Samenvatting

It is often assumed that online dispute resolution is cheaper and faster for people seeking justice than litigation at court. Using empirical data from the public justice system in British Columbia, we examine the fees and case processing times of the Civil Resolution Tribunal and compare these with the Provincial Court and Supreme Court. Our case study yields both promising and discouraging results. Promising results pertain to the observation that online dispute resolution within the public justice system can be cheaper and faster, but this is not the case for all people seeking justice, and significant differences within the justice system are observed. In addition, important characteristics should be accounted for, in particular in debating the introduction of online dispute resolution platform in the public justice system as a replacement for a procedure at court.