Ontario Court of Justice - East Region

The OCJ has announced that in-person criminal trials and preliminary inquiries in the Ontario Court of Justice will resume on November 30, 2020 at the following locations: Alexandria, Bradford, Elliot Lake, Kirkland Lake, Picton, Red Lake, and Sioux Lookout.

MAG has advised that an employee who works at the Ottawa courthouse location has tested positive for COVID-19. For details see the memo provided by the MAG Recovery Secretariat today.  .View Memo

The OCJ will begin implementing virtual criminal case management courts on the following dates in various locations.  For more information, please see the OCJ update.

This week MAG provided an update on the phase 3 of the reopening of courtrooms to in-person proceedings, including target readiness dates for phase 3 locations. This phase of work includes the preparation of additional courtrooms in locations which have already resumed in-person appearances and select new satellite court locations.

The OCJ has amended its Notice regarding court locations that will be commencing virtual criminal case management appearances in October and November, 2020. Additional courthouse-specific scheduling and connection information has been added at the bottom of Notice for select OCJ locations.

The OCJ has amended OCJ Expansion of Virtual Criminal Case Management Courts October 22nd Notice regarding the further expansion of virtual criminal case management courts. These case management courts will launch in select locations on the following dates

The OCJ has issued a new Notice to the Counsel/Paralegals and the Public regarding Provincial Offences Act matters. All in-person appearances that are scheduled in municipally-administered Provincial Offences courts and Provincial Offences Act appeals before Justices of the OCJ will be adjourned until January 22, 2021. Until this time, OCJ locations will continue to hear matters remotely in accordance with the new Notice. For more information, please see here.

Attorney General Doug Downey has announced the appointment of five new justices to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective October 22, 2020. Justice Cidalia Conceição Gouveia Faria; Justice Peter N. Fraser; Justice Derek Ishak; Justice Jennifer Deanna Strasberg; and Justice Lori Anne Thomas have all been assigned to Toronto by OCJ Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve. For more information.

The OCJ has issued a Notice that First Appearance Court/First Court Date before a clerk is waived from September 28, 2020 until November 27, 2020, and providing the procedure that applies during this time period.

The OCJ has issued a new Notice to the Profession and the Public regarding family proceedings. First Appearance Court/First Court Dates scheduled to proceed before a clerk will be waived between September 28, 2020 and November 27, 2020. Parties will be required to electronically submit a waiver form. First Appearance Court/First Court Dates scheduled to proceed before a judge will resume beginning on September 28, 2020.