News Release

For Immediate Release
May 24, 2007

Initiatives Increase Access And In Line With Justice And The Media Panel Recommendations

TORONTO — In line with the recommendations of the Panel on Justice and the Media, photocopy and inspection fees for files in Ontario courts have been reduced, and some court proceedings will soon be webcast and provided to the media, Attorney General Michael Bryant announced today.

[ Audio ] "Webcasting court proceedings and providing copies to the news media on DVD will increase the openness of our justice system," said Bryant. "Dropping photocopy and inspection fees for court files by as much as two-thirds will increase access to the justice system. Faster, more open and affordable access to court records and proceedings will help the public and the media be full witnesses to the administration of justice."

Bryant made the announcement at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Toronto, where he updated journalists in a town hall style meeting on the implementation of recommendations made by the Panel on Justice and the Media. Bryant also formally accepted the "Code of Silence Award", which was awarded to him in 2006 by the Canadian Association of Journalists for having the highest fees in the country for accessing court records. Bryant is the first recipient to ever show up and personally collect the annual award.

The Ministry of the Attorney General has cut the fee charged for photocopying documents in the Court of Appeal, Superior Court of Justice and provincially-administered Ontario Court of Justice courts by half, from $2 per page to $1 per page.

While the Panel did not specifically recommend reducing file inspection fees, the ministry, in the spirit of the Panel's recommendation, has also lowered the file inspection fee charged to non-parties to view civil case files in the Court of Appeal and Superior Court of Justice by 69 per cent, from $32 to $10.

Bryant also announced that, under a pilot project set to begin by summer, some proceedings in Courtroom #1 at the Court of Appeal for Ontario will be streamed live on the Internet. DVD copies of proceedings will be provided to the media twice per day and will be available for use by journalism and law schools and other organizations for educational and training purposes. Proceedings will also be archived on the site for 90 days to ensure round-the-clock public access.

While cameras are generally prohibited under the Courts of Justice Act, they are permissible for educational or instructional purposes, with approval from the presiding judge and consent from the parties to the proceeding. Bryant originally announced this pilot project during this year's Opening of the Courts ceremony, in response to another recommendation made by the Panel on Justice and the Media.

In its August 2006 report, the Panel on Justice and the Media made 17 recommendations on ways to improve mutual understanding between the justice system and the media.

The McGuinty government is taking action on all recommendations and has already:

• formed a Justice-Media Liaison Committee to bring together representatives from the judiciary, media, police, the legal communities and the ministry to work together on justice-media issues as they arise
• appointed a media contact person in every courthouse across the province
• supported the work of the Ontario Justice Education Network as it develops new learning modules on the justice-media relationship for use in high schools across the province
• created a justice-media section on the ministry's website, which includes information on resources and useful links.

[ Audio ] "Reducing photocopy and file inspection fees, and developing a pilot project for cameras in the Court of Appeal represent significant progress in setting a new standard for excellence and leadership in both form and practice," said Bryant."We are continuing to move forward with implementing all of the Panel's recommendations."

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