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

The following notice was updated June 17, 2021.

Effective June 17, 2021:

• This notice has been amended to provide an update on CaseLines implementation and the requirements to (i) upload documents into a hearing specific sub-bundle (Part C paragraph 5), (ii) upload pleadings for civil and family matters (Part C paragraph 13), and (iii) advise the Court of any documents that have been improperly uploaded into CaseLines (Part C paragraph 14). New provisions have also been added to facilitate the distribution of endorsements and orders via CaseLines (Part D).

Supplementary Notice to the Profession and Litigants in Civil and Family Law Matters Regarding the CaseLines Pilot, E-Filing, and Fee Payment 

Updated forms for multi-party DRAs are now available on the LSO’s website here or on our Real Estate Practice page here.

FOLA’s latest real estate newsletter contains information on LRO updates, Sid Troister’s commentary on the amendments to s. 50 of the Planning Act, and promoting the use of Standard Closing Documents. Read it here or on our Practice Areas > Real Estate page here.

Also, a document entitled “Teraview® Paper Registration Quick User Guide” has been added to our Practice Areas > Real Estate page here.

Congratulations to Justice Jessica Sickinger, who has been assigned to the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket. The official notice can be found here.

FOLA’s latest real estate update is now available. For past updates see FOLA’s Real Estate page or on this website under Practice Areas > Real Estate.

Consultations are currently being held on REBBA (Code of Ethics); Land Use Compatibility Guide; and the Conservation Act, and comments are due by July 2, July 3 and June 27, respectively.

This week’s crown and courtroom assignments have been posted on the Criminal-OCJ page here.

Consolidated Notice to the Profession and Public Regarding the Small Claims Court - March 16, 2020; last amended June 4, 2021

Central East Region update to civil notice. Parties must (1) file pre-trial memos through an online portal and (2) send a copy to the pre-trial email address. See para. 43 of the Region’s civil notice. 

Continued suspension of Small Claims Court operations due to COVID-19 - Updated May 31,2021.

This week’s courtroom & Crown assignments are posted on the Criminal-OCJ page here.