Ontario Court of Justice - West Region

The OCJ has amended its October 22nd Notice regarding virtual criminal case management courts. New dates and locations have been added for the implementation of virtual criminal cases management appearances.

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.

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 announced that virtual criminal case management courts will launch in additional locations in the coming weeks:

Effective immediately, the SCJ and OCJ have suspended all in-person court hearings and processes for the Milton Courthouse due to the discovery of mould in the facility. Information about the rescheduling of in-person criminal, youth, intake court, family, and civil proceedings will be forthcoming. For more information

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 to the Profession and Public regarding the resumption of in-person family law matters at the Stratford Courthouse as of September 28, 2020 after being cleared by the Ministry of the Attorney General regarding its health and safety measures. For more information.