Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
The pandemic forced millions of court proceeding to go virtual over the past two years, a necessity in order to keep the wheels of justice moving.
Now, a group of family lawyers in Ontario wants virtual hearings to be the norm.
More than 1,000 lawyers have signed a petition to make all court appearances “presumptively virtual unless parties and their counsel agree otherwise.”
“This technology allows people to access the justice system easily from home,” Russell Alexander, a lawyer who supports this idea, told CTV News.
The lawyers argue that remote court saves them time, which reduces their clients’ bills, while improving access to justice for those with disabilities or other barriers to in-person meetings.
“Virtual has been one of the very few advantages we have gained from this pandemic, so let's not go backwards,” Nafisa Nazarali, another lawyer backing the idea, said.
As COVID-19 restrictions in courthouses have started to lift across the country, many judges are left to decide on a case-by-case basis if proceedings are held in-person, remote or hybrid.
But while some lawyers are championing remote court, others say we shouldn’t ignore the drawbacks.
Criminal defence lawyer Michael Spratt saidwhile there are merits to remote court appearances, some lower-income clients will be at a disadvantage if virtual becomes the default setting.
“Insisting on virtual proceedings in those cases could essentially [emphasize] the already gross disparity between the haves and the have nots in the justice system,” Spratt said.
“Balance is the exact word that we need to use.”
The well-known fact that technology is imperfect can also slow down court proceedings.
Currently, major backlogs at Ontario’s Landlord Tenant Board means disputes can be stretched out for months or even years due to the delays in getting a hearing.
When they do happen, these hearings are being held virtually, but they can worsen communication issues between two parties that already did not agree, with both tenants and landlords sometimes using the excuse of technological issues to avoid answering questions or participating fully in the hearing.
And some worry that the lack of face-to-face interaction might affect the outcome of hearings.
Renter Lea Donaldson recently fought off an eviction. But she’s worried that if she did end up having to battle her landlord in court, it would be over a computer, hampering her ability to communicate.
“I wouldn't be able to present myself as well as I could in person,” Donaldson said.
Even as courtrooms wrestle with which legal matters should be handled remotely, provinces are making investments.
Ontario, for example, has promised $65 million dollars to upgrade videoconferencing technology and training.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.