Ontario Court of Justice Update

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 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.

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, please see here.

Due to the recent fire at the Thunder Bay Courthouse, the schedule has been revised for family & criminal proceedings between October 19 and October 23. For more information, please see the schedules for weekend bail court and for the week of October 19-23. 

Due to the recent fire at the Thunder Bay Courthouse facility, the schedules have been revised for family law and criminal proceedings between October 5 and October 19, 2020. For more information, please see the schedules for Weekend Bail Court; October 5-9; and October 12-16.

The Thunder Bay Courthouse (125 Brodie Street North) is physically closed due to a recent fire. Parties with matters scheduled at this location may call 807-468-2842 for more information on how this will impact proceedings. Further updates from the MAG will follow.

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, see the Notice here.

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.