Group of Ontario lawyers petitions courts to keep proceedings virtual
Group of Ontario lawyers petitions courts to keep proceedings virtual
Group of Ontario lawyers petitions courts to keep proceedings virtual
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.
As NATO prepares to embark on the greatest overhaul of the alliance’s deterrence capabilities since the Cold War at a leaders’ summit in Spain, Canada’s role in the new defence strategy remains uncertain.
A Nexus card is supposed to help put low-risk Canadians on the fast track when crossing the U.S. border, but at least 330,000 Canadians aren’t sure when their applications will be processed.
Canada Day celebrations are making a return after two years of scaled-down festivities because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some Canadians hoping to catch a traditional parade may be out of luck.
Witnesses recount what they saw after police officers engaged in a shooting with armed suspects at a bank in Saanich, B.C., on Tuesday morning. Two suspects are dead and six officers are in hospital with gunshot wounds.
The mastermind of an elaborate Ponzi scheme that cheated hundreds of people of tens of millions of dollars was sentenced Tuesday in a Barrie, Ont., courtroom. Charles Debono has been behind bars since his arrest in 2020 for his role in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in Canadian history.
Tensions were high in India's western Udaipur city Wednesday, a day after police arrested two Muslim men accused of slitting a Hindu tailor's throat in a brutal attack that highlights a dramatic escalation of communal violence in a country riven by deep religious polarization.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday of becoming 'a terrorist' state carrying out 'daily terrorist acts' and urged Russia's expulsion from the United Nations.
Families across the country tell W5 they were falsely accused of child abuse after bringing their sick or injured child to the hospital. Some parents are calling for mandatory medical second opinions when it comes to cases flagged in hospitals.
Former Deputy Leader of the Conservatives Lisa Raitt shares the pain behind her husband's devastating diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's and the story of their enduring love, in a candid and revealing interview with CTV W5.
W5 investigates disturbing allegations against a pediatric dentist in Nova Scotia whose treatment of children over five decades is now an alleged crime.
CTV W5's latest investigation: For a year, Dr. Brooks Fallis ran the Critical Care unit at a Brampton Hospital. He openly criticized Premier Ford’s COVID-19 response and was warned by his bosses there could be consequences.
For the past two years, a number of doctors across Canada have advocated for their patients and questioned the role of politics in the handling of COVID-19. To explore the issues, W5 convened a group of seven physicians from across the country.
An Ontario man shares his horrifying story of murder as W5 investigates the widespread under-reporting of serious side-effects from prescription drugs.
A mother of three children is speaking out after spending a night on the floor of Toronto Pearson Airport with her young kids and six-month-old baby in a weekend of travel that she says cost her most than $1,000 in unexpected expenses.
A longtime Toronto legislator has been named interim leader of Ontario's New Democrats as the Official Opposition party gears up for a leadership contest.
What was supposed to be a fun weekend trip with friends to Arizona has turned into a nightmarish five-day, “suitcase scavenger hunt” for Toronto resident Jehaanara Kurji.
A multi-block vehicle control zone comes into effect around Parliament Hill today, meant to prevent a second occupation of downtown Ottawa by protesters associated with last winter’s 'Freedom Convoy' movement.
Ontario's police watchdog is investigating after Ottawa police officers shot and killed a man and injured a woman while responding to the stabbing deaths of two women.
Former OC Transpo general manager John Manconi faced intense questioning as he testified at a public hearing in the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Commission.
The mastermind of an elaborate Ponzi scheme that cheated hundreds of people of tens of millions of dollars was sentenced Tuesday in a Barrie, Ont., courtroom. Charles Debono has been behind bars since his arrest in 2020 for his role in one of the largest Ponzi schemes in Canadian history.
The family of a Black four-year-old who was removed from school by police has filed a lawsuit against the Waterloo Catholic District School Board seeking $1 million in damages for what they says is the board's discrimination and negligence.
Every morning, when Karli Chomick would drop her children Savanna and Ryder off at St. Timothy Catholic Elementary School in Kitchener, she would do the same thing: give them a hug and a kiss, then tell them to be kind.
