Ontario Court of Justice - East Region

The OCJ has updated its Bail Protocol (introduced in May 2020). These revisions serve to clarify and reinforce the Protocol’s objectives of ensuring that bail proceedings are conducted justly and efficiently. For more information, please see the Protocol.

The OCJ will adjourn all family and Child, Youth, and Family Services Act trials (including in-person, hybrid, and remote trials) scheduled between April 26 to May 7, 2021. Counsel and parties should not attend Court for these types of trials during this period. The Court is committed to facilitating proceedings by remote technology where possible, unless an in-person hearing is required to ensure meaningful access to justice. For more information please see the Notice.

The Ontario Court of Justice has issued an Order pursuant to s. 85 of the Provincial Offences Act extending timelines until September 7, 2021 relating to POA appeals under the Act that would have expired on or after March 15, 2020. Prior to September 7th, 2021, only urgent POA appeals to a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice will be accepted for filing.

MAG informed that a non-OPS person who works in the building of the Ottawa Courthouse, located at 161 Elgin Street tested positive for COVID-19.  View the March 14th Ottawa Courthouse Memo.

There is a new SCJ Notice to the Profession Regarding CaseLines in Criminal Matters for the East region. CaseLines will be expanded to criminal matters in the East region beginning March 1, 2021. For more information on this expansion, including a list of documents that shout not be uploaded to CaseLines and a list of new responsibilities for both Crown counsel and defence counsel in light of this change, please see the Notice.

The Ministry of the Attorney General has announced that it will establish a threshold limit for small estates in order to simplify the probate process for such estates, as per the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, 2020. Beginning on April 1, 2021, Ontario will set the limit for a small estate at $150,000 and will remove the requirement to post bond in most small estate probate applications. For more information, please see this News Release

LAO will double compensation for bail hearings for block fee and tariff matters in recognition of longer bail hearings. 

The OCJ has announced a new pilot project in Ottawa involving Enhanced Designations of Counsel. Effective February 1, 2021, this pilot project will allow accused persons whose counsel have filed an Enhanced Designation of Counsel to have their matters adjourned to the next court date without the matter being addressed in court. For more information, please see the Practice Direction.

The OCJ has revised its May 19th Notice to Counsel/Paralegals and the Public regarding Provincial Offences Act matters in the OCJ. Beginning on January 25, 2021: Unless otherwise ordered by the Regional Senior Justice of the Peace or the presiding Justice of the Peace, remote appearances will continue to be the presumption. For more information, please see the Notice.

In lights of the Ontario government’s new emergency orders, the OCJ has revised the COVID-19: Scheduling of Family Law Matters at the Ontario Court of Justice. The new Scheduling of Family Law Matters directive eliminates the reference to certain appearances being presumptively in person and waives the requirement to file sworn documents, beyond unsworn affidavits of service. Electronically signed documents are acceptable for filing.