Practice Direction – Enhanced Designations of Counsel

Information

Last updated: June 3, 2024

Published August 6, 2020

The following Practice Direction is issued under Rules 4.5 and 5 of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice.

Preamble – Purpose of the Enhanced Designation

The Enhanced Designation benefits the Court and all parties by reducing the need for multiple case management appearances which result in lengthy dockets in case management (set date) courts.

The Enhanced Designation requires counsel – both Crown and defence – to take meaningful steps to move cases forward during the intake phase of the case.  Rather than granting a series of short-term adjournments to confirm completion of individual steps, the Enhanced Designation establishes a standard, 12-week adjournment during which Crown and defence counsel are expected to take all the necessary steps toward completion of the intake phase of the case.  If the intake phase is completed before the end of the adjournment period, the parties can move the case forward by securing a trial date through the trial coordinator or by bringing the case forward for resolution.  If the parties encounter a problem with moving the case forward during the intake phase, either party may bring the matter before the Court so that it can be addressed.

1.    Alternate Form of Appearance Where an Enhanced Designation of Counsel has been Filed on Behalf of an Accused Person

  1. In order to limit the number of people who are required to attend a case management appearance (whether in person or virtually), the Court encourages accused persons to file designations of counsel, including Enhanced Designations of Counsel. Accused persons who are represented by counsel and who have filed an Enhanced Designation of Counsel, as described in Part 2 below, may have their matters adjourned, without the accused personally appearing, in accordance with the procedure set out in this Practice Direction and in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice.
  2. This Practice Direction applies to criminal proceedings, including proceedings under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
  3. Nothing in this Practice Direction prevents an accused person from appearing for a proceeding by designated counsel pursuant to an Enhanced Designation prepared in accordance with this Practice Direction or any other form of designation of counsel under s. 650.01 of the Criminal Code. For greater clarity, following the adjournment period set out in Part 4 of this Notice (including any extension under Part 7), an Enhanced Designation will function as a valid designation of counsel for the purposes of s. 650.01 of the Criminal Code.
  4. The timelines for delivering and filing notices or documents set out in this Practice Direction may be shortened or lengthened by direction of a judicial officer.

2.     Content of the Enhanced Designation of Counsel

  1. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of ss. 650.01(1) and (2) of the Criminal Code, an Enhanced Designation of Counsel will include the following:
    1. The accused person will confirm and acknowledge that:
      1. they have provided up-to-date contact information (address, telephone number and email (where applicable)) to counsel and they agree to remain in regular contact with counsel and promptly advise counsel of any change in contact information;
      2. upon the filing of the Enhanced Designation of Counsel by their counsel, their matter will be addressed and adjourned by the Court, without them personally appearing; they waive their right to be present before the court when their case is addressed and adjourned; and they specifically agree the court will continue to have jurisdiction over them in such circumstances and that they are required to attend future court date(s) even though the matter was addressed and adjourned in their absence;
      3. if the retainer is terminated for any reason, they will attend before the Court at the date and time provided by counsel to address their case, unless they have retained new counsel who has advised that they will appear on the accused person’s behalf.
    2. Counsel will confirm and acknowledge that:
      1. if the retainer is terminated for any reason during the adjournment period described in Part 4 of this Practice Direction, counsel will promptly notify the Crown and the Court. In addition, counsel will:
        • promptly arrange to have the matter brought forward to be addressed before the Court;
        • advise the accused that the accused needs to attend court on the next court date; and
        • attend on the next court date personally or by agent,
      2. unless new counsel has confirmed in writing that they are retained and are prepared to attend on the next date and become counsel of record. (For clarity, these obligations may supplement, but do not reduce or replace, counsel’s obligations any time they seek to withdraw as counsel, as set out in Rule 3.7 of the Rules of Professional Conduct and Rule 2.4 of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice.)
  2. The Enhanced Designation of Counsel should also set out the accused person’s next court appearance and the date that the accused person’s case will be adjourned to, calculated in accordance with paragraph 17,
  3. The Enhanced Designation of Counsel may authorize lawyers and law students who are members of designated counsel’s law firm and any properly authorized agent of designated counsel to appear on the accused person’s behalf.
  4. Where the accused person has more than one Information before the court, the designation should specify the Information or Information(s) to which it applies by referring to the Information number(s), specific charge(s) or offence date(s). Where the Information number is not available to defence counsel, this can be done by specifying the charge(s) and offence date(s).
  5. A sample Enhanced Designation of Counsel that fulfills these requirements is available on the Ontario Court of Justice website. Counsel are welcome to use this sample or create their own version of the Enhanced Designation of Counsel that meets the requirements of this section.
  6. Section 650.01 of the Criminal Code requires that the Enhanced Designation of Counsel be signed by the accused person and designated counsel. An Enhanced Designation that is filed electronically with the court may be signed using an electronic signature, as defined in rule 3.4(1) of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice.
  7. An Enhanced Designation of Counsel that is filed electronically with the Court may also be signed by the accused person through their counsel, using with the following procedure, which is established under rule 3.4(2) of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice:
    1. The accused person will provide instructions to counsel confirming that (a) the contents of Enhanced Designation have been reviewed with the accused person; (b) the accused person is expressly authorizing and directing counsel to sign the Designation on their behalf; and (c) the accused person understands that they are bound by the content of the Designation as though they had signed a paper version of Designation by writing their signature on it.
    2. These instructions must be provided in writing (including an electronic communication such as email or text message) or as an oral communication that counsel reduces to writing.
    3. Counsel will enter the accused person’s name and endorse the Designation that it was signed by the accused through counsel using the procedure set out herein, for example, “Signed by Jane Doe on July 7, 2021 through counsel, using the procedure set out in the Enhanced Designation Practice Direction and rule 3.4(2) of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice”.