With limited spaces in French immersion programs, the Thames Valley District School Board is finding itself having to remind families there’s not enough room for everyone.
Flyers mailed out with the final tax-bill featuring Windsor council’s recent accomplishments but boasting photos of the mayor are stirring up debate, with some calling the leaflets “unethical.”
A coroner's report released Tuesday is calling on Quebec to teach new drivers to open their car doors with their right hand in order to prevent dooring incidents with cyclists.
A 26-year-old man has been ordered to undergo a mental health assessment after prosecutors allege he fatally stabbed his stepfather and seriously wounded three others this weekend. The victim was lawyer Raymond Hebert.
A scathing letter from an RCMP communications manager released today says RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki referred to direct pressure from the federal public safety minister to release firearm details in the days after the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
A program giving inmates a chance to get an education while serving time in Manitoba’s Stony Mountain Institution is looking to expand, according to the Correctional Service of Canada.
A Toronto couple expressed appreciation and gratitude for the fire fighters who treated and transported their three-year-old daughter to Children's hospital over the weekend.
The Supreme Court of Canada struck down a law passed by the former Stephen Harper Conservatives that allows a judge to increase parole ineligibility periods for offenders who commit multiple murders. Now there’s fear it could mean sentence “discounts” for other mass murderers.
Edmonton is moving forward with a plan to improve snow and ice clearing on roads and sidewalks, but it could cost homeowners an extra three per cent in taxes over three years.
A vigil was held on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside Tuesday for Noelle O'Soup, an Indigenous girl whose body was found there a year after she went missing.
A scathing letter from an RCMP communications manager released Tuesday says RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki referred to direct pressure from the federal public safety minister to release firearm details in the days after the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
At a time of enhanced global uncertainty and growing Chinese influence, the Canadian government faces mounting pressure to appoint a diplomatic representative in Beijing after the post has sat vacant for six months.
The federal Liberal government has agreed to provide sensitive cabinet documents to the inquiry examining its use of the Emergencies Act during the "Freedom Convoy" protest.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a number of states south of the border have stopped performing abortions. If you're a Canadian who has had an abortion, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
Health officials in South Korea on Wednesday approved the country's first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years or older, adding another public health tool in the fight against a prolonged pandemic.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade opening the door to abortion bans in the U.S., Canadian Tiktokers are welcoming Americans who are considering travelling north of the border to get an abortion.
Fossils of early human ancestors from a South African cave are 3.4 million to 3.6 million years old -- making them a million years older than previously suspected and shaking up the way researchers understand human origins and evolution.
A U.S. Navy destroyer that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of the Second World War in the Philippines has become the deepest wreck to be discovered, according to explorers.
R&B star R. Kelly faces the possibility of a quarter century or more in prison when he is sentenced Wednesday in a federal sex trafficking case in New York.
Shares skidded in Asia on Wednesday after another broad decline on Wall Street as markets remain gripped by uncertainty over inflation, rising interest rates and the potential for a recession.
The head of the European Central Bank said Tuesday that it will move gradually to combat soaring consumer prices with interest rate hikes in July and September but will keep its options open to "stamp out" inflation if it surges faster than expected.
The May Garden Chinese Restaurant in Bedford, N.S., has introduced 'Bella' to its team -- a robot that helps deliver customers' orders to their tables.
Calgary is now officially home to the world's tallest mural. German graffiti artist Mirko Reisser, known as DAIM, used a swing-stage to paint and spray-paint the tremendously tall piece of art.
Hockey Canada’s handling of an alleged sexual assault is again under fire as one of its highest profile sponsors, Scotiabank, announces they’re pausing their sponsorship with the Canadian hockey organization.
Nissan Motor Co is recalling more than 300,000 SUVs in the United States over an issue in which the hood suddenly opens, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
A coroner's report released Tuesday is calling on Quebec to teach new drivers to open their car doors with their right hand in order to prevent dooring incidents with cyclists.
