Composition of Board of Arbitration When either party requests that a grievance be submitted to arbitration, the request shall be made by registered mail addressed to the other party of the Agreement, indicating the name of its nominee on an Arbitration Board. Within five (5) days thereafter, the other party shall answer by registered mail indicating the name and address of its appointee to the Arbitration Board. The two appointees shall select an impartial chairperson.
Board of Arbitration (a) The Board of Arbitration shall be composed of three (3) members and shall be established as follows: Within ten (10) working days (excluding Sundays and holidays) following receipt of such notice, the Employer and the Union shall each select a representative to serve on the Board of Arbitration. The representative of the Employer and the representative of the Union shall, within five (5) days (excluding Sundays and holidays) after they have both been selected, choose an additional member to act as Chairman. In the event of failure of the nominees of the Union and the Employer to agree upon a Chairman within the five (5) day period specified, the Minister of Labour of British Columbia shall be immediately requested to name a third member who shall act as Chairman of the Board of Arbitration. Within five (5) days of the appointment of the impartial Chairman, the Board of Arbitration shall sit to consider the matter in dispute and shall render a decision within fourteen (14) days after its first session. It is understood and agreed that the time limits as set forth herein may be altered by mutual agreement between the Employer and the Union. No person shall serve on a Board of Arbitration who is involved or directly interested in the controversy under consideration. Grievances submitted to an Arbitration Board shall be in writing and shall clearly specify the nature of the issue. In reaching its decision, the Board of Arbitration shall be governed by the provisions of this Agreement. The Board of Arbitration shall not be vested with the power to change, modify or alter this Agreement in any of its parts, but may, however, interpret its provisions. The expense of the impartial Chairman shall be borne equally by the Employer and the Union unless otherwise provided by law. The findings and decision of the Board of Arbitration shall be binding and enforceable on all parties. A decision of a majority of the Board of Arbitration shall be deemed to be a decision of the Board.
(b) In the case of dismissal of an employee, the Employer agrees to waive the normal arbitration procedure and the matter shall be heard by a sole arbitrator, within thirty (30) days of the notice to proceed to arbitration having been received by the Employer. This thirty (30) day period may be extended by mutual agreement of the Union and the Employer. A final and binding decision will be handed down within thirty (30) days of the Expedited Arbitration case being held. In reaching its decision, the Arbitrator shall be governed by the provisions of this Agreement. The Arbitrator shall not be vested with the power to change, modify or alter this Agreement in any of its parts, but may, however, interpret its provisions. The expense of the Arbitrator shall be borne equally by the Employer and the Union unless otherwise provided by law. The findings and decision of the Arbitrator shall be binding and enforceable on all parties. The Arbitrator shall be an Arbitrator mutually agreed to by the Union and the Employer.
(c) In the case of discharge which the Board of Arbitration has determined to have been for an improper cause, the Board may order the reinstatement of the employee and may award him or her full or part back pay.
Initiation of Arbitration Pursuant to Section 110 of the Arbitration Act, the parties agree that a party may initiate Arbitration by giving written notice to the other party (“Arbitration Notice”) in the same manner that notice is permitted under Section 9.13 of the Agreement; provided, however, that the Arbitration Notice may not be given by email or fax. Arbitration will be deemed initiated as of the date that the Arbitration Notice is deemed delivered to such other party under Section 9.13 of the Agreement (the “Service Date”). After the Service Date, information may be delivered, and notices may be given, by email or fax pursuant to Section 9.13 of the Agreement or any other method permitted thereunder. The Arbitration Notice must describe the nature of the controversy, the remedies sought, and the election to commence Arbitration proceedings. All Claims in the Arbitration Notice must be pleaded consistent with the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure.
Selection of Arbitrators 1. Unless the disputing parties otherwise agree, the tribunal shall comprise three arbitrators:
(a) one arbitrator appointed by each of the disputing parties; and
(b) the third arbitrator, who shall be the presiding arbitrator, appointed by agreement of the disputing parties. The third arbitrator shall be a national of a non-Member State which has diplomatic relations with the disputing Member State and non-disputing Member State, and shall not have permanent residence in either the disputing Member State or non- disputing Member State.
2. Any person appointed as an arbitrator shall have expertise or experience in public international law, international trade or international investment rules. An arbitrator shall be chosen strictly on the basis of objectivity, reliability, sound judgment and independence and shall conduct himself or herself on the same basis throughout the course of the arbitral proceedings.
3. Subject to Article 36 (Conduct of the Arbitration), if a tribunal has not been constituted within 75 days from the date that a claim is submitted to arbitration under this Section, the Appointing Authority, on the request of a disputing party, shall appoint, in his or her discretion, the arbitrator or arbitrators who have not been appointed.
