not be disclosed to the other party, but the information you give in these discussions and in answering the questionnaire will help inform how the discussion goes. 

Both parties will sign a settlement agreement at the end if agreement is reached. 

If one party is unable to meet with the other party, we can conduct a process of “shuttle conciliation” in order to reach a settlement.