Professional ADR Designations

Designation Application Process

To apply, you must be a Full member of ADRIA and meet the application requirements. Beginning in 2020, ADRIA's Designations Committees will review the applications three times per year and then forward their recommendations to ADRIC for evaluation. The application review process can take several weeks. Find out more on the ADRIC website.

Application Deadlines

To serve our members better, beginning in 2020, ADRIA will move from accepting designation applications 2 times/year to 3 times/year. The application windows will be as follows:

Application Period   Deadline for Applications     Review Period

February February 28 March

June June 30 July

October October 31 November

Applications will only be kept open for one additional period beyond when they are submitted (i.e., an application submitted in June will be kept open until the end of the October submission period).  If the application does not meet all the requirements within this time frame, the applicant must re-submit their application.

An e-mail receipt confirmation will be sent to each applicant. If you have sent in your application and do not receive your e-mail receipt confirmation, you must contact the ADRIA office before or by the deadline. If you do not contact the ADRIA office by the deadline, your application will not be accepted.

 Application Fee

The application fee is $200 plus GST. You will be invoiced by email when the ADRIA office receives your application and you can make your payment online.

Alberta Designation Committees

Applications for a designation from the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) are first reviewed by regional designation committees. Once the application has been reviewed by the regional committee, if it meets the requirements, it will be forwarded to ADRIC's National Designation Committees.

Terms of Reference:

Arbitration Designation Committee

Mediation Designation Committee

The Designation Committees are comprised of members selected by the affiliate for their recognized experience and standing in the ADR Community.

Alberta Arbitration Designation Committee 

Don Goodfellow, C.Arb
J.B. Isaacs, C.Arb, C.Med

John Kosolowski, C.Arb

Thomas (Tom) Jolliffe, C.Arb

Alberta Mediation Designation Committee

Marjorie Munroe, C.Med - Chair

Lorraine Nordstrom, C.Med

Marne Turnbull, C.Med

Apply for a Chartered Arbitrator (C.Arb) Designation

Before applying, make sure you meet the Chartered Arbitrator Principles, Criteria, Protocol and Competencies.(pdf)

Application form:

C.Arb Application Form

Apply for a Qualified Arbitrator (Q.Arb) Designation

Before applying, make sure you meet the Qualified Arbitrator Principles, Criteria, Protocol and Competencies(pdf)

 Application form: 

Q.Arb Application Form

Exemption from requirement to provide proof of insurance 

ADRIC requires active Chartered and Qualified Mediators and Chartered and Qualified Arbitrators to provide proof of a minimum of $1 million insurance coverage for their protection and for the protection of those for whom they provide services. Exemptions are available in two cases. Please check attached form.(docx)

Apply for a Chartered Mediator (C.Med) or Qualified Mediator (Q.Med) Designation 

For complete information about the requirements for these designations and how to apply, read: 

ADRIA Designations Information Booklet Revised December 2020

 Application Forms:

• C.Med Application Form
• Chartered Mediator Skills Assessment Criteria (pdf)

• Q.Med Application Form
• Qualified Mediator supervised mock mediation criteria (pdf)

ADRIC reference documents: 

• Chartered Mediator Principles, Criteria, Protocol and Competencies (pdf)
  
• Qualified Mediator Principles, Criteria, Protocol and Competencies (pdf)
  

Apply for a Chartered Mediator-Arbitrator (C.Med-Arb) Designation 

You must be both a Chartered Mediator (C.Med) and Chartered Arbitrator (C.Arb) in order to apply for this designation. You can view the requirements for this designation here:

Chartered Mediator-Arbitrator Criteria Updated October 2020

Application form:

C.Med-Arb Application Form

Annual Designation Renewal Fees

Members with a designation pay an annual renewal fee directly to ADRIC. ADRIC emails an invoice at the beginning of each year to professionals holding a designation. 

New, beginning January 1, 2021:

1. NEW CEE Program for Designated Arbitrators: Designated ARBITRATORS (Chartered Arbitrators, Qualified Arbitrators and Chartered Med-Arbitrators) will be required to collect points and submit regular CEE reports. This will increase the value of the designations in the eyes of ADR consumers as it will indicate the ongoing professional standards associated with continued learning.

2. Simpler point system: for those holding two designations (mediation and arbitration), we have revised the CEE points chart and combined the total number of points required for easy reporting. We will share the revised chart and instructions before year end.

3. Those with two designations:  There will be no additional reporting fee for those with two designations who already submit a CEE report for their mediation designation.

4. Fees: Fees are NOT being increased, but rather spread out over the three year reporting period. The $99 administrative fee (previously submitted with CEE report every three years) will instead be incorporated into the annual designation renewal fee as $33 per year.

Continuing Education and Engagement Credits (CEE)

Since 2009, Chartered and Qualified Mediators have been required to submit a report with an administrative fee of $99 every three years, indicating they have achieved the requisite number of CEE points to maintain their designated status.

New, beginning January 1, 2021:

1. NEW CEE Program for Designated Arbitrators: Designated ARBITRATORS (Chartered Arbitrators, Qualified Arbitrators and Chartered Med-Arbitrators) will be required to collect points and submit regular CEE reports. This will increase the value of the designations in the eyes of ADR consumers as it will indicate the ongoing professional standards associated with continued learning.
2. Simpler point system: for those holding two designations (mediation and arbitration), we have revised the CEE points chart and combined the total number of points required for easy reporting. We will share the revised chart and instructions before year end.
3. Those with two designations:  There will be no additional reporting fee for those with two designations who already submit a CEE report for their mediation designation.
4. Fees: Fees are NOT being increased, but rather spread out over the three year reporting period. The $99 administrative fee (previously submitted with CEE report every three years) will instead be incorporated into the annual designation renewal fee as $33 per year. There will be no separate fee when submitting reports (except during the transition period).
5. Annual reporting: the new default report submission period will be annual, making reporting more convenient. In cases where attendance of events and continued learning may be challenging (such as during maternity/paternity leave, grave illness, etc.) designated members may request to submit their reports every third year in which case ADRIC will provide a form to be completed. 
6. Points: For members who remit annually, the number of points to acquire and remit is: 20 points for Qualified designation holders, and 33 points for Chartered designation holders. (For those who need to remit on the 3rd year, required points remain as 60 points for Qualified designation holders, and 100 points for Chartered designation holders over the 3 year period.)
7. Due dates: will be harmonized; we will share more information about the reporting process soon, but in the meantime, reports for members who have received a first new designation in 2020, will be due January 1, 2022.  Reports for those receiving a new first designation any time next year (2021), will be due January 1, 2023.
8. Submitting CEE reports: ADRIC is prioritising the development of a simpler points tracking system (ideally online and real-time) and hopes to launch soonest. We will provide more information soon. Note: Some designated mediators are due to submit their reports in 2020, 2021 or 2022 and we will need to “catch them up” to the new system. This is how that will be handled for those due in:

In addition to collecting the appropriate CEE points for their C.Med and C.Arb designations, every three years, Chartered Med-Arbitrators are required to take part in a refresher Med-Arb course or training (which may be online training and scenarios) practice, and conduct at least one Med-Arb, as per the Continuing Education and Engagement Program and submit a report along with the required certificates.

You will find instructions and a worksheet on the ADRIC website. You will be asked to submit your CEE report and administration fee online directly to ADRIC