News Release

Ontario Targeting Criminal Court Delays In Ottawa

McGuinty Government Implementing Faster, Focused Justice

June 16, 2008

News

Through the new Justice on Target strategy, the McGuinty government is taking the lead on a nationwide problem by setting targets to reduce court delays and appearances in Ontario by 30 per cent over the next four years.

Justice on Target has been launched as federal statistics show a nationwide increase in the court appearances and time needed to complete a criminal case. In Ontario, it now takes approximately twice as many court appearances and days to complete a criminal case as it did in 1992.

To ensure transparency and accountability, the province has made criminal court statistics available to the public for the first time. The public will be able to follow the progress of the Justice on Target strategy and see the impact on courthouses in their local communities.

The multidisciplinary Justice on Target implementation team is being led by Regional Senior Justice Bruce Durno and Senior Crown Attorney Kenneth Anthony. The team will work with justice sector partners in local courthouses to develop and implement new initiatives that improve coordination, focus justice resources and move cases through the justice system faster.

Quotes

"We are taking the lead on an important national issue," said Attorney General Chris Bentley. "Justice on Target will help Ontario move to justice faster by targeting unacceptable court delays."

"Justice on Target seeks the most effective use of Ottawa's criminal justice resources so that we can maximize our impact and ultimately make our community a safer place to live, work and play," said Yasir Naqvi, MPP Ottawa Centre.

Quick Facts

• In 2007, it took an average of 207 days and 9.2 court appearances to dispose of a criminal charge in Ottawa, almost the same as the provincial average of 205 days and 9.2 court appearances.
• With 600,000 charges entering the system every year, saving one minute per charge could save seven years of court time.

Learn More

Read more about the ministry's new Justice on Target strategy

View appearance statistics from the Ottawa courthouse

Read about national criminal court statistics

Contacts

Sheamus Murphy
Minister's Office, 416-326-1785

Brendan Crawley
Communications Branch, 416-326-2210

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