3.    Limited Retainer Designation of Counsel

  1. Designations of counsel, including Enhanced Designations of Counsel, may expressly limit the scope of the retainer and may specify counsel is only retained to represent the accused through the case management / intake phase, i.e. up to the setting of a trial or preliminary inquiry date. Where a designation is so limited, defence counsel does not need to apply to be removed from the court record at the end of the case management / intake phase. Unless defence counsel expressly agrees otherwise, any trial or preliminary inquiry scheduled where a limited designation of counsel is filed shall be deemed to be set on a “with or without counsel” basis.
  2. Where counsel intends to set a trial or preliminary inquiry date on a “with or without counsel” basis, counsel must communicate this to the trial coordinator at the time the trial date is being selected.
  3. Where a trial date is being set on a “with or without counsel” basis, the accused must attend court (either in person or by remote technology) when the trial or preliminary hearing date is formally set. The accused person will also be required to appear before the court not less than ten (10) weeks prior to the trial or preliminary hearing date for a trial confirmation hearing.
  4. The limited designation of counsel must include an acknowledgement by the accused person that they understand the limited retainer and they will be required to attend court as set out in the paragraph above. In addition, the designation of counsel must clearly indicate in the document title that it is a limited retainer designation.

4.    Adjournment of Approximately 12 Weeks Without the Accused Person Personally Attending

  1. Where an Enhanced Designation of Counsel is filed, the accused person’s matter will be adjourned by the Court, to the date that is calculated in accordance with paragraph 17, without the accused or designated counsel personally appearing in court, in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice.
  2. The accused person’s matter will be adjourned to the date 12 weeks from the date of their next appearance, provided that date conforms with the courthouse schedule for criminal case management appearances. If an appearance 12 weeks away would not fall on the appropriate case management date, the matter will, instead, be adjourned to the appropriate case management date that is approximately 12 weeks away from the date of their next appearance. No adjournment, however, may be for a period of more than three months.
  3. The Court is implementing a procedure in which Enhanced Designation matters will be addressed and adjourned outside of court, before the next scheduled court dates. In locations where this procedure is in place (listed in paragraph 26), the adjournment will be governed by section 4(b) of this practice direction; in locations where the procedure has not yet been implemented, the adjournment will be governed by section 4(a) of this practice direction.

