Mediation Forum 2026 explores the ‘magical moments’ that drive successful outcomes

Outstanding technique and flawless process design will only get you so far in mediation.

To get an agreement over the line in some of the most complex disputes, mediators must often call on a special set of skills, according to Patricia McMahon.

“These are some of the more intangible qualities that make mediation work,” says McMahon, one of the planning committee members for the Winkler/IAM/OsgoodePD Mediation Forum 2026.

The full name of the 2026 edition – Critical Moments in Mediation: Lessons in Judgment, Courage and Craft – gets at some of those abstract skills that help neutral parties develop an instinct for when to intervene or hold back, as well as how they can navigate power while sustaining trust with parties and stakeholders.

“We’re going to be exploring those magical moments that really make the difference in the outcome of mediation, with some of the very best people at the job,” McMahon adds.

The format for the 2026 Mediation Forum, run by Osgoode in conjunction with the Winkler Institute and the International Academy of Mediators, is a departure from the usual panel presentations and discussions. This year’s edition is built around a series of four in-depth interviews with leading mediators and public figures, who will offer practical tips, techniques and insights gleaned from their varied careers.

In keeping with the magical quality of the critical moments at the heart of the program, the Mediation Forum organizing committee has sprinkled some stardust on the lineup of interviewees, who include eminent Canadians Paul Iacono KC and former Ontario Premier Bob Rae, who recently stepped down as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, international perspectives will be provided by U.K.-based Bill Marsh – reflecting on lessons from the Grenfell Tower disaster and major environmental conflict in Bosnia – and U.S. mediator Angela Reddock-Wright, who has made a name for herself handling cases stemming from the #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo movements, as well as other high-profile conflicts.

Afsana Gibson-Chowdhury, another member of the Mediation Forum’s 2026 planning committee, says the program should appeal to mediators of all vintages.

“For many seasoned mediators, it’s easy to get stuck in their ways,” she says. “These guests can help us deepen our practice and change how we design mediation processes and navigate conversations.”

At the other end of the experience spectrum, Gibson-Chowdhury says the Mediation Forum 2026 also offers plenty for mediators just starting out in the profession.

“I work with a lot of younger mediators and I think they will feel completely inspired by what mediation and how effective it can be. We really do change the course of people’s lives and these guests will tell you just how,” she says. “They have all been doing incredible work and it’s going to be fascinating to hear about some of the processes and methods that they used.”

Mentorship has been a recurring theme in Gibson-Chowdhury’s own career. After qualifying as a lawyer in the U.K., she made the professional transition to mediation as part of a big change in her personal circumstances: immigration to Canada. Following encouragement from colleagues who believed she would be well suited to mediation, Gibson-Chowdhury began shadowing local luminaries such as Vance Cooper, before establishing her own firm, GC Mediation and Training Ltd.

She has been paying it forward ever since, including at Osgoode as a coach and guest lecturer on some of its professional development programs for mediators.

“Mentorship is a big deal for me. It’s not an easy field to break into and new mediators don’t always get the help they need,” Gibson-Chowdhury says. “It’s very difficult work, but the gratification that comes from it is incredible.”

In addition, Gibson-Chowdhury has taken an active role in her profession, such as the ADR Institute of Ontario  and the Ontario Bar Association, where she Chaired the Dispute Resolution Section and co-chaired the working group that produced an influential report on Neutral Diversity in Ontario.

“I’ve developed many programs and tools to help mediators and lawyers to be mindful of discrimination and I like to think that I raise the bar for mediators to stay accountable in the work that we do,” she says.  

McMahon, who has served as the Winkler Institute’s co-academic director since she joined the Osgoode faculty full time in 2022, has spent most of her career straddling the worlds of academia and private practice. She earned a PhD in history before her call to the bar in 2004 and completed a further doctorate in law at Yale Law School, in between stints as a litigator at large Bay Street law firms.

Over the course of her legal career, McMahon says awareness and acceptance of mediation as an alternative to court proceedings has grown significantly among lawyers and their clients. And she expects that trend to continue, thanks to Ontario’s recent Civil Rules Review, which proposes to expand mandatory mediation requirements provincewide.

Altogether, the result is an ever-expanding potential audience for the Mediation Forum, which increasingly attracts in-house and private practice lawyers, in addition to mediators, human resources professionals and ombudsmen.

“The change has been pretty profound in only 20 years and it’s become so much more mainstream for civil litigators,” McMahon says. “From an access to justice point of view, it’s very expensive to litigate and not every dispute requires a court or a judge. It’s really important for them to understand what mediation is all about and what it affords parties that can not be achieved through an ordinary civil dispute resolution process.”rk when accommodation issues arise,” Yucel says.r what a good life can look like.” For Alika, that vision depends on informed leadership grounded in experience and law.

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