THUNDER BAY - The province has issued another statement on how they are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak with respect to courthouses across Ontario.
On Thursday, the province’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Christine Elliot, and Attorney General, Doug Downey, announced they are committed to keeping communities safe while holding offenders accountable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this week, the Ontario courts announced they would reduce or suspend operations until further notice in order to reduce the number of people attending courthouses throughout the province.
“The health and well-being of Ontarians is our government’s number one priority. This commitment extends across the vast network of justice partners and individuals who interact with the justice system on a daily basis,” Elliot said in the release.
Adjustments have been made throughout the justice system to continue providing services to limit in-person proceedings by making use of audio and video conferencing to hear priority matters remotely where possible.
Courts have also deferred non-urgent matters until they can be managed safely and securely.
Ontario judges and justices of the peace have continued to prioritize critical criminal and child protection proceedings.
All Tribunal Ontario in-person proceedings including Local Planning Appeal Tribunal, Landlord and Tennant Board and Human Rights Tribunal have all been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Where feasible, alternative hearing options such as written and telephone hearings will be considered, the release says.
As well, all sittings in small claims court have been suspended until further notice.
The Ministry of the Attorney General has also applied for a court order to suspend the enforcement of eviction orders, meaning Tribunals Ontario will not issue any new eviction orders until further notice. Sheriff’s offices have been asked to postpone any scheduled enforcement of eviction that were set for this week.
For more information, visit the Ontario government website by going here.
