Notice to Counsel and the Public Re Criminal Matters – Effective May 11, 2020
May 4, 2020 This Communication is to advise that the Ontario Court of Justice will not be returning to full operations on May 29, 2020. No trials or preliminary inquiries will be conducted until July 6, 2020 at the earliest, unless a judge seized with a continuing matter orders otherwise. This applies to criminal, family and Provincial Offences Act matters. The Court will soon provide a detailed notice to the profession and to the public about all proceedings in the Ontario of Justice. The Court is also working closely with its justice partners, including the Ministry of the Attorney General, to adopt technology that will increase participants' ability to access the Court's services using remote means, such as by the electronic filing of court material, remote scheduling processes, and remote hearings. The message can also be found on the OCJ website <https://www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/covid-19/>.
OCJ Trial Coordinator Offices Contact List
This communication is to advise that effective March 28, 2020 the Ontario Court of Justice is limiting access to courthouses. People should not attend Ontario Court of Justice courthouses unless they fall in one of the exceptions outlined in the attached notice. This decision is part of the collective efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to protect the health and safety of court users, justice system participants and members of the public. The attached notices provide more details about remote attendance by counsel and/or litigants (including in-custody accused), how to deal with requests for access to court proceedings and how to file court documents for urgent matters by email. Also attached is a document containing contact information for Trial Coordinator's Offices. Counsel who receive requests from persons with an interest in a particular proceeding and are asking to attend or participate in the proceeding remotely should contact the appropriate Trial Coordinator's Office. This list of Trial Coordinator's Offices email addresses is not for public distribution or posting.