a)     Adjournment in court but without the accused person attending

  1. The Enhanced Designation of Counsel must be delivered electronically (by email) to the Crown and filed electronically (by email) with the Court no later than three (3) business days before the next scheduled court date. The subject of the email should indicate the word “Designation”, the name of the accused person and the next court date, e.g. “DESIGNATION, John DOE, September 1, 2020”. Where the accused person is a young person, the subject of the email should indicate YCJA and the initials of the young person, rather than their full name, e.g. ““DESIGNATION (YCJA), J.D., September 1, 2020”. The body of the email should contain the full name and date of birth of the accused person, details regarding the next court appearance (date, time, courtroom, courthouse) and defence counsel’s name, contact information and email address.
  2. If the Crown takes the position the Enhanced Designation of Counsel does not comply with the requirements of this Practice Direction, the Crown should contact defence counsel and advise of their position in advance of the court appearance, wherever feasible.
  3. The accused person’s matter will be addressed in court on the scheduled date, without the accused person or their counsel being present. If the Crown takes the position the Enhanced Designation of Counsel does not comply with the requirements of this Practice Direction, the Crown is to advise the Court at this appearance.
  4. Where the Court is satisfied the Enhanced Designation of Counsel complies with the requirements of this Practice Direction, the case will be adjourned to the date identified on the designation without the accused personally appearing in court.
  5. Where the Court is satisfied the Enhanced Designation of Counsel otherwise complies with the requirements of this Notice but there is a problem with the adjournment date identified on the designation (for example, the date falls on a statutory holiday or does not fall on the appropriate case management date), the case will be adjourned to an appropriate date without the accused personally appearing in court. The Crown will advise defence counsel of the revised adjournment date.
  6. Where the Court is of the opinion the Enhanced Designation of Counsel may not comply with the requirements of this Notice, the matter will be adjourned for approximately one to two weeks with a bench warrant with discretion and the Crown will contact defence counsel and advise about the problem and the next court date so the issue can be addressed on or before the next court appearance. If the issue regarding the Enhanced Designation of Counsel is resolved before the next court appearance and a valid Enhanced Designation of Counsel is before the Court, the bench warrant with discretion will be rescinded or deemed executed at the next court appearance and the case will be adjourned to the date identified on the designation without the accused or counsel personally appearing in court.
    b)   Adjournment outside of court in advance of the next scheduled date (specific locations only)
  7. To further streamline appearances and reduce the burden on case management courts, the Court is implementing a procedure in which accused persons whose counsel have filed an Enhanced Designation of Counsel may have their matters adjourned to the next court date without the matter being addressed in court.
  8. This procedure applies to proceedings in the following locations as of the dates listed below:
    Location Launch date
    Ottawa February 1, 2021
    Toronto East (1911 Eglinton Ave. East) August 9, 2021
    Oshawa August 16, 2021
    London August 23, 2021
    Guelph August 30, 2021
    Toronto West (2201 Finch Ave. West) September 20, 2021
    Toronto North (1000 Finch Ave. West) September 20, 2021
    College Park (Toronto) October 4, 2021
    Old City Hall (Toronto) October 18, 2021
    Kitchener January 31, 2022
    Windsor January 31, 2022
    Newmarket March 14, 2022
    Hamilton April 4, 2022
    Barrie (including Bradford, Midland, Collingwood) April 11, 2022
    Orillia April 11, 2022
    Bracebridge (including Huntsville) April 11, 2022
    Stratford June 13, 2022
    Goderich June 13, 2022
    Walkerton June 13, 2022
    Owen Sound June 13, 2022
    Chatham September 6, 2022
    Sarnia September 6, 2022
    St. Thomas September 6, 2022
    Woodstock September 6, 2022
    Orangeville October 24, 2022
    Peterborough October 31, 2022
    Lindsay October 31, 2022
    Cobourg October 31, 2022
    Sault Ste. Marie October 31, 2022
    Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Red Lake December 5, 2022
    Fort Frances December 5, 2022
    Kenora December 5, 2022
    Thunder Bay December 5, 2022
    Brampton January 23, 2023
    St. Catharines January 23, 2023
    Welland January 23, 2023
  9. Additional locations will be added as the procedure is implemented across the province.
  1. Filing the Enhanced Designation of Counsel at least 5 business days before the accused’s scheduled court date
  1. The Enhanced Designation of Counsel must be delivered electronically (by email) to the Crown and filed electronically (by email) with the Court no later than 5 business days before the scheduled court date.
  2. Certain courthouses have set up special email accounts to receive Enhanced Designations of Counsel during the pilot. The relevant email addresses for each pilot location are listed in Appendix A . Counsel should send an email to the Court, with the appropriate Crown’s office and any additional parties identified in Appendix A  copied on the email.  Because court staff will use “reply all” to notify the Crown and defence counsel about the status of the Enhanced Designation, it is important that defence counsel copy the correct Crown’s office on the email.
  3. The subject of the email should indicate the word “Enhanced Designation”, the name of the accused person and the next court date, e.g. “ENHANCED DESIGNATION, John DOE, September 1, 2020”. Where the accused person is a young person, the subject of the email should indicate YCJA and the initials of the young person, rather than their full name, e.g. “ENHANCED DESIGNATION (YCJA), J.D., September 1, 2020”. The body of the email should contain the full name and date of birth of the accused person, details regarding the next court appearance (date, time, courtroom, courthouse) and defence counsel’s name, contact information and email address.
  1. Review of the Enhanced Designation by a judicial officer
  1. Court staff will deliver the Enhanced Designation of Counsel to a judicial officer for them to review. This review will take place outside of court and in advance of the accused person’s scheduled court date.

