Category Courts

BC Supreme Court Seeking Feedback on Ways to Address Delays in Civil and Family Matters

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The Supreme Court of British Columbia is seeking input from litigants, the public, organizations, and members of the bar on ways to address challenges obtaining hearing dates and ways to ensure that matters are heard in a timely manner once scheduled. The B.C. Supreme Court has formed a Civil and Family Chambers Practice Working Group to review current practices and procedures and assess possible changes for regular and long chambers.

Potential changes for consideration include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Limiting regular (short) chambers to matters with time estimates of one hour or less;
  • Establishing set time slots (e.g. 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes) rather than having parties provide estimates;
  • For all chambers matters, stricter enforcement of existing rules, e.g. page limits for notices of application and application responses, requiring properly formed legal bases, eliminating serial affidavits and strict enforcement of time estimates.

The Civil and Family Chambers Practice Working Group welcomes feedback until Friday, September 5, 2025. To provide feedback, please send an email to Chambersfeedback@bccourts.ca.

For more information, including other changes that have been proposed, please visit: https://www.bccourts.ca/supreme_court/documents/Feedback_Invited_Civil_and_Family_Chambers_Practice_Review.pdf.

Information in this post was gleaned from the official Supreme Court of British Columbia “Feedback Invited: Civil and Family Chambers Practice Review” release.

New Working Group to Examine Litigants’ Expectations and Experiences in Quebec Court

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A recently formed working group aims to better understand the experiences and expectations of litigants with civil and family law matters before the Superior Court of Quebec in Montreal. The working group is made up of citizens, organizations regularly representing clients in civil and family law matters before the Superior Court, external experts, and judges. The working group is chaired by Superior Court of Quebec judge, The Honourable Frédéric Pérodeau.

The working group aims to place citizens’ perspectives at the forefront of discussions, with the ultimate goal of adopting simplified mechanisms to improve the accessibility, efficiency and quality of services offered by the Court.

The creation of this working group directly aligns with objectives outlined in the Superior Court of Quebec’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.

The press release about this initiative is available in French here: https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/creation-du-comite-collaboratif-citoyen-du-district-de-montreal-de-la-cour-superieure-du-quebec-une-initiative-pour-mieux-comprendre-les-besoins-des-citoyennes-et-citoyens-et-y-repondre-860294772.html.

Ontario’s Court of Appeal and Pro Bono Ontario Announce Amicus Program for Self-Reps

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The Court of Appeal of Ontario and Pro Bono Ontario have announced that Pro Bono Ontario’s Amicus program will once again be running at the Court of Appeal.

As part of the re-launched Amicus program, lawyers volunteering with Pro Bono Ontario “will act as duty counsel and appear as amicus curiae, or ‘friends of the court’, on a pro bono (free) basis”. This service will be available to self-represented litigants at Ontario’s Court of Appeal on Wednesdays.

To read the announcement on the Court of Appeal website, visit: https://www.ontariocourts.ca/coa/pro-bono/.

Quebec Announces $80M to Improve Access to Justice

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Quebec’s Ministry of Justice, together with the Chambre des notaires du Québec and the Barreau du Québec have announced a commitment of $80 million through 2029 to support better access to justice for Quebecers.

A significant percentage of this funding will support access to justice for self-represented litigants, with priority given to litigants in family, civil, and youth protection disputes. Specifically, funding will support the deployment of lawyers and notaries in courthouses to assist self-represented parties and in community organizations “to improve the front-line services on offer”.

An infographic published by Quebec’s Ministry of Justice provides insight on the spending breakdown for the first tranche of funding:

  • $10 M to support projects aimed at improving access to justice. A call for project proposals is forthcoming.
  • $21 M to support timely access to legal support from lawyers and notaries at courthouses.
  • $17.3 M to support the deployment of lawyers and notaries in community-based organizations (such as, for example, consumer or tenant rights organizations).

The press release by Quebec’s Justice Ministry is available here (French only): https://www.quebec.ca/nouvelles/actualites/details/le-ministre-de-la-justice-la-chambre-des-notaires-du-quebec-et-le-barreau-du-quebec-concluent-une-entente-historique-80-millions-de-dollars-pour-favoriser-lacces-a-la-justice-62254.

