In a Notice to the Profession and the Public updated April 20, 2021, Chief Justice Morawetz of the Ontario Superior Court gave notice that until May 7, 2021, the Court will be deferring as many matters as possible. This restriction is in light of the recent critical situation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in light of the recent heightened province-wide Stay-at Home order effective April 17, 2021.
The Notice reads as follows:
In view of the strengthened stay-at-home order and the critical situation with the pandemic, over the next several weeks until May 7, to reduce the number of court staff, counsel or parties required to leave their homes to participate in court proceedings, the Court will defer as many matters as possible. This includes virtual hearings.
The Court will focus on hearing
- the most serious child protection matters
- urgent family matters
- critical criminal matters, and
- urgent commercial or economic matters where there are employment or economic impacts.
Subject to the discretion of the trial judge, matters that are in-progress can continue. The positions of the parties and staff should be strongly considered and alternate arrangements should be made for those who do not wish to attend in-person.
The Court is seeking the cooperation of counsel to defer as much as possible.
However, matters WILL be proceeding as scheduled on the Toronto Estates List. In a message sent out by Justice McEwen, he stated that unless you are advised to the contrary, you should assume that any matters currently scheduled on the Commercial List or Estates List are proceeding as scheduled. This is because all matters on the Lists are proceeding virtually, and most are proceeding without the need for court staff to be physically present in the Court. The message was distributed to members of the Estates List Users Committee for dissemination. If you would like to receive a copy, please contact me at ptrudelle@hullandhull.com.
Have a great weekend.