Court of Appeal for Ontario Records Office

Notice Regarding Viewing Court Files in the Records Office

Effective September 21, 2020, the Court of Appeal for Ontario has resumed public/media access to its Records Office and the viewing of court files. In addition to the information available on the Court’s website, and until further notice, the Court will permit access to court records based on the following criteria:

• Requests for access to court records can be made by phone, email or fax (see the Court’s website for contact information).  The Records Office is also open for in-person customer service, Monday to Friday (except on statutory holidays) from 9:00am to 11:00am, and 2:00pm to 4:00pm.  Depending on the age of the court record or other factors, it is best to contact the Records Office about records availability by phone, email or fax first before making an in-person visit.
• You will be notified by phone, email or fax (based on your preferred method of communication) when your requested file is ready for viewing at which time you may schedule a viewing appointment.
• Members of the media requesting access to court records and/or seeking judicial approval for access to court exhibits may email Diandra Bloomfield (diandra.bloomfield@ontario.ca) or the Records Office Coordinator, Rebecca Singh (rebecca.singh@ontario.ca) for assistance.

The following precautions will continue to be taken to ensure the health and safety of all clients and staff:

• Security screening at the courthouse continues to be performed by Toronto Police Services.
• The Records Office is a mask or face covering-friendly office environment.
• Washrooms for hand hygiene and hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the courthouse.
• No food or drink other than bottled water can be consumed in the Records Office.
• Please bring your own supplies (e.g. pens, notepaper, paperclips, etc.) as these will not be supplied by court staff.
• The Records Office is located on the concourse level of the courthouse. If you have any accessibility needs please inform court staff upon booking your viewing appointment or making an in-person visit.

Resources available for use:

• There is a public photocopy machine for your use; this is an independently owned and operated machine by a third party; therefore, court staff will not be able to provide change for the machine or assist with any issues that may arise as a result of using the machine.
• There is a Cerlox binding machine available for use.

Viewing Court Files

The following fees apply to view court files:

1. Files available on-site: $10, unless you are a party or the lawyer on record.
2. To retrieve closed files stored off-site: $78, applicable to all clients (party/lawyer/public/media).

Closed Files Are Those That Have Been Either Abandoned by the Appellant or Completed by the Court and a Final Decision Rendered

Requests to view court files can be initiated as follows:

1. In-person or through an agent at the Records Office public counter (located on the Concourse Level of Osgoode Hall)
2. By phone: 416-327-6658
3. By e-mail: E-file@ontario.ca
4. By fax: 416-327-2213

Photocopies of court documents can be made by:

1. Using the public photocopier located in the Record’s Office, which is owned by a private vendor, at the cost of 50 cents/page; or
2. Requesting that the Court make the copies at a prescribed fee of $1.00/page pursuant to the Administration of Justice Act.

Viewing Court Exhibits

Only the Court or a lawyer on record can requisition the original papers and reproducible exhibits from the originating court and have them transferred to the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

For criminal appeals, a lawyer on record may sign out exhibits once received by the Court with the written consent of the Crown, unless a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario orders otherwise.

For civil appeals, original court documents and exhibits are only transferred to the Court of Appeal for Ontario by order of a judge of this court pursuant to Rule 61.09 (2) of the Rules of Civil Procedure.

Any member of the public/media may seek to view an exhibit by bringing a motion before a single judge of this Court.

Judicial approval is not required to access exhibits contained in appeal books. All court documents and exhibits transferred to the Court of Appeal for Ontario are returned to the originating court after the appeal or motion is heard and closed.

Viewing Closed Files

The Court of Appeal for Ontario retains closed files on-site for a period of 3 years from the date of the release of the final decision. After that time, they are transferred to an off-site location.

Closed files on-site are available for viewing the same day or next day after a request is made. The requesting party is notified at the time of ordering when the file will be available for viewing. The files are available for viewing for 1 week, unless an extension is requested. If no further extension is requested, the file will be returned to storage and must be requisitioned at the prescribed fee.

Closed files off-site take 5-7 business days to be transferred to the Court. The requesting party is contacted when the file is available to be viewed. The files are available for viewing for 2 weeks, unless an extension is requested. If no further extension is requested, the file will be returned to storage and must be requisitioned at the prescribed fee.

The Court of Appeal for Ontario retains access to closed files for a period of 30 years from the date of the final decision.  Index books are available in the Records Office to obtain file numbers for court files from 1965 to 1990 as there are no electronic records for these files.

After 30 years, files are transferred to and retained by Archives of Ontario. Archives of Ontario can be contacted as follows:

Archives of Ontario
134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 2C5
Canada
Toll-Free: 1-800-668-9933 (Ontario only)
Tel: 416-327-1600
Fax: 416-327-1999
Inquiries by Media: MGCS.MediaRelations@ontario.ca
Email: reference@ontario.ca