Ontario’s family court operations are in transition. Our new Family Court Operations: A Pandemic Resource provides information about how the courts are operating right now.
Family courts are evolving
In March 2020, family courts moved quickly and efficiently to ensure their operations were consistent with provincial public health protocols put in place to limit spread of the COVID-19 virus.
During this process, many of those involved with the family court system – judges, lawyers, court staff and litigants – realized that some of the changes were long overdue and should be kept in place even after pandemic protocols were lifted.
We don’t know what changes will become permanent and what operational processes will return to those in place before March 2020.
To support women and their advocates, we’ve created this guide. We will endeavor to keep this resource up-to-date. Please watch the Luke’s Place site for updates: LukesPlace.ca/family-court-operations-guide-for-the-pandemic/
Documents and appearances
The resource covers:
- Serving and filing documents, with a Form 6B Affidavit checklist, how to file submissions online and document naming protcols
- Going to court, including teleconference and video conference preparation and etiquette
- Finding and using legal help and court services
- Court operations and services for related legal issues
- What’s next?
See the final section for links to websites where you can find up-to-date information about the operation of Ontario’s family courts and the services connected with them.
We strongly recommend that you stay informed about how the court in your community is operating, as there are sometimes differences between the general information available about the province as a whole and how courts in a particular jurisdiction are operating.
Access the resource: Family Court Operations: A Pandemic Resource
