Child and Youth Law

From programming and advocacy to peer recognition and relevant resources, OBA Section membership connects you with education, engagement and leadership opportunities to propel you to the forefront of your area of practice.

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Resources, Articles, & Advocacy

Legislative Update | June 27, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of June 23

Crime Bill with Tougher Bail, Sentencing Provisions Coming in Fall: The federal government will table a bill this fall introducing stricter bail conditions and sentencing for some crimes, particularly those involving organized crime, human trafficking, home invasion and car theft. Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the government will “at minimum” implement the crime policies the Liberals promised during the spring federal election. These include making bail more difficult to get for some offences. They also promised tougher sentencing guidelines for repeat car thieves and violent and organized crime, and to allow for consecutive sentencing for some cases of car theft and for serious and violent offences.

Advocacy | June 11, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of June 9

Legislative Update | June 06, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of June 2

Ford Government Passes Mining Legislation: Bill 5, or the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, passed third reading this week and has been granted royal assent by the lieutenant governor. The legislation will create so-called special economic zones where laws, ranging from municipal approvals to environmental rules or even labour law, won’t apply. At Queen’s Park on Wednesday, cries of protest rang out from the galleries inside the legislature as MPPs voted. Indigenous leaders have vowed to keep fighting against the legislation.

Article | June 06, 2025

YCJA Record Access in Child Protection Proceedings

On May 6th, the Ontario Bar Association’s Child and Youth Law and Young Lawyers Division hosted a professional development webinar featuring updates on pressing issues in child protection law. As part of a panel on “Privacy Records in Child Welfare”, Sam Wisnicki of the Office of the Children’s Lawyer presented an overview of the rules governing access to youth criminal justice records and information and their application to child protection proceedings.

Advocacy | May 30, 2025

Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of May 26