The Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) has released the Virtual Counter Guidelines, which outline the expectations and best practices to support consistent and effective use of the virtual counter at OCJ-T in the Toronto Region.
The virtual counter is to be used for simple, non-complex matters that can reasonably be scheduled within 15 minutes (up to 3 matters per counsel within 15 minutes).
Non-complex Scheduling
- Setting non-complex matters (5 or less days).
- Setting a straightforward next court date where both parties agree (e.g. continuations, sentencing, guilty pleas, etc).
Note: If the Trial Coordinator can schedule a matter in under 15 minutes, the parties should use the virtual counter or attend the physical counter at the Trial Coordinator’s Office located at 10 Armoury St, 3rd floor. In certain circumstances, the RSJ may authorize the scheduling of non-complex matters using the scheduled virtual counter.
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