Effective January 4, 2027, a change will be implemented regarding court attendance times in the Simcoe/Muskoka Family Court, Central East Region.
While court proceedings will continue to commence before the presiding judge at 10:00 a.m., counsel and parties will be required to attend at 9:30 a.m. This additional time will allow court staff to conduct check-in procedures, review and validate court lists, and facilitate referrals or requests for duty counsel, where required, prior to the commencement of proceedings.
To support this process, court will be opened by the registrar at 9:30 a.m. Where the presiding judge directs an earlier court start time, counsel and parties will be required to attend 30 minutes prior to the scheduled commencement of proceedings. For example, where court is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., attendance will be required at 9:00 a.m.
The objective of this adjustment is to improve court readiness and administrative efficiency, thereby supporting the timely and effective conduct of court proceedings.