Ontario Court of Justice won’t hold trials, preliminary inquiries till July 6 ‘at the earliest’

By Amanda Jerome

Law360 Canada (May 4, 2020, 12:14 PM EDT) -- On May 4, the Ontario Court of Justice announced it would “not be returning to full operations on May 29, 2020.”

According to the notice, no trials or preliminary inquiries will be conducted until July 6 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 notice added.

The notice also explained that the court is “working closely with its justice partners, including the Ministry of the Attorney General,” to adopt technology to help participants access the court remotely, “such as by the electronic filing of court material, remote scheduling processes, and remote hearings.”

According to the court’s website, it is limiting access to courthouses in order 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 …”