Ontario Court of Justice Update

The OCJ has issued a new Notice to the Profession and the Public regarding criminal case management appearances. Previous OCJ Notices stipulating that criminal case management appearances will be adjourned for five weeks (with a discretionary bench warrant if the accused person does not appear) will end on November 27, 2020. As of November 30, 2020, all accused persons will be required to attend their scheduled appearances in criminal case management court.

The OCJ has issued a new Notice regarding the resumption of in-person family law proceedings in the Northeast and Northwest regions. Beginning on November 30, 2020:

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.

MAG has advised that on Nov. 14-15, 2020, Weekend and Statutory Holiday (WASH) courts will be held at 2201 Finch Avenue West, Toronto. The WASH courts will move back to Toronto’s Old City Hall on Nov. 21, 2020. For more information, please call 416-314-3962.

Today, the MAG Recovery Secretariat confirmed that the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay is prepared to host OCJ and SCJ proceedings on a temporary basis, due to the recent fire at the Thunder Bay courthouse at 125 Brodie St N. MAG has confirmed that the recommended health and safety measures  (made in the Valhalla Inn site assessment report and the COVID-19 Precautionary Measures Guidebook, more generally) were in place.

Due to the fire at the Thunder Bay Courthouse earlier this month, the OCJ has provided an updated schedule for family and criminal proceedings between October 26 and November 9:

The OCJ has issued a Notice regarding the resumption of proceedings at the Guelph Courthouse at 36 Wyndham St. following the MAG Recovery Secretariat’s determination that the necessary HVAC remediation and assessments have been completed. The notice indicates that the OCJ will resume in-person criminal hearings, including trials and preliminary inquiries, on Monday November 2, 2020.

The MAG Recovery Secretariat has provided an update on the Guelph Courthouse located at 36 Wyndham St. S., which was previously closed due to elevated CO2 readings. MAG’s update indicates that the landlord for the building has implemented a number of corrective measures, including inspection and remediation of the HVAC system.

Due to an emergency in the Thunder Bay Courthouse facility, the schedule for family and criminal proceedings between October 26 and October 30 has been revised. For details, see the schedules for the WASH Court (weekend bail court) and for the OCJ Thunder Bay for the week of October 26-30.