FAO Offers Umpire Network to Alberta Rural Landowners

As of November 1, 2008 the Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO) partnered up with the Alberta Arbitration and Mediation Society (AAMS) to provide rural Albertans with enhanced mediation and arbitration services. This partnership is a win for both organizations and will be known as the FAO Umpire Network.

The AAMS is a self-regulated organization that is providing the FAO a roster of professional accredited mediators and arbitrators with a specialty in rural issues. AAMS wanted to expand their rural roster and in order to do that they need case files to justify it. The FAO has an increasing demand for cost effective dispute resolution services as an alternative to litigation and have limited staff available. Providing more availability to professional mediators and arbitrators strengthens our service to rural Albertans, which the FAO continually strives for.

In order for the FAO to provide this qualified service to the rural communities it is necessary to access funding for this project. Fortunately, the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) funding panel sees the value of providing dispute resolution services to rural Alberta. They also realize how it supports Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development’s business plan. This pilot project will be assessed at the end of the funding term on March 31, 2009.

Since this project is an APF funded service that has limited to no cost for the client, there will be provisions set around appropriateness of a file being carried forward to the Umpire Network. Clients will need to contact the FAO to invoke any of the mediation or arbitration professionals on the roster or in the FAO for their service.

For more information contact Graham Gilchrist at the FAO:
www.farmersadvocate.gov.ab.ca
310-FARM (3276)

For more information about the content of this document, contact Janet Patriquin.
This information published to the web on February 9, 2009.
Last Reviewed/Revised on February 10, 2009.