Recent News and Information that relates to the family legal system

 

The following information has been brought to the attention of the Court Watch through the limited resources of the citizens who are aware of the existence of this new site and is in no way reflective of the many other occurrences that occur each day in our courts..  As awareness of the Court Watch website grow, we expect more people to provide information for posting.  We would suggest that readers check links to other sources for any other additional information that may be available.

July 2002

November 1999
 A new link has been added to the Florida Court.  See live TV coverage of the proceedings in the Florida Court.  Court Watch supports all efforts to open up our courts to the people.  It is our position that TV coverage of our courts should be standard practice in Canada as well.  One of the complaints that many people have is that they cannot afford transcripts.  Videos should be inexpensive and very accurate and would help to improve justice.  Check it out on our links page.

October 1999
The Family Justice Review Committee has informed Court Watch that it will be unveiling its "Friend of the Court Program" in the near future.  This program which will be operated by citizens in the community and will provide input by way of recommendations and reports to the court.  Stay tuned for further information to be released soon.

August 1999
New judicial complaints received this month for the following Justices
Justice Bishop (Thunder Bay)
Justice Patrick White (Ottawa)
Madame Justice Genesee (Hamilton)

See our link to the Ontario Government's list of Ontario Judges sorted by Judicial district.  Go to links page.  Find out who the judges are in your judicial district.

May 1999
Written complaint filed against Justice Mendes Da Costa of the Hamilton Family Court for bias, poor performance of duty and poor judgment. To view file directly click here.

Written complaint filed against Justice Walsh of the Toronto Family Court for bias, inadequate performance of his duties and poor judgment.  Of particular concern was that Justice Da Costa refused to allow a person representing themselves to have a court  reporter present in the courtroom, even when the person had offered to pay for their own court reporter.  There was also allegations that the judge obtained information from sources other than court documents before the court and that this may have prejudiced the case.  To view file directly click here.

April/May 1999
NAMES OF ONTARIO COURT (GENERAL DIVISION) AND ONTARIO COURT (PROVINCIAL DIVISION) CHANGED APRIL 19, 1999

The names of the Ontario Court (General Division) and Ontario Court (Provincial Division) changed effective April 19, 1999. These changes are made under Part IV of the Courts Improvement Act, 1996, which was proclaimed on that date.

The name changes were made in order to distinguish the different jurisdictions of the two courts. At the same time, certain judicial titles in the former Ontario Court (Provincial Division) changed.

The Changes:

The Ontario Court (General Division) has been renamed the Superior Court of Justice, the court of superior jurisdiction that deals with such matters as the most serious criminal offences, summary conviction appeals, civil cases, divorces and division of property. The Ontario Court (Provincial Division) has been renamed the Ontario Court of Justice, the court that deals with all but the most serious criminal offences, as well as Young Offenders Act cases, and certain family and child protection matters until the unified family courts are in place throughout the province. Judges in the Ontario Court of Justice are now to be addressed as Justice. The Chief Judge of the Court is now referred to as the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. Justices in the Superior Court of Justice will continue to be addressed as Justice. Judges of both Courts may be addressed as "Mr. or Madam Justice (naming the judge)" in English or M. ou Mme. le/la Juge (nom de juge) en Francais ( in French); or "your Honour" in English or "Votre Honneur" en Francais ( in French). The renaming of the courts, to distinguish different jurisdictions, is more in keeping with the longstanding practices and traditions of the courts in other provinces and Commonwealth countries. What Hasn’t Changed:

What the courts do has not changed. There was no change to the name of the Court of Appeal for Ontario. One Year Phase-In Period for Changing Forms and Documents:

There will be a one-year phase-in period for changing the names of the court on forms and documents. As a result, current court names in printed court forms, or in court seals, can continue to be used until the end of the day on April 18, 2000. This applies to printed court forms in existence on April 19, 1999. This grace period will allow law stationers, law firms and other users of court services time to use up existing supplies of forms, to revise the forms with the new names on reprinting, and to change existing software.

In addition, there will be no new signs as a result of the court name changes. Changes to external signage on court buildings will occur only through ongoing replacement and repair. Any costs associated with implementation of the name changes within the courts are being kept to an absolute minimum. Existing court letterhead, for example, is being used up first.

Should you require additional information, please contact:

Brendan Crawley
Communications Branch
(416) 326-2210