A.   Adjournment of the accused person’s matter outside of court

  1. Where the judicial officer is satisfied the Enhanced Designation of Counsel complies with the requirements of the Enhanced Designation Practice Direction, the judicial officer will adjourn the case to the adjournment date identified on the Designation.
  2. Where the judicial officer is satisfied the Enhanced Designation of Counsel otherwise complies with the requirements of the Enhanced Designation Practice Direction, but there is a problem with the adjournment date identified on the Designation (for example, the proposed adjournment date falls on a statutory holiday or does not fall on the appropriate case management date), the judicial officer will adjourn the case to the proper adjournment date, calculated in accordance with paragraph 17.
  3. The adjournment of the accused person’s matter under paragraph 32 or 33 will take place outside of court, in the absence of the accused person, and in advance of the accused person’s next scheduled date. As a result of the adjournment, the accused person’s matter will be removed from the court docket for the scheduled court date and will not be addressed in court on that date. In accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Criminal Rules of the Ontario Court of Justice, the filing of the Enhanced Designation is deemed to be a court appearance.

B.   Matters that remain on the docket due to a problem with the Enhanced Designation

  1. Where the judicial officer is of the opinion the Enhanced Designation of Counsel does not comply with the requirements of the Enhanced Designation Practice Direction, the matter will not be adjourned. The matter will remain on the docket and will be addressed on the scheduled court date.
  2. If a judicial officer has directed that a matter remain on the docket to be addressed in court on the scheduled court date, and defence counsel is not present to address the matter, the presiding judicial officer may adjourn the matter for approximately one to two weeks with a bench warrant with discretion and the Crown will contact defence counsel and advise about the next court date, in accordance with paragraph 24.

C.   Notification of Counsel

  1. Court staff will email defence counsel and the Crown to advise whether or not the accused person’s matter has been adjourned, as directed by the judicial officer, including any reason(s) provided by the judicial officer. Notification will be given at least one day before the scheduled court date, provided that the Enhanced Designation of Counsel was filed at least five (5) business days in advance of that date. Notification will be given by “replying all” to the original email sent by defence counsel attaching the Designation.
  2. If defence counsel fails to file the Enhanced Designation of Counsel at least 5 business days before the scheduled court date, counsel should not assume that the Designation will be reviewed outside of court. Unless notified by court staff that the Enhanced Designation has been reviewed and the matter has been adjourned, counsel should assume that the accused person’s matter will be addressed in court on the scheduled court date.

