Frequently Asked Questions

Changes to the Committee Process

1. How has the Committee’s process changed?

As a result of legislative amendments to the Justices of the Peace Act that were proclaimed into force on August 2, 2011, the Committee’s process has changed from an annual province-wide advertisement-based recruitment process to a vacancy-based process.

The effect of these amendments is that the Committee will no longer be advertising annually for applications for justice of the peace positions in each region of the province. Instead, the Attorney General will now be requesting the Committee to advertise for applications only when there is a vacant justice of the peace position in a specific location.

2. I submitted an application after the October 22, 2010 closing date for applications, but prior to August 2, 2011, and I have not been notified that my application has been reviewed, evaluated and classified. What happens to my application now that the process has changed?

You will be notified of the status of your application at a later date.

3. What is the role of the Justices of the Peace Appointments Advisory Committee?

The Committee’s responsibility under the Justices of the Peace Act is to classify candidates for appointment as “Not Qualified”, “Qualified” or “Highly Qualified”. Classifications are based on a thorough review and evaluation process. The evaluation process may or may not include an interview. Classifications are reported to the Attorney General, who recommends candidates for Order-in-Council appointments to the Ontario Court of Justice.

4. Will I know what my classification is?

No. As with similar committees of this kind, your classification is not disclosed to you.

5. When may I apply under the new process?

You may apply for an advertised position during the period stated in the advertisement.

6. Can I submit an application even if there is no advertisement?

No. Applications are accepted only during the Committee’s advertising period for a specific justice of the peace vacancy. Applications are no longer accepted on an ongoing basis.

7. When will there be an advertisement for applications?

The Committee advertises for applications for vacant justice of the peace positions upon the request of the Attorney General.

8. How will I know that a vacancy exists?

Vacancies will be advertised and posted on the JPAAC website.

9. May I be notified if a vacancy arises?

If you would like to receive e-mail notification of advertised vacancies, please go to the Advertisements page of the Committee’s website at www.ontariocourts.on.ca/jpaac/en/advertisement.htm and click on the “Subscribe to Vacancy Notifications (via E-Mail)” link on that page.

10. What happens after I submit my application?

You can expect to receive an acknowledgement letter following the closing date for applications. There may be a delay in acknowledgement due to the volume of applications received.

A panel of Committee members will review and evaluate your application. The Committee may/may not choose to interview you as part of the evaluation process.

The evaluation results in a classification, which will then be reported to the Attorney General. The Attorney General may, at his/her discretion, recommend you for appointment as a justice of the peace to the Lieutenant Governor in Council to fill the vacant position.

11. I will be 65 years of age by the deadline date for the application. Can I still apply?

The Committee does not classify candidates who are 65 years of age or over at the time of classification. Section 6 of the Justices of the Peace Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. J.4, as revised by the decision of Mr. Justice Strathy of the Ontario Superior Court in the Association of Justices of the Peace of Ontario, Brenna Brown, Moreland Lynn and Meena Nadkarni Applicants v. Attorney General of Ontario [2008] O.J. No. 2131, provides that every full-time or part-time justice of the peace shall retire when he or she reaches 65 years of age. 2009, c. 33, Sched. 2, s. 39 (5). A justice of the peace who is 65 years of age or older may continue in office until he or she reaches 75 years of age, subject to the annual approval of the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. 2009, c. 33, Sched. 2, s. 39 (5).

12. I wish to contact the Committee regarding my application. Whom should I contact?

All communication from the candidate is to be made through the JPAAC Coordinator. It is not appropriate to contact members of the Committee at any stage of the application and evaluation process.

13. Will the Committee consider additional information after the application has been submitted?

Candidates are to consider carefully the information submitted in their original application. Only updates to personal and/or referee contact information are permitted.

The Justice of the Peace Position

14. Do I require legal experience?

No. The justice of the peace bench is a lay bench. There is no requirement that a candidate for the position have legal training or experience in the justice system. As a result, justices of the peace have varied educational, business and community backgrounds. All new justices of the peace, regardless of background, go through a rigorous training and mentoring program prior to presiding on their own.

15. What are the salary and benefits for a full-time presiding justice of the peace?

Full-time presiding justices of the peace are paid $116,123 per annum; in addition, they have a comprehensive pension and insured benefits package, including approximately three weeks’ annual vacation.

16. Are there part-time justice of the peace positions available?

No. The Committee has the mandate to classify candidates for full-time justice of the peace positions.

17. How demanding can I expect the role of a justice of the peace to be?

While most duties fall within a regular business day, a justice of the peace may be required to work at any hour of the day and on weekends or holidays. Justices of the peace are expected to travel within the region to which they are assigned, and occasionally elsewhere in the province. For example, justices of the peace appointed in the Central East Region are subject to assignment to the Tele-warrant Centre. Assignments of justices of the peace are at the direction of the Regional Senior Judge or Regional Senior Justice of the Peace.

