What is the appropriate format of a hearing at the BC SPCA for a personal injury matter?

4. The tribunal has discretion to decide the format of the hearing, including by writing, telephone, videoconferencing, email, or a combination of these. I decided to hear this dispute through written submissions. Though some aspects of the parties’ submissions amount to a “he said / they said” conflict, I find I am properly able to assess and weigh the documentary evidence and submissions before me without an oral hearing. In Yas v. Pope, 2018 BCSC 282, the court recognized that oral hearings are not always necessary when credibility is in issue. Further, bearing in mind the tribunal’s mandate of proportional and speedy dispute resolution, I find I can fairly hear this dispute through written submissions.