Some in-person family law matters resuming in Ontario

Law360 Canada (June 18, 2020, 3:40 PM EDT) -- The Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) has announced the expansion of family law matters starting July 6, 2020 as part of the Ministry of the Attorney General’s incremental plan to return to full court operations across Ontario.

Phase 1 of the plan will involve a limited number of courthouses and courtrooms, according to an OCJ news release. Court operations will continue to expand, with a targeted completion date of Nov. 1, 2020. The Ministry is implementing health and safety measures in each courthouse, and site assessments of 93 OCJ courtrooms will be complete by July 6, notes the release.

“Persons attending court,” stipulates the release, “must ensure that they arrive for court early because of the extra screening requirements in order to be in court for their scheduled appearance. Because of the restrictions on the number of people who may be in the courthouse, unless essential, family members or supporters should not attend court with people who have scheduled appearances in court.”

A complete list of specific courthouse openings, matters that will be heard and other instructions is detailed in the news release.