Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has directed courts to defer as many matters as possible due to the pandemic.
Chief Justice Geoffrey B. Morawetz issued a notice to the profession and the public on Tuesday saying courts should reduce the number of staff, lawyers or parties required to leave their homes.
Morawetz says virtual hearings should also be deferred.
He says courts will focus on the most serious child protection matters, urgent family matters, critical criminal matters and urgent commercial or economic matters.
Get daily National news
He says proceedings that are in progress may continue subject to the discretion of the judge.
Morawetz says the thoughts of staff and parties should be taken into account and alternate arrangements made for those who do not want to go to the courthouse.
- RCMP won’t reveal toxicology results in crash that killed 2, including Roughrider Captain
- ‘A show of confidence’: Ottawa invests $100M in Nova Scotia offshore wind
- Stelco negotiations still on the table, Joly says amid layoffs
- Why Trump is reviving 51st state rhetoric with midterms in less than 3 weeks
The notice comes as Ontario remains under a stay-at-home order.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.