4. The tribunal shall reach its decisions by a majority of votes and its decisions shall be binding.
5. The parties to the dispute shall bear the cost of their respective arbitrators to the tribunal and share equally the cost of the presiding arbitrator and other relevant costs. In all other respects, the tribunal shall determine its own procedures.
6. The disputing parties may establish rules relating to expenses incurred by the tribunal, including remuneration of the arbitrators.
7. Where any arbitrator appointed as provided for in this Article resigns or becomes unable to act, a successor shall be appointed in the same manner as prescribed for the appointment of the original arbitrator and the successor shall have all the powers and duties of the original arbitrator.
Authority of Arbitration Board The Arbitration Board shall have the power to settle the terms of the question to be arbitrated.
Committees of Directors (i) The Board may, by resolution passed by a majority of the whole Board, designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the Directors of the Company. The Board may designate one or more Directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee.
(ii) In the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the meeting in the place of any such absent or disqualified member.
(iii) Any such committee, to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board, and subject to, in all cases, Sections 9(j) and 10, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board in the management of the business and affairs of the Company. Such committee or committees shall have such name or names as may be determined from time to time by resolution adopted by the Board. Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and report the same to the Board when required.
Expenses of Arbitration Board Each party shall pay:
(a) the fees and expenses of the nominee it appoints; and
(b) one-half of the fees and expenses of the Chairperson.
Appointment of Arbitrators 1. Except to the extent that the competent authorities of the Contracting States mutually agree on different rules, paragraphs 2 through 4 shall apply for the purposes of Articles 24A to 24H.
2. The following rules shall govern the appointment of the members of an arbitration panel:
(a) The arbitration panel shall consist of three individual members with expertise or experience in international tax matters.
(b) Each competent authority shall appoint one panel member within 60 days of the date of the request for arbitration under paragraph 1 of Article 24A (Mandatory Binding Arbitration). The two panel members so appointed shall, within 60 days of the latter of their appointments, appoint a third member who shall serve as Chair of the arbitration panel. The Chair shall not be a national or resident of either Contracting State.
(c) Each member appointed to the arbitration panel must be impartial and independent of the competent authorities, tax administrations, and ministries of finance of the Contracting States and of all persons directly affected by the case (as well as their advisors) at the time of accepting an appointment, maintain his or her impartiality and independence throughout the proceedings, and avoid any conduct for a reasonable period of time thereafter which may damage the appearance of impartiality and independence of the arbitrators with respect to the proceedings.
3. In the event that the competent authority of a Contracting State fails to appoint a member of the arbitration panel in the manner and within the time periods specified in paragraph 2 or agreed to by the competent authorities of the Contracting States, a member shall be appointed on behalf of that competent authority by the highest ranking official of the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that is not a national of either Contracting State.
4. If the two initial members of the arbitration panel fail to appoint the Chair in the manner and within the time periods specified in paragraph 2 or agreed to by the competent authorities of the Contracting States, the Chair shall be appointed by the highest ranking official of the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that is not a national of either Contracting State.
Central Dispute Resolution Committee a) There shall be established a Central Dispute Resolution Committee (CDRC), which shall be composed of two (2) representatives from each of the central parties, and two (2) representatives of the Crown.
b) The Committee shall meet at the request of one of the central parties.
c) The central parties shall each have the following rights:
i. To file a dispute as a grievance with the Committee.
ii. To engage in settlement discussions, and to mutually settle a grievance with the consent of the Crown.
iii. To withdraw a grievance.
iv. To mutually agree to refer a grievance to the local grievance procedure.
v. To mutually agree to voluntary mediation.
vi. To refer a grievance to final and binding arbitration at any time.
d) The Crown shall have the following rights:
i. To give or withhold approval to any proposed settlement between the central parties.
ii. To participate in voluntary mediation.
iii. To intervene in any matter referred to arbitration.
e) Only a central party may file a grievance and refer it to the Committee for discussion and review. No grievance can be referred to arbitration without three (3) days prior notice to the Committee.
f) It shall be the responsibility of each central party to inform their respective local parties of the Committee’s disposition of the dispute at each step in the central dispute resolution process including mediation and arbitration, and to direct them accordingly.
g) Each of the central parties and the Crown shall be responsible for their own costs for the central dispute resolution process.
Arbitration Board Where the parties agree to a Board of Arbitration, the party referring the grievance to arbitration shall also provide the name of that party’s nominee to the Board of Arbitration. Within ten (10) days thereafter, the other party shall answer by registered mail, indicating the name and address of its nominee to the Board of Arbitration. The selection of the Chair shall be in accordance with the list of arbitrators above.
