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Criminal Justice

From programming and advocacy to peer recognition and relevant resources, OBA Section membership connects you with education, engagement and leadership opportunities to propel you to the forefront of your area of practice.

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Resources, Articles, & Advocacy

Legislative Update | October 14, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of October 6

Premier Ford Car Alarm: U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Canadian officials and business leaders that America is committed to consolidating vehicle assembly within its borders and that Canada would come “second”. Premier Ford warned that Canada faces a massive threat to domestic manufacturing, and threatened cutting off critical mineral exports to the U.S.

Advocacy | October 03, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of September 29

Minimum Wage Bump: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island all increased the minimum wage on October 1, 2025. Ontario’s minimum wage is the highest among the five provinces, now at $17.60-per-hour. British Colombia, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador each raised their minimum wage earlier this year. Alberta is the only province that has not increased its minimum wage, which sits at $15-per-hour, the lowest rate in Canada.

Legislative Update | September 26, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of September 22

Courts Digital Transformation Launch: Starting October 14, 2025, all electronic court filings for Toronto must be submitted through the Ontario Courts Public Portal (OCPP). This new public portal will be used in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) for Family proceedings, Civil proceedings, Small Claims Court proceedings and Divisional Court proceedings and Enforcement, and in the Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) for Family proceedings.

Article | September 25, 2025

To Sever or Not to Sever, That is the Question!

On Thursday, September 18, 2025, the Criminal Justice Section opened its CPD program season with “Unique Pre-Trial Applications: Severance, Particulars, & Release of Exhibits for Scientific Testing.” The esteemed panelists shared the perspectives from the Bench, the Crown, and the criminal defence Bar. Their respective views and insights helped the attendees to unravel the important factors, critical timelines, and procedural particularities of these powerful but often misunderstood and underused pre-trial applications. Importantly, these pre-trial motions are designed to resolve legal issues that may affect the conduct or fairness of the trial.

Legislative Update | September 22, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of September 15

Courts Digital Transformation Launch: Starting October 14, 2025, all electronic court filings for Toronto must be submitted through the Ontario Courts Public Portal (OCPP). This new public portal will be used in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) for Family proceedings, Civil proceedings, Small Claims Court proceedings and Divisional Court proceedings and Enforcement, and in the Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) for Family proceedings.