The infographic outlining first-round spending priorities is available here (French only): https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/min/justice/programmes/justice-citoyens/PUB_Napperon_Entente_MJQ.pdf.

A news article discussing Quebec’s $80 M access to justice commitment is available (in English) here: https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/04/15/quebec-support-citizens-represent-themselves-court/.

New Brunswick Announces Digital Revamp of Courts

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New Brunswick’s government has announced spending of $32 million over six years to improve access to justice in the province’s court system. The funding is primarily aimed at technological upgrades.

A Law360 Canada article discussing the investment provides details on how the funding will be spent. Specifically, the first $5 million is aimed at kick-starting the revamp and will support new technology, like a new case management system to integrate the three levels of courts in the province. The investment will also support technological enhancements within courtrooms, such as better video conferencing, better quality court recordings, and more seamless presentation of digital evidence.

New Brunswick is also investing an additional $1.4 million to augment the province’s legal aid tariff.

New Brunswick’s announcement outlining investments in courts and legal aid is discussed in detail in this news article: https://www.law360.ca/ca/pulse/articles/2321525/new-brunswick-investing-in-start-of-courts-digital-upgrade

Canadian Judicial Council Publishes Review of Complaints Report

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The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) has published a report on the “Review of Complaints About Federally Appointed Judges” for the period from January – December 2024. The judicial conduct review process “provides a means for the public to voice concerns about judges, while giving those judges an opportunity to respond to those concerns”. The CJC reviews all complaints of misconduct involving any federally appointed judges. The following are some of the topics and information included in the report:

  • Information on the Administration of the Judicial Conduct Regime
  • Overview of the Disclosure of Information in Complaint Matters
  • Caseload for 2024
  • Details about the Judicial Conduct Committee of Council
  • Information on how laypersons are involved in reviewing complaints
  • Commentary on the Link Between Judicial Conduct and Education, Ethics, and Judicial Independence
  • Complaint Summaries

The report is the first by the CJC to cover a full calendar year of complaints reviewed by the oversight body.

The Canadian Judicial Council Annual Report on the Review of Complaints About Federally Appointed Judges is available in English here: https://cjc-ccm.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2025/CJC_ComplaintsReview2024_e.pdf.

Le rapport annuel du Conseil canadien de la magistrature sur l’examen des plaintes au sujet des juges de nomination fédérale est disponible en français ici : https://cjc-ccm.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2025/CJC_ComplaintsReview2024_f.pdf.

Ontario Law Society Seeking Feedback on Paralegal Service Expansion

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A recent report by the Law Society of Ontario’s Paralegal Standing Committee outlines proposed changes aimed at increasing access to justice options for appeals and judicial review.

The main change involves expanding the paralegal scope of activities to include certain appeals and judicial reviews before the Divisional Court. According to the report, if the Law Society were to adopt a change to the paralegal scope of activities, it would also need to create a training program on the expanded duties, which would be required for paralegals before they could represent clients before the Divisional Court.

The Law Society is seeking feedback on the proposed expansion of scope of activities, including what the scope of activities should include, as well other comments on the proposal. The Law Society of Ontario’s Increasing Access to Justice Options for Appeals and Judicial Reviews: Consultation Report, authored by The Paralegal Standing Committee of the Law Society of Ontario is available in English here: https://lawsocietyontario-dwd0dscmayfwh7bj.a01.azurefd.net/media/lso/media/about/convocation/2025/convocation-february-2025-paralegal-standing-committee-report.pdf.

Augmenter les options d’accès à la justice pour les appels et les révisions judiciaires : Rapport de consultation est disponible en français ici : https://lawsocietyontario-dwd0dscmayfwh7bj.a01.azurefd.net/media/lso/media/about/convocation/2025/convocation-february-2025-paralegal-standing-committee-report-fr.pdf.

Feedback will be gathered until 30 May 2025. To access the consultation form, or for more information in English, please visit the Law Society of Ontario website here: https://lso.ca/about-lso/initiatives/increasing-access-to-justice-options-for-appeals-a. For the French form, please visit: https://lso.ca/a-propos-du-barreau/initiatives/augmenter-les-options-d%E2%80%99acces-a-la-justice-pour-les-appels-et-les-revisions-judiciaires.

