Speakers at the event were Chief Justice of Ontario Michael Tulloch, Chief Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Geoffrey Morawetz, Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice Sharon Nicklas, Attorney General of Ontario Doug Downey, Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada Shalene Curtis-Micallef and treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario Peter Wardle.
Justice Tulloch discussed that while timely judicial appointments have been made, exponential population growth in the province has put a strain on the current judicial complement. Ontario’s courts resultingly handle “an extraordinary range of cases, from complex commercial disputes to deeply personal matters of family and community life.”
“Ensuring Ontario’s courts are properly resourced is thus not just a provincial concern — it is a national imperative,” he said. “But the Court of Appeal’s complement remains significantly under-resourced compared to other provinces.” He noted that work is to be done on this.
The appellate court will restore the publishing of an annual report later this calendar year and is working on accessibility to ensure timely justice through creating “one of Ontario’s most accessible courtrooms at Osgoode Hall” and transforming audio-visual technology in the courtroom.
In the coming year, the court’s online filing portal will be launched to enhance access to justice and streamline procedures. Further, judges will engage in an annual fall outreach in Thunder Bay, Ont., this year, as they did in Ottawa last year and Windsor two years ago, to strengthen communication and collaboration with the legal community, “providing living proof that our court belongs to all the people of Ontario.”
Justice Tulloch noted that an urgent priority is “addressing the erosion of civic education and the resulting decline in public trust in democratic institutions.” Many students graduate without understanding their rights or the importance of the constitution, and younger generations “are increasingly skeptical of democracy.” Statistics Canada reported that only 25 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 24 expressed confidence in democratic institutions.
“This is a serious warning: democracy relies on belief, knowledge and trust, and without civic education, disengagement or harmful alternatives emerge,” he said. “Courts contribute by upholding justice and reinforcing shared values, but they cannot address this challenge alone. Civic learning must begin early.”
Justice Morawetz discussed his court’s five-year strategic plan on modernization, delivering timely justice, streamlining processes, sharing more information and conducting more media outreach and advocating for safer and more secure courthouses.
“The Superior Court is on the cusp of a significant modernization project — the implementation of an end-to-end digital solution,” he said. “Long overdue, this new digital system will replace our currently disconnected technologies with one integrated, seamless platform across all areas of law.”
“Ontario is now one of the largest jurisdictions to pursue digitizing an entire justice system,” he added. “It will fundamentally transform the way that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Justice, staff, the bar and litigants operate.”
The first phase is launching in Toronto immediately after Thanksgiving weekend for all family and civil matters, including bankruptcy, commercial, contested estates, the Small Claims Court, and Divisional Court. It will be rolled out to Toronto’s criminal matters in 2027 and regionally after that.
By the end of 2026, at least 50 per cent of the Superior Court’s courtrooms in each region will be equipped with the necessary technology. However, he noted that there are not enough judges to meet the demand of cases in the system.
“The stakes are high. Without timely justice, the health and well-being of families and children are in jeopardy,” he said. “Without timely justice, criminal cases are at risk of being stayed — never having been heard on their merits. And without timely civil justice, Ontario’s economic stability is threatened.”
He noted that a transformation of the Rules of Civil Procedure is coming, which will “fundamentally reshape Ontario’s civil justice system.” The rules have not been updated for over 40 years, he said, adding that “the current state of our civil justice system requires wholesale reform.”
The working group on reviewing the rules are proposing to eliminate distinctions between actions and applications, adopting a single originating process, a Notice of Claim, as the entry point for all types of proceedings in the civil justice system. This would focus on substance over form, with the reforms also imposing strict deadlines to bring the needed cultural change.
The revisions also proposed a three-track system with distinct processes for applications, summary hearing cases and higher value cases. There would be reduced processes, cost efficiencies for lower valued cases on summary and more efficiency and timelines in higher value cases.
“Access to justice requires a civil justice system that is effective, timely, relevant and responsive,” he said. “We do not have that and our province’s economic interest and our country’s national interests, now, more than ever, requires a timely and accessible civil justice system.”
“Access to timely civil justice is a cornerstone of a well-functioning market economy. The public demands change. We must — and we will — do better.”
He called the reform of the rules to be “one of the most ambitious, dramatic and comprehensive civil justice transformations Canada has ever seen.”
Justice Nicklas said in her speech last year that the criminal justice system was in a state of crisis, “with bulging caseloads and more people in custody awaiting resolution of their matters than ever before.”
“We sprinted to develop policies and pilot projects,” she said, noting that in her 35 years of working in the court system, things took longer and became more complicated.
“If a surgeon said that they were going to install the exact knee replacement as they did in 1990, you would find another surgeon,” she said. “Dated local practices create confusion, inequities and delays, as they are simply local. We have tried to change as a system with the times.”
However, the court still faces cultures of delay and inefficiencies in family, provincial offences and criminal courts, which can be linked to over- incarceration of vulnerable and marginalized individuals, including Indigenous peoples and racialized groups.
She further noted the number of sexual assault trials heard increased by over 60 per cent in the past five years and major assault trials by 30 per cent.
“The work is hard but our criminal court judges are experts in this field and ensure justice is served in every unique case,” she said. “In 25 jurisdictions across Ontario, over 60 of our criminal court judges also hear family court matters, along with some judges who only hear family matters.”
The court is discussing ways in which at-risk youth in family courts can be identified “before they potentially cross over into the criminal justice system.” It is working to deliver its policy of single-judge case management for all families across the province so that one judge works with one family.
“Our court is taking a broad look at the wellness of our judiciary, which will impact all who work in the system, as we determine how to schedule cases most effectively and complete them in a timely manner, without interruption,” she said.
“Learning from other provinces about how they approach this work and understanding the needs of those who do the work are central goals for the upcoming judicial year.”
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