Commencing April 2, 2026, short motions in family law cases at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto will be heard in person unless the court orders otherwise.
The following process will apply to those requesting a change to the presumptive mode of appearance for family law court attendances:
- Requests shall be made during conferences to the conference judge or in court to the judge scheduling the next attendance.
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For matters that are already scheduled, parties may file a request for a virtual hearing form, which can be found here. The form must be filed through the Ontario Courts Public Portal and also attached to an email to the following address: FamilyTrialOffice-SCJ-Toronto@ontario.ca. The subject line should say “Request for Virtual Hearing” and include your court file number and OCPP reference number. All parties must be copied on this email.
- Requests to change the presumptive mode of appearance must be made prior to the event being scheduled, or at the earliest opportunity upon the event being scheduled. Requests for a change in the Presumptive Mode of Hearing within two weeks of the scheduled event date will NOT be considered.
- Requests to change the presumptive mode of appearance will only be granted if the request is timely and there are clear and compelling reasons.
- If a change in the presumptive mode is granted, the scheduled hearing date may have to be adjourned to a new date where there is hybrid court availability.