Criminal Proceedings at the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario

The Superior Court of Justice is a superior court of criminal jurisdiction. While less serious criminal cases are heard by the Ontario Court of Justice, the judges of the Superior Court of Justice hear the more serious criminal cases under the Criminal Code of Canada.

The Report of the Chief Justice’s Advisory Committee on Criminal Trials

In 2005, Chief Justice Heather Smith of the Superior Court of Justice, with the approval of the Court’s Council of Regional Senior Judges, established the Advisory Committee on Criminal Trials. The role of the Advisory Committee was to identify areas in which criminal proceedings in the Superior Court could be made more efficient.

The need to better manage criminal trials in the Superior Court was first addressed in the 1993 Martin Report and in the 1999 Criminal Justice Review Report, both of which sought to ensure shorter, more efficient and more focused criminal trials. Regrettably, the recommendations of these two reports were often ignored and not put into practice.

In 2002, Parliament enacted Section 482.1of the Criminal Code to permit courts to establish rules for case management. As a result, the recommendations of the Advisory Committees report have now led to amendments to the Criminal Proceedings Rules, effective October 16, 2006. The report’s recommendations benefit from extensive consultations with judges, Crowns and members of the defence Bar.

The Advisory Committee’s report identifies several areas in which criminal proceedings in the Superior Court can be made more efficient, including the use of standardized, formal pre-trial conferences (such as Rule 28.03), which are now an important feature of the revised Criminal Proceedings Rules.

New Approaches to Criminal Trials: Report of the Chief Justice's Advisory Committee on Criminal Trials in the Superior Court of Justice

Criminal Proceedings Rules: HTML, PDF (Effective October 16, 2006)

• Criminal Code of Canada

Forms under the Criminal Trials Report

• Criminal pre-trial conference report (Form 17): PDF, Word
• Designation of counsel (Form 18): PDF, Word
• Trial readiness report (Form 18-C-1): PDF, Word; (Form 18-C-2): PDF, Word

Information

• Practice Directions and Administrative Advisories
• Recommended instructions to self-represented accused before pre-trial conferences (PDF)
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