In the Northwest Region family law conferences are still presumptively virtual proceedings, while they have returned to being presumptively in-person for most other regions of the province. In the Northwest our concern with a return to fully in-person conferences has been the inability to meet the needs of the entire region.
It is recognized that particularly in family law matters, there can be some considerable benefit to the parties and counsel being able to attend and participate in person. The benefit of in-person appearances must be balanced against the fact that we serve a vast geographic region, and virtual appearances have significantly improved access to justice for those in our region that do not live in Thunder Bay.
Commencing April 2024, we will begin to offer some in-person conferences on a limited basis in Thunder Bay and Kenora (centres where there are resident judges). The presumptive mode shall remain virtual. An in-person conference may be requested for one of the dates set out below, provided both parties agree. If the parties disagree, the presumptive mode shall apply unless there are compelling reasons for a request to be made for an in-person or hybrid conference. Those requests shall be made to the LAJ Family (Justice Nieckarz).
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer in-person dates in Fort Frances as there is no resident judge. Fort Frances residents and counsel who wish to have an in-person conference may request an in-person date in either Thunder Bay or Kenora. Full access to virtual conference dates remains.
The following dates shall only be for in-person conferences. Once an in-person conference is scheduled, it cannot be changed to virtual. Dates that are offered as virtual conferences cannot be changed to in-person. Please be clear with the trial co-ordinator as to whether you are requesting an in-person or virtual conference. You must confirm you have the consent of the other party for an in-person proceeding. If there is sufficient interest for in-person dates, consideration will be given to adding further dates to the schedule:
Thunder Bay
April 9
May 14
June 4
July 9
August 20
Sept 3
Oct 15 and 29
Dec 10
Kenora
April 30
August 27
October 8
November 12
December 17
Email addresses for conference requests are:
Thunder Bay Trial Coordinator ThunderBay.SCJ@ontario.ca
Kenora Trial Coordinator Kenora.scj@ontario.ca
Justice T. J. Nieckarz
Dated: February 1, 2024