D.   Exceptional Cases in which there is a Problem with the Enhanced Designation

  1. The Court anticipates that the Crown and defence counsel will comply with the procedures that apply to Enhanced Designations of Counsel. However, there may be rare occasions in which an Enhanced Designation of Counsel does not comply with the requirements the Enhanced Designation Practice Direction, or there is a problem with the proposed adjournment date set out on the Designation. On those rare occasions where a problem arises with an Enhanced Designation, the following procedure should be followed.
  2. The Crown should review Enhanced Designations of Counsel promptly upon receipt. Where the Crown takes the position the Enhanced Designation of Counsel does not comply with the requirements of the Enhanced Designation Practice Direction, or that there is a problem with the proposed adjournment date set out on the Designation, the Crown should immediately notify the Court and defence counsel by email.
  3. The Crown’s email identifying the problem with the Enhanced Designation of Counsel will form part of the court record. The Crown’s email, together with the Information and Enhanced Designation of Counsel will be delivered to a judicial officer for review.
  4. If the judicial officer receives the Crown’s email before conducting their review of the Designation, the judicial officer will consider the Crown’s email in determining whether the matter should be adjourned or should remain on the docket to be addressed on the scheduled court date, in accordance with the provisions set out above.
  5. If the judicial officer receives the Crown’s email after the accused person’s matter has been adjourned in accordance with paragraphs 32 to 34 of this Practice Direction, the judicial officer may take whatever action they determine to be appropriate in the circumstances, including the following:
    1. directing that the adjournment date be revised to the proper adjournment date, in accordance with paragraph 33;
    2. directing that the matter be re-listed on the docket to be addressed on the scheduled court date, where there is sufficient time to notify counsel before the date;
    3. directing that the matter be brought forward from the adjournment date to be addressed on another court date, either one or two weeks following the scheduled court date; or
    4. directing that the matter remain adjourned as previously directed, subject to one of the parties bringing the matter forward to an earlier date.
  6. Court staff will advise defence counsel and the Crown, by email, of the judicial officer’s direction.

5.    Obligation of Crown and Defence Counsel to Move the Case Forward During Adjournment Period

  1. During the period of adjournment under Part 4 of this Notice and any extension thereof pursuant to Part 7 of this Notice, the Crown and defence counsel shall make best efforts to move the case forward, within the time period of the adjournment and/or extension, to completion of the case management / intake phase, including the following:
    1. The Crown will
      1. promptly screen the case and provide meaningful initial disclosure to defence counsel,
      2. respond promptly to disclosure requests;
    2. Defence counsel will
      1. make diligent efforts to obtain and review disclosure
      2. promptly advise the Crown’s office of any additional outstanding disclosure and be diligent in following up on any outstanding disclosure;
    3. Both the Crown and defence counsel will work cooperatively to complete the following at the earliest reasonable opportunity:
      1. schedule and conduct a Crown pre-trial meeting;
      2. where required or otherwise appropriate, schedule and conduct a judicial pre-trial;
      3. where the matter is resolving, schedule and proceed with the resolution including, where appropriate, bringing the matter forward in accordance with Part 6; and
      4. where the matter is proceeding to trial or preliminary inquiry, select a trial or preliminary inquiry date through the Trial Coordinator’s office, which may be formally set at the accused person’s next court date.
  2. If issues arise that are expected to interfere with the steps described above being completed within the adjournment period, counsel will arrange to have the matter brought before the Court by either scheduling a judicial pre-trial or bringing the matter forward in accordance with Part 6 of this Practice Direction to address these issues.
  3. Defence counsel may file an Enhanced Designation of Counsel in connection with an accused person’s first appearance in case management court, or a subsequent appearance within four weeks of the first appearance.
  4. If all steps toward completion of the case management / intake phase have been completed prior to the end of the adjournment period and the matter is proceeding to a trial or preliminary inquiry, counsel are encouraged to select a date through the Trial Coordinator’s office, which may be formally set on the next court appearance. Alternatively, counsel are encouraged to bring the matter forward so that it can be resolved or otherwise addressed before the Court, using the procedure set out in Part 6 of this notice.

6.    Bringing a Matter Forward

  1. Any matter adjourned in accordance with Part 4 of this Practice Direction may be brought forward at any time to be addressed before the Court.
  2. The request to bring a matter forward must be in writing. Where counsel agree on a bring forward date, the request is to be filed electronically with the Court by either defence counsel or the Crown at least 3 business days before the date. Where counsel are unable to agree on a bring forward date, the request must be brought on at least 7 days written notice to the other party and filed electronically with the Court

7.    Extension of Adjournment

  1. The adjournment period set out in Part 4 may be extended once for an additional four weeks upon the joint request of the Crown and defence counsel, if the return date four weeks away will be on or before the six-month Information sworn date.
  2. Subject to paragraph 53, provided the written request for an extension of adjournment is filed with the court at least three (3) days before the next scheduled court date, the accused person’s matter will be adjourned to a date four (4) weeks from their scheduled court date by the presiding judicial officer without the accused or counsel personally appearing in court. If an appearance 4 weeks away would not fall on the appropriate case management date, the matter will, instead, be adjourned to the appropriate case management date that is approximately 4 weeks away from the date of their scheduled court date and Crown counsel will advise defence counsel of the revised date.
  3. In locations listed in section 4(b), the written request for an extension of adjournment must be filed with the court at least five (5) days before the next scheduled court date. The adjournment of the accused person’s matter will take place outside of court, in the absence of the accused person, and in advance of the accused person’s next scheduled date, in accordance with the procedure set out in paragraphs 32 to 34 of this Practice Direction, modified as necessary.