Alberta Seeking Feedback to Improve Access to Family Justice Services

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The Government of Alberta has launched a survey aimed at gathering feedback from Albertans on how the province’s family justice services can better support their needs. According to a Government of Alberta new release about the public survey, Alberta’s government is “committed to supporting Alberta families, improving access to justice and investing in the family justice system…[including] expanding services that help Albertans resolve their family law issues in a manner that promotes family well-being while reducing pressure on the courts.” The survey, which launched on November 22nd,is open to Albertans until December 20th, 2024.

As recently as 2023, there have been several major investments in family justice in the province, include $5 million to expand pre-court services in Edmonton and Calgary. In 2025, $3 million will be allocated to the expansion of the province’s Family Justice Strategy to Red Deer. The province continues to see an increase in the number of Albertans accessing pre-court services. As of October 2024, almost 50,000 Albertans accessed pre-court services through the Family Justice Strategy, and almost 27,000 Albertans used the Alberta Family Resolution Hub for the first time. In addition, there has been an almost 13 per cent increase in the use of dispute resolution programs such as mediation.

To learn more about Alberta’s Family Justice Strategy or to access the survey, visit: https://your.alberta.ca/fjs-public/surveys/survey1.

Information for this post was gleaned for the “Expanding access to family justice” news release published by the Government of Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=914054E15BAF9-9F5C-DA0E-E71FF8EB0D5BEC66.

New Study Examines Canadians’ Knowledge and Views on the Supreme Court

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Non-profit organization, the Angus Reid Institute has published data from a new study on Canadians’ views on the Supreme Court of Canada. Data from the study are organized in the final report according to the following three themes:

  • Knowledge about the Supreme Court
  • Views on the Supreme Court’s Impartiality
  • Supreme Court Reforms

The study reveals that more than half of Canadians believe either justices can hold other jobs (12%) or are unsure (45%) and that justices are appointed for life. Approximately one-third (31%) didn’t know about the term limits. Interestingly, while roughly two-thirds (63%) of Americans can correctly identify at least two Supreme Court justices from a list containing a combination of decoy names and the names of justices, only about one-quarter (25%) of Canadians can do the same.

The study also reveals that a majority of Canadians (62%) believe that the Supreme Court of Canada is impartial, while 22% believe that it is biased. A majority (65%) believe that law is more influential than politics in the decisions dispensed by the Supreme Court. Despite belief in the impartiality of the Supreme Court, fewer than half of Canadians (49%) say that they have confidence in the Supreme Court, while 42% say that they do not have confidence in the Supreme Court.

For other findings from the Angus Reid Institute study, or to view the methodology, demographic characteristics of study respondents, or the questionnaire, please visit: https://angusreid.org/supreme-court-appointment-impartial-bilingualism/.   

Canadian Judicial Council Outlines Guidelines for Use of AI in Courts

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The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC), the body responsible for improving the quality of judicial services provided in Canada’s superior courts, has issued new guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in Canadian courts. According to a CJC news release, in issuing these guidelines, the CJC aims to “raise awareness of the risks inherent in the use of artificial intelligence tools” and provide information on how AI tools can be effectively and appropriately applied to assist judges in their responsibilities.

There are seven guidelines discussed in the report:

  • Protect judicial independence
  • Use AI consistently with core values and ethical rules
  • Have regard to the legal aspects of AI use
  • Subject AI tools to stringent information security standards
  • Ensure that AI tools used in court applications are able to provide understandable explanations for their decision-making output
  • Ensure regular tracking of the impact of AI deployments by courts
  • Develop a program of education and provide user support

Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Canadian Courts was prepared for the Canadian Judicial Council by Martin Felsky, Ph.D., J.D., and Professor Karen Eltis. It is available in English here: https://cjc-ccm.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2024/AI%20Guidelines%20-%20FINAL%20-%202024-09%20-%20EN.pdf and in French here: https://cjc-ccm.ca/sites/default/files/documents/2024/AI%20Guidelines%20-%20FINAL%202024-09%20-%20FR.pdf.

The news release is available in English here: https://cjc-ccm.ca/en/news/canadian-judicial-council-issues-guidelines-use-artificial-intelligence-canadian-courts and in French here: https://cjc-ccm.ca/fr/nouvelles/le-conseil-canadien-de-la-magistrature-publie-des-lignes-directrices-sur-lutilisation-de.