News

Effective Monday, April 26, 2021, the Toronto Region Video Bail Pilot will be expanding to 51 division supporting College Park. Video bails will take place using the Zoom platform. Pre and post court consultations/interviews with in-custody accused will take place using the JVN webRTC platform. Connection details can be found by clicking on the following links: Zoom  and JVN webRTC.

The Toronto Police Service and the Ministry of the Attorney General have announced that they will be expanding video bails to 51 division supporting College Park and 43 division supporting 1911 Eglinton. The expansion is expected to occur in mid/late April at 51 division, followed by 43 division. More information will become available in the upcoming weeks.

Effective Tuesday, March 16, 2021, bail hearings from 23 division supporting 2201 Finch and 14 division supporting Old City Hall will take place by Zoom.  While video bails from these divisions will take place by Zoom, pre and post court consultations/interviews with in-custody accused at 23 and 14 divisions will continue to be held by JVN webRTC.  Zoom connection details are available for 2201 Finch (courtroom 206) and Old City Hall (courtrooms 111 and 114). 

New Portal Connects People Facing Eviction with Volunteer Lawyers

In her latest monthly column for The Lawyer’s Daily, OBA President Charlene Theodore looks at ways we can build workplaces where everyone can thrive. She says people with positions of power in our workplaces need to consider getting equality, diversity and inclusion right as a core part of their job.

Work That Works Sets Out to Transform Legal Workplaces  Ontario Bar Association President Charlene Theodore is throwing open the doors and taking a close look at workplaces through her new podcast – Work That Works.

Please note that our website will be offline from 8 am to noon on Saturday, November 21 for planned maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The Ontario Bar Association congratulates former OBA President Justice Paul Sweeny on his appointment as Regional Senior Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario for the Central South Region. Justice Sweeny replaces Justice H. Arrell, who elected to become a supernumerary judge in June.

After changes enacted due to COVID-19, LAO is returning to its standard Change of Solicitor process and its standard Contribution Agreement process.

LAO has released data regarding the racial makeup of clients who use legal aid certificate services. In 2018, LAO began to ask clients to voluntarily indicate their racial identity, and 85% of clients were willing to do so. The LAO compiled the race-based data over the 2019-20 fiscal year in all areas of law, and has now publicized this information.