8.    Court Record

  1. The Enhanced Designation of Counsel and any adjournment extension request will be filed with the court and form part of the court record.

9.    Cases Involving Co-Accused

  1. Defence counsel may file an Enhanced Designation of Counsel in a case involving co-accused, even though a co-accused has not yet retained counsel or the co-accused’s counsel has not filed an enhanced designation. Upon filing of the enhanced designation, the accused person’s matter will be adjourned in accordance with Part 4 of this Practice Direction, unless otherwise directed by a judicial officer.
  2. The Court expects that Crown and defence counsel will work cooperatively with one another, and with any unrepresented accused person, to move the matter forward, such as coordinating scheduling judicial pre-trials and selecting trial or preliminary inquiry dates. This is particularly important if one or more co-accused is in custody.

10. Paralegals Appearing as Authorized Agents Under s. 800 of the Criminal Code

  1. The procedure outlined above may be used by paralegals representing accused persons in connection with summary conviction Criminal Code offences (including hybrid offences in which the Crown has elected to proceed summarily) on which they are authorized to appear as agent under ss. 800 and 802.1(c) of the Criminal Code. The paralegal may file an “enhanced appointment of authorized agent for summary conviction matters”, by preparing and adapting the Enhanced Designation of Counsel described in Part 2 of this Practice Direction.
  2. Where the Crown has indicated on a charge screening form that the Crown will be electing to proceed summarily, the enhanced appointment of authorized agent may be filed with the Court in anticipation of the Crown electing to proceed summarily at the next scheduled appearance. If the Crown elects to proceed by summary conviction when the accused person’s matter is addressed in court on the scheduled date, the matter will be adjourned, without the accused person or their counsel being present, in accordance with the procedure set out in Part 4 of this Practice Direction. If the Crown does not elect to proceed by summary conviction on the next court date, the matter will be adjourned for approximately two weeks with a bench warrant with discretion and the Crown will contact the paralegal to advise so that the issue can be addressed on the next court date.

Dated at Toronto this 6th day of August, 2020

Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve

* Note re previous versions. This practice direction was originally issued on August 6, 2020, entitled, “Practice Direction Authorizing Alternate Form of Appearance where an Enhanced Designation of Counsel has been Filed”. Previous versions are available on the Archives page of the Ontario Court of Justice website

 

Appendix A – Email Contact Information
for Court Locations in which Adjournments occur outside of court in advance of the next scheduled date (section 4(b))

Barrie (including Bradford, Midland & Collingwood)

Court: Barrie.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownBarrie@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: simcoecountyfedcrown@jokinenlaw.ca

Bracebridge (including Huntsville)

Court: bracebridge.courts@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown: EService.Bracebridge.Crowns@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: info@milescriminallaw.com

Brampton

Court: Brampton.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca

Crown

Provincial Crown: virtualcrownbrampton@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  PPSCBramptonSPPC@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Chatham

Court:  Chatham.OCJ.Designations@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownChatham@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  PPSCChathamSPPC@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

College Park (Toronto)

Court: CollegePark.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca
Provincial Crown:  enhanceddesignationCP@ontario.ca

Dryden

Court:  csd.dryden@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:   virtualcrowndryden@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  ron.poirier@poirierlaw.ca  and ppsc.kenora@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca (please include both emails)

Fort Frances

Court:  fortfrances.ocj.courts@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:   virtualcrownfortfrances@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  ron.poirier@poirierlaw.ca

Goderich

Court:  Goderich.Courthouse@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:   GoderichCrownOffice@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: bmartel@dmlaw.ca

Guelph

Court: Guelph.OCJ.Courts@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  VirtualCrownGuelph@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: ppscwellingtoncounty@gmail.com