18. If I am appointed as a justice of the peace and I have to re-locate, will I be paid for my re-location expenses?

No. If you are required to re-locate to accept your position, any re-location costs are borne by you.

19. What if I am appointed and require special accommodation?

The Committee’s policies and processes for review and evaluation of candidates are in compliance with the accessibility provisions under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

Application Process

20. What if I missed the deadline to file my application?

Applications received after the closing date will be returned to the candidate.

21. If I have previously applied, when may I re-apply?

You may submit an application for each advertised position.

22. Can I re-file the application I filed previously?

Each application must be submitted on the current application form, with content supporting the specific advertised vacancy(ies). The form can be downloaded from the Committee’s website at www.ontariocourts.on.ca/jpaac/en.

23. Should I attend court while preparing my application?

You should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of a justice of the peace. The Committee strongly recommends that you attend various courts where a justice of the peace is presiding, such as a Provincial Offences court and Bail court. Should you be unsure of which court you are attending, justices of the peace are identified by a green sash over their robes.

24. How many copies of my application do I need to file?

You must submit the signed original plus 8 signed copies for each vacancy to which you are applying.

25. May I attach additional information and/or letters of reference to my application form?

No. The Committee will review only the documents requested in the prescribed application form.

26. I do not have a copy of my diploma, degree or an official transcript. Do I need to obtain one?

Yes. Your application must contain evidence of your scholastic completion at the post-secondary level. Filing instructions indicate that you are to attach one copy of your degree, diploma or official transcript to the back of the signed original application form which you are submitting.

There is no need to submit evidence of completion of individual courses which you have completed.

27. What will the Committee do with my application if I do not file the required copies or if my application is incomplete?

The requirement will be strictly enforced. Failure to complete the application according to the instructions could result in the rejection of your application.

28. After I submit my application, what should if I do if I want to update my personal information listed on page 1 of the application form?

You must re-submit, to the JPAAC Coordinator, an updated paper copy of page 1 of the application form with a covering letter advising of the updated information.

Interviews

29. Does everyone who applies receive an interview?

No. The Committee evaluates all applications received and selects some candidates to proceed to an interview.

30. When can I expect to be notified if I am selected for an interview?

The Committee receives a significant number of applications, all of which are thoroughly evaluated. As a result, a considerable amount of time may elapse between the submission of an application and the request by the Committee for the candidate to attend an interview. There may be a very short period of time between an invitation to a candidate to attend an interview and the date of the interview.

31. Who will be present at the interview?

There will be at least four members of the Committee, one of whom will be a lay member from the region of the base court to which you have applied and another will be a judicial member.

32. How should I prepare for the interview?

You should familiarize yourself with the role of a justice of the peace.

33. What do I need to bring to the interview?

You do not need to bring anything to the interview.

34. May I make notes during the interview?

Yes. However, any notes that you make during the interview must be left in the designated location in the interview room.

35. What if I am not able to attend my interview?

The Committee will make every effort to re-schedule your interview.

36. Are my travel expenses and any related costs to attend the interview paid by the Committee?

No. The candidate incurs all travel expenses and related costs to attend the interview.

37. What happens after the interview?

The Committee will classify you.

38. When should I advise my referees of my application?

You should contact all referees, in advance of your application, to advise them of your application and of the role of a justice of the peace.

If the contact information for a referee you have provided has changed, you must submit this information to the JPAAC Coordinator immediately. The Coordinator will record that information and provide it to the Committee.

39. When will my referees be contacted?

Referees may be contacted any time after your application is filed; however, they may not be contacted at all, at the discretion of the Committee.

40. What do I do if I want to change a referee after my application is submitted?

Submit any request for change to the JPAAC Coordinator with an explanation for the change and the Committee will consider your request.

41. Security and Disclosure Checks

Please note that when requested, candidates will be required to provide permission for the Committee to conduct various security and disclosure checks. The security check consists of a name search through the Canadian Police Information Centre (C.P.I.C.) to obtain information on criminal convictions.

Candidates for appointment as a justice of the peace who are or have been members of a professional organization are required to permit disclosure by the organization to the Committee or the Attorney General of any complaints, charges, insurance or compensation claims made against them to that organization.

42. If I am appointed as a justice of the peace, how soon would I be expected to assume my duties?

Although the JPAAC does not make appointments, the Committee understands that the usual timeline for assuming one’s duties is short, approximately two to three weeks – potentially sooner – after receiving notification of the pending appointment.

August 2, 2011