About TCAS

TCAS is an Ontario not-for-profit corporation, incorporated in 2024, first established as an association in 2010 with the following purposes and ojectives:

• to further the use of arbitration as a means of resolving commercial disputes and to promote excellence in the practice of arbitration;
• to promote and develop Toronto as a pre-eminent location for international commercial arbitration;
• to develop and promote a common set of rules and standards for the practice of commercial arbitration; and
• to encourage continuing education among the members and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on all aspects of international and domestic arbitration.

Its primary mission is to promote and develop in Toronto a world centre for arbitration excellence to resolve international and domestic disputes by providing:

• qualified arbitrators;
• exceptional facilities;
• experienced counsel;
• innovative research, and
• a supportive legal environment in the Ontario courts, regardless of the location of the parties or their systems of law.

TCAS is active in promoting the use of arbitration to resolve commercial disputes by:

• “developing alliances with other Canadian arbitral organizations and centres of learning, such as ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) ADR Institute of Ontario (ADRIO), Young Canadian Arbitration Practitioners (YCAP), Western Canada Commercial Arbitration Society (WCAS) and Canadian Arbitration Week (CanArbWeek);”
• “sponsoring international arbitration conferences and events featuring preeminent practitioners as speakers in association with international organizations such as the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) and International Centre for Dispute Resolution Canada (ICDR);”
• advocating supportive international and domestic legislation, an example of which led to the new International Commercial Arbitration Act, 2017;
• “providing a forum and network for the exchange of ideas on all aspects of international and domestic arbitration at multiple events held throughout the year, including the TCAS Annual General Meeting;”
• promoting and understanding of available rules and arbitral institutions to facilitate commercial arbitration through various educational efforts including the TCAS Gold Standard Arbitration Course.
• Seeking intervenor status and participating as intervenor in important Canadian arbitration-related appeals before the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada

View the TCAS Constitution.

TCAS Board of Directors