Hamilton

Court: Guelph.OCJ.Courts@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  Hamilton-Criminal-Intake-Court@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: Hamilton.disclosure@bellnet.ca

Kenora

Court:   courts.kenora@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:   virtualcrownkenora@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  kenora@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Kitchener

Court:  Kitchener.OCJ.Designations@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  CLD.West.Kitchener@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: PPSCKitchenerSPPC@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Lindsay

Court:   Lindsay.courts@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:  VirtualCrownLindsay@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  mailbox@frostwilson.com

London

Court: London.OCJ.Designation@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  VirtualCrownLondon@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: PPSCLondonSPPC@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Newmarket

Court: yorkcrim@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:   VirtualCrownNewmarket@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: info@ghoshlitigation.com

Old City Hall (Toronto)

Court:  OldCityHall.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca
Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownOldCityHallToronto@ontario.ca

Orangeville

Court: Orangeville.OCJ.Courts@Ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownOrangeville@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  federalcrown@evansandadams.com

Orillia

Court: Orillia.courts@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownBarrie@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  simcoecountyfedcrown@jokinenlaw.ca

Oshawa

Court: Durham.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownOshawa@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: kgbfedcrown@oshawalawyers.com and mailbox@frostwilson.com (please include both emails)

Ottawa

Court: ottawa.criminal@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownOttawa@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: NCRServiceofDocuments@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Ottawa Police:  court@ottawapolice.ca

Owen Sound

Court:  OwenSoundOCJCriminal@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown: ; VirtualCrownOwenSound@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: admin@barefootlaw.ca

Peterborough

Court:  Peterborough.OCJ.Courts@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:  VirtualCrownPeterbourough@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  mailbox@frostwilson.com

Red Lake

Court:  csd.dryden@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:   virtualcrowndryden@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  ron.poirier@poirierlaw.ca  and ppsc.kenora@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca (please include both emails)

Sarnia

Court:  Sarnia.OCJ.Designations@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  VirtualCrownSarnia@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: PPSCSarniaSPPC@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Sault Ste. Marie

Court:  SSMCriminalCourt@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:  VirtualCrownAlgoma@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: ppscagentssm@gmail.com

Sioux Lookout

Court:  csd.dryden@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:   virtualcrowndryden@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada:  ron.poirier@poirierlaw.ca  and ppsc.kenora@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca (please include both emails)

Stratford

Court:  Stratford.OCJ.Designations@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown: ; StratfordCrown@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: PPSCLondonSPPC@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

St. Catharines

Court: St.Catharines.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown: virtualcrownstcatharines@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: admin@angerlaw.ca

St. Thomas

Court:   StThomas.OCJ.Designations@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  virtualcrownst.thomas@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: ppsclondonsppc@ppsc-sppc.gc.ca

Thunder Bay

Court:   CSDTBAYCriminal@ontario.ca

Crown:

Provincial Crown:  VirtualCrownThunderBay@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: ron.poirier@poirierlaw.ca

Toronto East (1911 Eglinton Avenue East)

Court: 1911.criminal@ontario.ca
Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownScarboroughToronto@ontario.ca

Toronto North (1000 Finch Avenue West)

Court:  1000.criminal@Ontario.ca
Provincial Crown: VirtualCrown1000FinchWToronto@ontario.ca

Toronto West (2201 Finch Avenue West)

Court: 2201.criminal@Ontario.ca
Provincial Crown: VirtualCrown2201EtobicokeToronto@ontario.ca

Welland

Court: Welland.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca

Crown

Provincial Crown: virtualcrownwelland@ontario.ca or call 905-732-1327
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: admin@angerlaw.ca

Walkerton

Court:   Walkerton.OCJ.courts@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  WalkertonCrownOffice@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: admin@barefootlaw.ca

Windsor

Court:  Windsor.OCJ.Designations@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown: VirtualCrownWindsor@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: sonia@mousseaulaw.com  and rachaelG@mousseaulaw.com (please include both emails)

Woodstock

Court:   woodstock.ocj.designations@ontario.ca
Crown:

Provincial Crown:  virtualcrownwoodstock@ontario.ca
Public Prosecution Service of Canada: markmkslaw@rogers.com

Ontario Court of Justice

This website is maintained by the Office of the Chief Justice.

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