Effective July 19, 2021 the Ontario Court of Justice will resume accepting applications for s. 810 Criminal Code peace bonds province-wide. See the full notice with contact information here or on our webpage under Practice Areas > Criminal-OCJ here.

The Newmarket OCJ Update for the week of July 19, 2021 is posted under Practice Areas under Criminal-OCJ here.

On June 29, 2021, by order of Associate Chief Justice Faye McWatt, all Small Claims Court proceedings that:

(a) were, as of March 13, 2020, scheduled for a hearing between March 16, 2020, through July 30, 2021, and

(b) are not assigned a new date between March 16, 2020, and July 30, 2021,

are adjourned to August 3, 2021, or to such other date as determined by the Court. Read the full notice here:

Continued suspension of Small Claims Court operations due to COVID-19

The Court has issued a new rule (Rule 3.4 of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice) authorizing the use of electronic signatures, which comes into force July 5, 2021.  Rule 3.4(1) sets out the definition of electronic signature.  Rule 3.4(2) authorizes the Court to issue practice directions authorizing additional methods of signing particular electronic documents.   Pursuant to this rule, a new provision (paragraph 10.1) has been added to the Practice Direction Authorizing Alternate Form of Appearance where an Enhanced Designation of Counsel has been Filed, allowing accused persons to sign Enhanced Designations through their counsel.

Read the new regulation at the link below. The link will also be posted on our Real Estate page under Practice Areas.

O. Reg. 245/21: CODE OF ETHICS AND DISCIPLINE AND APPEALS COMMITTEES   under  New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c. 33, Sched. 1 - Coming into force July 1, 2021

The YRLA would like to welcome the following Justices of the Peace to Newmarket, effective July 8, 2021:

Justice of the Peace James Peter Ecker, Justice of the Peace Joel Kulmatycki, Justice of the Peace Jennifer Martin, Justice of the Peace Sydney Thomas and Justice of the Peace Doug White

Read the official notice here.

Family Law Practitioners in Central East: Please remember to file Long Motion and Case Conference materials in both the Family Law Portal and CaseLines as per the practice direction last updated on June 17th.

Supplementary Notice to the Profession and Litigants in Civil and Family Matters Regarding the Caselines Pilot, E-Filing, and Fee Payment (Sept 2, 2020) - updated June 17, 2021

The Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction (Effective July 1, 2014 was updated on June 21, 2021 to include the following:

Effective June 21, 2021, Part II: Proceedings under the Class Proceedings Act, 1992 has been amended to include new paragraph 42.1 and links to model orders prepared by the Class Action Bench-Bar Liaison Committee.

Crown assignments for this week are posted under Practice Areas > Criminal - OCJ on our website here.

The following notice was updated June 18, 2021.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice will increase the number of in-person non-jury hearings effective June 21, 2021. As indicated in the May 12, 2021 Notice, some locations may resume jury selection and jury trials commencing July, August or September. The increase of in-person hearings as well as resumption of jury selection and jury trials will be subject to the discretion of the Regional Senior Justice and the public health situation provincially and regionally. Please check for local directions and/or confirm with local scheduling staff. It is expected that virtual hearings will continue alongside in-person hearings. 

Courts and offsite jury selection locations will follow all Ministry of the Attorney General health and safety measures and protocols, including any protocols relating to the appropriate number of people in each courtroom, masking and social distancing. 

Notwithstanding the above, I recognize that some counsel, parties and justice participants may be uncomfortable attending a courthouse during this time. I have encouraged all judicial officers, when exercising their authority, to be flexible and to respect the various reasons why an individual may not be comfortable attending a courthouse in person. The feasibility of a virtual hearing or alternate arrangements is to be explored, when requested. Similarly, I encourage counsel and parties to be accommodating when requests for virtual hearings or other arrangements are made by opposing counsel or parties. 

Gowning is required for jury selection matters and all other in-person appearances.

Notice to the Profession and Public Regarding Court Proceedings